Help please fixing Panasonic VCR

[cableman]

Can anyone advise as to whether or not it is worth trying to repair (or have repaired) a Panasonic NV-FJ630B-S VCR. The problem is that there is no UHF output. Works only through scart. Any suggestions please on whether a repair is worth considering.

 

[spiney]

more info needed.

when you say no uhf, do you mean loopthrough has failed, that you can no longer plug aerial into vcr, then vcr into tv? if that still working, then rf amp ok, so probably modulator is as well.
Sure it's not just your tv lost the channel? try playing tape and scanning all uhf channels on tv.
is ouput channel a screw on back (v old!)? Or set by software, if so has it changed, or software glitched? try unplugging vcr from mains, waiting 1 min, then resetting everything.
if modulator gone then, yes you can probably get spare one, soldering needed, so maybe new vcr better, they're very cheap.

hope helpful.

 

[cableman]

Thanks Spiney for your reply. The situation is that although I can loop-through to TV and receive my TV channels on the TV, when I switch on the video there is no change and I can only tune in the TV to the channels as before (no video channel, just as If the VCR were in standby). No RF channel adjust on back of machine. Equally, with a tape playing I can not find this when attempting to tune TV. But you are right that the machines are so cheap (dinosaus?) nowadays.

 

[rolfw]

Some videos have an rf on/off switch on the back and some have it in internal menus, has the rf out ever worked?

My HD600B has it between the scart sockets, it is also the test signal switch.

 

[spiney]

if all that fails, it would mean taking "lid" off modulator top and sticking 'scope probe in to see if oscillator's working .......

 

[Llew]

... or get an outboard video modulator (30 quid from Maplin's) if you can't bear to dump your VCR.

Spiney, with the oscillator working at around 600MHz, you're going to need a pretty good 'scope to see the trace... ;)

Llew

 

[spiney]

rf diode probe.

 

[Llew]

Good point. Although I prefer my spectrum analyser.

Llew

 

[spiney]

granted, that's much better, if you've got one.