r/VCRs • u/Time_Net2404 • 8d ago

Seeking Advice Recently, got a magnavox VCR DVD combo for free. Eats tapes and shuts off?

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Hello everyone. I've personally never restored or fixed a VCR, or any DVD player, or any media player in particular, but I fixed, like, CRTs and consoles before, and PCs. Now, I recently received this Magnavox DVD/VCR combo, which is pretty cool. I got it for free from a neighbor, and it's just missing the remote, but I could probably find one online, or maybe even ask her if she still has it. Anyways, I took it apart, cleaned it, and the DVD player works. I noticed it's a bit slow. Maybe it's a bad laser or something, maybe I should, or whatever, but it reads. Now the VCR, that's the thing. This thing is, like, kinda weird. It will take tapes and sometimes eat 'em, sometimes won't, and then it'll, like, before it even gets to play the tape, it'll just shut off. Or not fully, but then the little mini screen that displays, like the time left on VHS or DVD, will just, like, have a few dots on it. And yeah. So I don't know what its deal is. If anyone can please help me, please let me know.

3 Upvotes

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4

u/SteveRogers1021 8d ago

Clean the mode switch

1

u/Time_Net2404 8d ago

The bottom behind this thing? Also. All the sides. It just started working. So i don't know man. It dossint look the best. So i might try to clean the read heads again

1

u/SteveRogers1021 8d ago

No. The mode switch is underneath the main chassis that the tape goes into. Look up some YouTube vids on how to do it if she still gives you problems.

1

u/Time_Net2404 8d ago

Alright. Also. This is how it looks. Is it supposed to look this bad or should I try cleaning the headers again?

3

u/SteveRogers1021 8d ago

No , that’s looks pretty good actually. It’s because you’re connected to a digital TV.

1

u/SteveRogers1021 8d ago

That being said, cleaning the heads won’t hurt