I know this is an oldish post but I've spent ages searching for an answer to this all too common thing of the VHS tape stopping the whole machine after a few seconds but I have managed to cure the problem!
It seems to be caused by a sensor not receiving the correct signal as the tape reels turn. The machine thinks that there could be tape spilling inside the mechanism so shuts it down to avoid damage. The fault is usually caused by a buildup of dust/dirt on the sensor, stopping the light emitted from the infrared LED's from being picked up.
Very easy to fix! If you unplug the machine and remove the outer casing, the VHS deck is very easy to get at. Looking down into the deck, you'll see a small, clear plastic pillar roughly in the centre and forward of the pinch wheel. It is held in place by a single cross head screw. Carefully remove the screw and lift the plastic pillar up and out. Using a cotton bud, gently clean the whole pillar with some tape head cleaner or surgical spirit and allow to dry.
If you look down through the hole where the pillar has been removed from, there is a small clear lens underneath. This should also be carefully cleaned with a cotton bud and spirit.
Directly in front of the same hole is a small plastic cog between to larger ones; this is the revolutions counter which 'activates' the lens you have just cleaned. The cog is not 'solid' and has two cutaways in it. If you gently turn the cog, you will see a small hole as a cutaway uncovers it. With care, you can gently push a cotton bud down the hole to clean a component beneath it.
Whilst the cover is off, it's worth cleaning all the other metal pillars and moving components of the tape drive train but DO NOT touch the video head - too easy to get grease and oils from your hands on it.
Replace the clear plastic pillar with its single cross head screw, screw the casing back on and you're good to go!
DIODE or sensor in the unit. Not user serviceable
SOURCE: VHS player stops
VCR is set with blank tape..Bring up vcr control on TV with television set on Chanel #3, go to menu
Follows procedure for progamming date,time start,time finish,chanel and.speed and single recording.finally click on menu and turn vcr off. Vcr lights indicate set for taping,,.Does no start to tape at requested time and lights indication taping ready stays on ??????
SOURCE: VHS tape plays for a few seconds and automatically ejects
My guess would be dirt on the rollers inside the VCR. They sesnse a jam and ejct. Try a VCR cleaner (with cleaning fluid) and see if that helps.
SOURCE: VHS won't play, sounds like tape will load then power shuts off.
This is similar or identical to another post, but here is an answer...
Hi, I have a solution you can try.
I had exaclty the same problem. When I tried to play a tape it would load (However, I recall I had to push hard to get the tape to be accepted, which is part of the problem) but would shut off after about 12 seconds, then when I powered back up the tape would eject. Finally I took the unit completely apart and attempted to use it with the covers off. Lo and behold, I found I could play a DVD on the unit without the unit powering off, but only if the room lights were on! If I tried to play a tape it would shut down the unit. So that led me to diagnosing the infrared loading and reel sensor circuits.
Background on that is there is an infrared LED that shines up through a plastic light pipe lens. The light from that LED (you can't see it) should shine on two photodiodes that are on either side of the tap mechanism, plus down through a gear with holes in it on to the reel sensor. When there is no tape inserted the two photodiodes will be illuminated and have about 0.2 volts across them. When a tape is installed the light will be blocked and the voltage goes up to above 2.5 volts across the diodes. You have to check this with the room lights dim as the diodes will respond to that light. When you block the light on either side of the plastic light pipe with your finger (with the unit disassembled) you should see the load motor engage, and it will back off when you take your finder away. For some reason in my unit the light from the LED was insufficient to turn on one of the diodes, and also to pulse the reel sensor when the gear turned. That could be due to component aging, or even if the light pipe started to cloud due to age, I don't know. However I was able to get the thing working...
In short I got the unit working by adding 3 resistors.
To do this you'll have to remove all the covers and remove the main PCB from the bottom chassis, unplug the power supply from the PCB, and the two ribbons going to the DVD unit. But you won't have to take off the VCR assembly, which is a pain. You just need some basic soldering skills, and remember where all those screws go...
First, I adjusted the voltage across the right-hand side load sensor diode to get the diode to switch on and off. I recall that I added 1meg across the diode. So the voltage then went from about 0.5v up to 2.8v from light to dark condition.
Second, I increased the current to the IR LED. I added a 330ohm resistor across the feeder to the LED. I recall that was R511 and was originally 220ohms. That was not quite sufficient to get the reel sensor working reliably. I didn't want to stress the LED by putting too much more current through it so looked for another idea.
Third I added 56k across the reel sensor diode to bring the voltage across it down so it would switch on and off as the reel sensor gear turned.
I now have a tape playing continuously in the unit and it seems ok for the time being. Hope that might work for you too.
Craig Townsend
SOURCE: A VHS tape is stuck in my TV/VHS combo unit.
I'm sorry to say that the solution as stated is not correct. This condition usually occurs because of belts that are slipping. In order to remove the tape, some dis-assembly is required. If you have not done this in the past, I would not suggest that you attempt this repair. This repair should cost about $10 in parts plus labor. It is possible that the IR LED is defective as well which can also cause this. This is a common failure and should be a simple repair for any shop.
Dan
Testimonial: "This helped also. Don S"
This combo has a problem with the vcr unit which take up wheel will stop working and spill the tape. the unit will stop and eject the tape. You have to replace the whole vcr assembly.
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