Work on a U-matic video cassette

[@Ragnar8504]

Two weeks ago I walked past a store mostly selling satellite dishes. I'd never really looked into the windows before, imagine my surprise when I saw a display of NOS Betamax and U-matic cassettes alongside single-sided DD 5 1/4" floppy discs! The whole window looks like it hasn't been touched since the mid-80s except for updating the prices to Euros.

[@zhaohaigaogu7821]

さすがです！大変良くできました。とても役に立ちます。👍

[@jkmac625]

I've never had to take a U-Matic cassette apart before so that was interesting to see what's inside. Fixed plenty of VHS tapes over the years but the most fiddly I've done was a Video 2000 cassette which was all clipped together with no screws. I think I've got some thin silver splicing tape somewhere, think that was originally used to repair 2 inch quad tape.

[@mrnmrn1]

Video2000 looks for a reflective part on the tape instead of a translucent part like VHS, so silver splicing tape will trigger the tape end sensor in both directions. Video2000 is weird, no leader and the tape is held on the reels only by double sided adhesive tape, and a few turns of the magnetic tape itself (the tape-end-sensor-triggering reflective stripe begins early, so a good few turns of tape always remains on the reels, just as a strain relief for the glue). So if you have a tape end sensor problem in your Video2000 VCR it's 100% guaranteed it will tear the tape off the reels. I had to re-glue two of them recently. Amazingly, the 40+ year old glue that was originally in the cassette was still perfectly sticky after sitting on an attic for 10-20 years in separated condition. I just pushed the tape back onto the reel, and it stayed put, and did it strongly. They were BASF tapes.

[@more.power.]

Thank you Colin have a happy new year. cheers

[@Capturing-Memories]

Where can I get a splicing tape like that one? Are they still being made or just old stock?

[@video99couk]

Search for Roxdon splicing tape. Various sizes available but probably not U matic -

[@jameslaidler2152]

Cor blimey what an strange format those were. Not surprised you couldn't find a splicing block for it, 3/4" IS an odd duck of a tape size. Good thing good ol' 1/2" works in both Betamax and VHS. Since its the right size, I'd like to trysticking digital 1/4" tape into a digi-8 cassette and see how that goes.

[@160rpm]

Yeah U-matic is a cool format, but the cassettes are probably the worst to get back together. Maybe excluding VCR, but I haven't had to actually messed with that format.

[@video99couk]

Umatic is harder to reassemble than VCR in my book.

[@bjarneanthony1363]

Colin dont take away the white from tape it can it make the tape stop spooling rewind

[@zx8401ztv]

So the adhesive breaks up on both ends of the tape. By the way, ive just noticed that im not notified for everyone im subbed to. Have you had this happen to you?.

[@TTVEaGMXde]

I was notified.

[@zx8401ztv]

Ooow im not sure what happened , odd that @@TTVEaGMXde

[@ConsumerDV]

Thanks, this was a nice look inside of the cassette! So why this space-saving arrangement was abandoned in later cassette formats? Too much friction? Weren't the counter-rotating reels supposed to alleviate this? Do you have any statistics about mechanical issues of large U-Matic vs, say, VHS or Beta? The reels on the large U-Matic are not spring-supported, are they? But all other video cassettes have reels axially compressed with a spring? Also, what does that small plastic piece that hangs in front of the tape do?

[@video99couk]

There is one other video format which uses flange-less spool design for space saving, and that is CVC from Technicolor / Funai. I think the counter-rotating reels might have been to reduce print-through effects, but I may be wrong. The spring arrangement seems to be unique to large U-matic. I think the piece at the front is to keep the tape straight and so not foul the loading mechanism. There is no ratchet to stop the tapes developing slack on U-matic but there is on every other video cassette format I can think of, except VHS-C (which was a bodged up mess).

[@ConsumerDV]

@@video99couk VHS-C have a ratchet on the take-up reel, and later cassettes also have a brake on the supply reel. But I agree, compared to 8-mm, VHS-C was a kludge. Yeah, I know about CVC, they were re-used in the Bosch/Siemens professional QuarterCam, I've heard that tape would stick a lot. So, I guess full flanges are better for the smooth motion?

[@bobsbits5357]

yes i know all about the trolls i have been there my self if we were all the same clone sites we would not watch them there used to be alot of ladie movie's on this formats in the past is no to copying them over and up set alot

[@TTVEaGMXde]

Unfortunately my comment was too good for the censors.

[@TheEasterBunny9633]

How did i find myself here

[@video99couk]

KZbin algorithms move in mysterious ways.

[@bobsbits5357]

hi use the poundland tape for years as it is poor tape i do have the real thing cost of the real thing is very high