VCR Repair

The VCR: An Overview

The VCR has two main jobs; to deal with the fragile and incredibly long tape, and to read the signals off the tape and convert them into signals that a TV can understand. The recording heads are mounted on a rotating drum that is tilted in respect to the tape. The device has to read the audio and control tracks from the tape. It also has to keep the tape moving at exactly the right speed and detect the end of the tape. When a VCR loads the tape, two rollers pull the tape out of the cassette. The rollers help move the tracks around the drum. Then the pinch and inertia rollers engage and the tape is pressed onto the erase and audio heads. To sense the end of the tape, the VCR shines a light through the tape and when it “sees” the clear leader, it knows the end of the tape.

VCR repair With Zimmerman

In this day and age, it’s hard to find a VCR for those tapes you so carefully compiled, recorded, and stored. Sometimes it’s nice to pull out those old VHS tapes and watch your son’s graduation or your daughter’s dance recital. Maybe you want to catch some highlights from your wedding as you celebrate another anniversary. If you find your VCR in need of a little first aid, bring it to Zimmerman TV and let us bring your machine back to proper working order.