vcr head problem

Hello,

I have a zenith VCR and off late I see a thin band which has a distorted image when I view any videos in the middle of the screen. The rest of the screen looks fine. I see this happening on all the tapes. I have changed the cables but still no effect. The audio is fine.

I think it might be a problem with the head but before going to the service shop thought I might ask around if anyone else has seen this.

thanks Karthik

Depends on which series of Zenith it is, and I don't know them by model number, but some JVC-built units got bad 3.3uF capacitors on the head cylinder which would cause the 30Hz head switching pulse to show up, sometimes in the middle of the screen. If one ejected the tape and tried again, it might show up somewhere else or even seem to play OK. Then next time would malfunction again.

Mark Z.

Best check the guide roller just before and after the VCR head, if they have gone a little stiff ( not rolling smoothly) you'll get the same effect as you described.

Gerard