Magnavox 13 " TV VCR /, Remote / Bundled Digital Converter / MC132EMG/17 / READ
Item History & Price
READ DETAIL IN FULL: PARTIALLY OPERATIONAL / item is in good condition otherwise and works wonderfully with normal VHS tapes + FREE Sansonic Digital Converter + Remote. READ! The VCR has difficulty with "tight" VHS tapes. The VCR component is pretty sensitive. 1.) If the VHS tape is too tight, the TV shuts itself off. It simply will not play. 2.) If the VHS tape is medium tight, the VCR will play normally, fast forward and rewind normally while in "play" mode. H...owever, from the "stop" mode if FF or RW are attempted (super fast forward or super fast rewind) the TV will shut off with a medium tight tape. 3.) If the VHS tape "tightness" is normal... the VCR operates normally. The other components, the television, the coaxial cable TV input port, game input ports, the remote, etc. are all normal otherwise. See more in description below.
"TAPE TOO TIGHT SOLUTION": there’s a little tab on a VHS tape that keeps the reels from turning, but you can press in with a pencil or screwdriver or something similar to release it. Try that first. If it fixes the problem, you can stop reading this solution. Most cassettes are old now, and a few different things could prevent the reels from turning. You can open the case fairly easily with a screwdriver, unscrewing the halves from the bottom. Flip the cassette over and carefully lift the top off the bottom and note where everything is so you can get it all back together. Look at the reels and the case itself. A warped case can cause the reels to rub and perhaps bind completely, or the rollers could pinch. If you have another cassette, you can swap the reels into its case and see if that fixes the problem. Gunk in the case can cause the reels or rollers to stick. Take the reels out and see if there’s anything in the case. If so, clean it out. Broken pieces of plastic indicate that part of the case or the reels is broken, so figure out where the pieces came from before you put it back together. There is a metal leaf spring on the top half that puts pressure on the reels. If the cassette has never been open, it should be fine, but make sure it isn’t bent or broken off and jamming something. Also check the guide rollers to make sure they aren’t bent or dirty. The mylar tape can degrade to the point that it sticks to itself. Take the reels out and manually wind the tape from one reel to the other for a few feet. If it doesn’t want to move, your tape is ruined. Peeling the tape apart will destroy the information on it, and a tape in that bad condition should not go into a player at all because it could damage the machine. If everything looks OK and the tape will move from one reel to another outside the case, then try putting the reels into a different case. If they still won’t move, then there’s something wrong with one or both of them. You can wind the tape onto one reel, cut the end, put it onto a different reel, and repeat for the other side. Just be careful to keep everything right-side up when you do it, so the tape isn’t loaded backwards. The cassette is a pretty simple device, so there’s not much that can go wrong. Open it up and see if you can fix it.
"TAPE TOO TIGHT SOLUTION": there’s a little tab on a VHS tape that keeps the reels from turning, but you can press in with a pencil or screwdriver or something similar to release it. Try that first. If it fixes the problem, you can stop reading this solution. Most cassettes are old now, and a few different things could prevent the reels from turning. You can open the case fairly easily with a screwdriver, unscrewing the halves from the bottom. Flip the cassette over and carefully lift the top off the bottom and note where everything is so you can get it all back together. Look at the reels and the case itself. A warped case can cause the reels to rub and perhaps bind completely, or the rollers could pinch. If you have another cassette, you can swap the reels into its case and see if that fixes the problem. Gunk in the case can cause the reels or rollers to stick. Take the reels out and see if there’s anything in the case. If so, clean it out. Broken pieces of plastic indicate that part of the case or the reels is broken, so figure out where the pieces came from before you put it back together. There is a metal leaf spring on the top half that puts pressure on the reels. If the cassette has never been open, it should be fine, but make sure it isn’t bent or broken off and jamming something. Also check the guide rollers to make sure they aren’t bent or dirty. The mylar tape can degrade to the point that it sticks to itself. Take the reels out and manually wind the tape from one reel to the other for a few feet. If it doesn’t want to move, your tape is ruined. Peeling the tape apart will destroy the information on it, and a tape in that bad condition should not go into a player at all because it could damage the machine. If everything looks OK and the tape will move from one reel to another outside the case, then try putting the reels into a different case. If they still won’t move, then there’s something wrong with one or both of them. You can wind the tape onto one reel, cut the end, put it onto a different reel, and repeat for the other side. Just be careful to keep everything right-side up when you do it, so the tape isn’t loaded backwards. The cassette is a pretty simple device, so there’s not much that can go wrong. Open it up and see if you can fix it.
