Sony VO-9850 U-Matic SP tape creasing

moosh101: You are correct about being "a little uncomfortable with adjusting the machine internals".... DO NOT adjust anything. Usually the tape creasing symptom you reported is most likely a worn pinch roller and a little less likely worn capstan bearings, and quite unlikely adjustments, incorrect back-tension, worn drum, bent levers and guides, etc... unless, of course, someone has monkeyed with the adjustments or bent levers and guides you should not suspect adjustments at all. electricitym

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snipped: moosh101 wrote:

moosh101: You are correct about being "a little uncomfortable with adjusting the machine internals".... DO NOT adjust anything. Usually the tape creasing symptom you reported is most likely a worn pinch roller and a little less likely worn capstan bearings, and quite unlikely adjustments, incorrect back-tension, worn drum, bent levers and guides, etc... unless, of course, someone has monkeyed with the adjustments or bent levers and guides you should not suspect adjustments at all. electricitym

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snipped:

Greetings. I have a Sony VO-9850P U-Matic SP vtr that is creasing SP tapes. I took off the top cover and observed during recording that the tape was being creased by the pinch roller. I am not a technician and fell a little uncomfortable with adjusting the machine internals, though if anyone could give me some guidance, I would attempt a diy fix. Many thanks, moosh101.

Hi...

Brings back memories... still have a vp-2000 sitting in the basement (no idea why :)

I'd suggest that you not "adjust" anything. Instead, I'd get a whole box of q-tips and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol.

I'd take the cover off, then moisten (moisten, not wet) one of the q-tips and start *gently* cleaning the entire tape path. That includes the guides, the heads, the capstan, the idler, etc.

Every time you see a bit of discoloration on a q-tip, switch it for a new dampened one and keep going.

Hope this helps.

Ken

That's good advice but don't clean the heads with q-tips. Even an experienced person can break a head that way. For the heads use a chamois swab, moistened with alcohol, and be sure the sharp edge of the swab doesn't grab and break the heads. use gentle pressure while rotating the drum by hand.