For those familiar with Betamax VCRs, I have bumped into this little problem when trying to review some old recordings.

The cassette loads into the machine with no worries but the tape won't extract. Below is a video of the problem but as we all know, Sony designs everything under a microscope so diagnosis is a little harder with my eyes the way they are these days.

Before I gown up and operate I first want to know if that will be necessary or if there is a simple kick to the guts that will sort it out.

Below the video is a still photo with an arrow pointing to what may be the issue, but again, the cause itself is not yet known.

The gears highlighted with the arrow are supposed to move in order to extract the tape and wrap it around the head drum but as can be seen in the video, the shaft moves but the gears don't - yet there is no obvious obstruction and when the guide rollers are shifted manually (very carefully!) they do move, and also when manually shifted back to the start position.

Pressing the eject button allows the cassette out again with no issues. Yesterday, the machine was playing tapes with no issues and a good picture despite the cassettes being more than 30 years old. Some of the cassettes are broadcast-standard Betacam ones but have always played and recorded in domestic machines with no worries.

UPDATE: I should also point out that I was able to turn the gears with a jewellers screwdriver in both directions (again, done carefully) and there didn't seem to be any resistance.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

From memory I think the gears used to get a fine split in them.
And gear alignment was very important.
If there was a jamb at some stage a split gear would jump a cog or two.
Then the gear alignment would be out.
JJ

I do remember that happening in other VCRs though as you can imagine, all that was a long time ago. Translucent plastic isn't that stable and is more affected by heat and light than black plastic is - which is probably why they don't use black where they should.

It looks like I will have to pull it all apart and I'm not looking forward to it. I don't know if you noticed but if you max out the video and select 1080P, you can see the shaft spinning and the small gear remaining still. If that is the issue I will need some Araldite.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

The cure is on the, Betamax PAL site.

Look up Galleries, Sony Videos, SL HF100.

Then, at the bottom of the page, SL HF100 Technical.

Try this first. If no luck, I might have a good gear for it.

Wayne

The good news (as much as good news can be) is that it is the small gear that has split. I've bought some 5-minute araldite and will attempt a repair today at work. I will use vice grips, set to a very soft grip to make sure the split is closed whilst the glue dries. My theory is that superglue is a bit too brittle when dry and the gear may desintigrate at a later stage and Araldite may do a better job with keeping it together.

I'll post a photo tonight.

The shaft appears to be slightly knurled which I suppose is meant to keep the gear still on it. I'll make sure the gear is mating correctly with that before closing the vice grips.

With the gear assembly out, I've checked the tape loading mechanism and there is nothing fouling it, which should mean a healthy machine tonight once the glue has dried.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

I am presently at work and the repair of the gear seems to have gone well. I am looking forward to reinstalling the motor assembly tonight and watching a few more tapes. Apart from the split, the gear seems to be in good condition.

I do note that Sony seems to have used the same deck and tape threading in most of its front-load models. I guess if something works, there is little point in changing it. It is also good that there are no rubber bands in these machines. I had a rubber band snap in an Akai VS3 back in the day and out came the splicing tool. Fortunately it was a rental tape that got chewed up.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Below is a video of the tape transport back in working order.

A good diagnosis and a good result. Thanks to John and Labrat for their input.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...