Zenith VRE-510HF VCR (from 1988)

[@kelvinstokes996]

Hah! Had one of these as a kid. I remember it failing in the late '90s and being repaired, though I don't know what they did to fix it. My parents still have it, and it still works. I used to dub CDs onto VHS using the Hi-Fi audio recording function - it sounded great!

[@tambarskelfir]

Peak 80s JVC VHS. Nasty to work on, but damn that's some solid engineering

[@douglashoff95]

(1) Zenith MBR was a "Multi Brand Remote". You could program it with codes for a different brands. (2) These were quite "fun" to work on. I worked for our local Zenith dealer at the time and got a lot of experience on these. It became easier as I did more of them. (3) I'm glad you did not remove the three smaller screws from the capstan motor!!! (4) The tape stays loaded enough to pass over the control head during fast forward and rewind. This is how the real time counter is possible.

[@probnotstech]

Yeah I suppose once I've worked on more of these I wouldn't mind it. It just seems very silly that they didn't use removable connectors for all the wiring, for example. Also, I may have removed said screws (and C clip) before realizing I didn't need to! Oh well, just a bit of re-assembly.

[@waterup380]

The Archie cartoon utilized a timing belt for time travel, a concept that was also employed by two or three other cartoons. Additionally, two other shows used the same device for time travel.

[@jkmac625]

I had a JVC VCR in the early 90's and it had MBR on the remote - I believe it allowed the VCR remote to control basic TV functions on any make of TV. If I remember correctly pressing both the + and - tracking buttons at the same time will put it back into Auto Tracking mode and I think the Play indicator flashes while it adjusts. That JVC VCR also had those manual Mark and Erase buttons for the Index points, I'm sure there was a button marked index on the remote to locate the marker, something like press Index followed by either Rewind or FastForward to locate the nearest one. I wonder what channel that episode of Blakes 7 at 40:00 was recorded off - CBC?

[@dmcintosh1967]

I have the JVC version of that VCR the only difference is cosmetics. I got it about a year ago and it worked fine when I got the unit. The VCR is currently hooked up to my 1989 25" Magnavox console TV.

[@SRN42069]

Yo its my VCR!! Mine is working right now so I don't feel like being preventive and taking it all apart like that. It was already a nightmare to get in and relube it. Also the cloudyness of the display can be cleaned with alcohol when taking the display board out and it made it clear as day for me again. Hopefully mine doesn't get a mode switch issue soon rn it makes a bit of a rattle when fast fowarding or rewinding but it seems to be okay.

[@probnotstech]

Yeah, with this mechanism I don't recognize doing anything unless you NEED to. I think as long as you're regularly using it, the mode switch will hopefully be fine. Regarding the cloudiness, some glass cleaner/windex worked great for me (results later in the video).

[@BobbyS1981]

I believe MBR stands for Multi Brand Remote. Out of curiosity, what brand and model oscilloscope do you have? I have an old Hitachi CRT based analog 2 channel scope and I’m looking to upgrade.

[@probnotstech]

Hantek DSO5072P for digital, Tektronix 465 for analog. The Hantek is on the lower end, but it does what I need. If you upgrade, keep the analog scope. They're handy to have when working on old stuff.

[@betamaxuser1282]

Try an LP-mode tape. During the last five minutes of the video, I found myself repeatedly saying, "Try an LP tape" at the screen. Always remember to try an LP tape with VHS machines and a βI or βIs tape with Betamax. 😄 I have a feeling that its performance on LP will be typical of JVC/Zenith VHS machines -- when you start playing, the tracking will be off slightly, requiring adjustment. It will probably show just a black screen when you try to use review, cue, still (pause), or any special effects. (The black screen and refusal to show a picture is really, _really_ unhelpful. My mother's VCR (which is not JVC or Zenith) also only records on SP and EP, but it will happily play LP without blacking out the picture during trick play.)

[@probnotstech]

Yup, that's exactly right, blanks on visual search and pause.

[@twocvbloke]

When something is built like this to be a pain in the rear to repair, it's like having to dismantle a whole car just to take the dust cap off a tyre valve to add some air...... :S

[@probnotstech]

Or having to remove a front wheel to replace a battery on some cars - which is a real thing!

[@5476Himself]

When it comes to cars, this is especially dumb considering that wheel wells tend to get very wet from the tires kicking up water from the road when it rains (add road salt when it snows), and electrical systems don't mix well with water (and especially salt water). If the battery must be accessed from the wheel well, then there must be an access point to get to it, which means massive hole for water ingress (and gap seals are always known to fail under tough conditions).

[@probnotstech]

Wheel wells normally have a cover that prevents this. If I recall, you need to take the wheel out, remove the cover, then get at the battery that is tucked inside the engine bay.

[@audinicoya2095]

I had picked up one of these last year on ebay only for it to arrive with the front face plate completely destroyed due to horrible packaging. I did get a full refund but I was very disappointed cuz I was looking forward to this VCR 😒