Hello everybody !
I've got a Samsung TVP3380 VCR and it shows some snow in playback and no images. I've come to the conclusion that the video head needs replacing after checking the output of the video head amplifier. However, i've got no clue where to get a replacement video head for this VCR in UK or Europe. There seems to be a reference on the video head saying DMVDMT04G but google does not know anything about it.
any help would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Thierry.
Does it play a precorded tape? If its a 4 head try both sp and EP record/playback Also try recording in this unit and playing back in another. maybe its lacking controll pulse .( head switching) Also make sure the record switch B+ is not on, caused by maybe a leaky transistor.
Thierry: Unless the heads were broken by improper cleaning or a severely damaged tape, the video heads usually do not fail all at once. Usually they gradually produce a less clear picture and tracking becomes critical to the point that the streaks and lines can not be eliminated. If it is a 4 head VCR it would be very very unlikely that both the SP pair of heads would fail at exactly the same time as the SLP/EP pair of heads. Usually the SP heads go first. So a good test here is to try pre-recorded known good tapes in both SP and SLP/EP speeds. If both speeds produce snow then I would say that you need to continue trying to carefully clean the video heads again, and again. For the proper and safe instructions you should go to the website for this newsgroup at
Complete absence of image is unlikely to be due to head-failure, unless something wrecked it physically.
I'd start with the websites of grandata, cpc, and/or visionaids, largely devoted to spares for most brands of TV and VCR. Their URLs are all of the form
-- Peter Duck
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.