REWIRE YOURSELF
A friend of mine called me in a panic this week, his Sony Betamax was playing pictures full of white lines and ripples on his TV set. “Sounds like drop-out,” my friend said. “Wait a minute though, the cassette that made the white lines on the screen was sitting on the window sill for two days before I used it.
The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.
KEEP YOUR PERFORMANCE UP TO SPECS
REWIRE YOURSELF
Richard Robinson
A friend of mine called me in a panic this week, his Sony Betamax was playing pictures full of white lines and ripples on his TV set.
“Sounds like drop-out,” my friend said. “Wait a minute though, the cassette that made the white lines on the screen was sitting on the window sill for two days before I used it. It was freezing cold when I put it in the machine.”
Another case solvedI explained to my friend that video tape always has to be room temperature before it is used. In fact, never play or record on a cassette that’s been out of doors in heat or cold for at least a half an hour after its been brought indoors.
Since home video machines aje manufactured with an eye on the consumer as idiot, the manufacturers are going out of their way to recommend that home video decks aren’t maintained. Simple procedures like cleaning tape heads and the tape path are turned onto closely kept secret rituals only performed by the high school dropouts who work at “authorized” repair centers.
I’m not saying you should learn to take your video recorder apart and put it back together blindfolded, but there are a number of procedures to keep it running properly after the 90 day warranty runs out.
‘Tape temperature is important. Too much humidity in the tape or machine will clog the video recording/playback heads. It will also stretch the tape. Always operate your video machine in rooms with a comfortable temperature. If you ever get in a situation where you have a room full of people to watch a tape and the machine starts to put out white lines in the picture, try placing the machine under an air conditioner or in another room where the humidity is lower.
‘Video machines hate dust. Use the dust cover when the machine is. not being used (never when it is).
‘Keep fingers away from where they shouldn’t go. Don’t ever touch the tape in the cassette housing, for instance, as the grease and oil from your fingers will create dropout on the picture.
‘Don’t leave the machine in pause for an extended period, as this encourages the recording heads to scrape oxide off the tape and build up the oxide in the head gap, the result of which is a dirty picture.
‘Don’t turn the machine on and off constantly. While you don’t want to leave it on and running when you’re not using it, it is better to turn it on once and leave it on during the period of time you intend to use it rather than constantly switching it on and off.
‘While most manufacturers don’t recommend consumers cleaning the video heads, this can be done if you know what you’re doing. The video heads spin around on a propeller-type shaft and collect dirt and tape oxide as they’re used. Flushing them with tape head cleaning fluid every so often is a good idea. To do this you must: a) know what the heads look like b) never try to clean them if they’re rotating c) be gentle so you don’t bend the heads out of line or else you’re in big trouble.
‘The same head cleaning procedure must be followed for the stationary erase and audio/control track heads. Soak a cotton swab in head cleaning fluid and wipe off these heads—-look for black oxide on the swab, this is the dirt you’re trying to remove from the tape path.
‘There is a special demagnetizer designed to * demagnetize the tape heads as they build up ;= magnetism during use. This is not a o recommended home procedure as you have to be careful, but if you pay attention you can do it.
*If you want to re-use a tape you’ve already recorded on, a bulk eraser will “clean” the tape properly for reuse. Bulk erasing tapes is very easy—but be sure to follow the directions ans don’t plug the bulk eraser in anywhere near your video machine, TV set, other tape recorders, or recorded tapes you don’t want to erase.
‘Keep recorded cassettes in their boxes between use. Don’t put them on radiators or in the shower.
‘Never use bargain or non-name-brand video cassettes. Poorly manufactured or low quality video tape will act as sandpaper against the video and audio heads, shortening the useful life of your recorder. Stick with Sony, Panasonic, TDK, Fuji, RGA, and other name brand cassettes. Ordering these tapes in quantity by mail from discount houses in New York and LA will save you three to four dollars pqr cassette over local prices, plus you don’t have to pay sales tax.
‘If you ever do stretch or break the tape in a cassette, it can be repaired by removing the bad length of tape and splicing the remainder together. Splice kits are available from video supply houses. In general, however, it is best not to splice as the splice point can be a hazard when the tape is played.
If you’re interested in regular preventive maintenance of your Beta or VHS video machine, I’d recommend you check out the maintenance kits sold by Nortronics at electronic stores.
Nortronics makes a number of kits and units that will help you keep your machine up to specs. Among those I’d recommend are their VCR-211 Bulk Tape Eraser and their VCR-95 VCR Maintenance Kit. Both come with detailed instructions on how to use them. Just be sure to unplug the machine from the wall before you start or you could wind up on your TV screen.
