Just a had a vhs cassette recorder rewind the cassette so well it snapped the tape out of the cassette spindle! Don't laugh but the only reason I was rewinding it was to make a copy onto DVD (sigh)... Just wondered if it's possible to "fix" the tape by dismantling the cassette? I'll practice on a junk one first - but any hints about how to do this appreciated. The tape has a some opera stuff that her indoors wants to keep (of course)!
If the tape has been pulled off the spindle, then usually there's a keyway in the spindle and a small plastic key which fits tightly into it. You sandwich the tape between spindle and key to lock the end in place.
If it's snapped the tape, then you can splice the ends together very well by cutting them at an angle of at least 45 degrees and overlapping the ends 10mm or so. Use a small amount of superglue to join them, and make sure the edges are stuck down. You'll barely see the join when you play it, it should just look like the place where you have one recording starting over an older one.
Don't try and play it until the glue has throughly set ;-)
Yes it is possible, done it many times by taking it apart and using a piece of tape!
Personally I wouldn't load it into a machine, never mind try and play it, re,member that the tape is 'threaded' around the head drum as part of the loading process! :~((
There are proper splicing kits for repairing VHS/audio magnetic tapes...
If it's broken at the end, stick it back on the reel with a width of Sellotape cut to slightly less than the width of the tape. If it's broken elsewhere cut out the damaged part completely. Overlap the good bits slightly then cut at about 45 degrees with sharp scissors. Butt the two ends together (carefully) and use Sellotape as before. Don't attempt to run damaged tape through the machine as it can wreck the heads. With the repair as above transfer the tape then scrap it.
That can happen if the end-of-tape light has died in the VCR, in which case it will happen again. Try it with a VCR which doesn't matter.
You don't use glue, you use tape.
Thanks for the suggestions. The tape has definitely pulled out of the cassette centre spindle - I can see the empty spindle in there and it happened when the tape was had rewound to the beginning. I heard the clunk as the rewind finished. I was wondering how tricky it is to disassemble/reassemble the cassette itself. If I can just get it to play one time more:-)
If you have splicing tape. Fanc trying it with sellotape?
Superglue works exceptionally well. I've done it many times, and I have (audio) tapes 20 years old which I repaired that way which are stll fine.
Getting a splicing kit is obviously the 'ideal' solution, but not a whole lot better, and a lot more expensive...
Trouble with an overlap joint is the possibility of excess head wear on a VCR - or even damage. A butt joint using tape on the back has always been the accepted way to join any tape.
No, it is the only *correct*, non bodging, solution...
But cheaper than a new VHS recoding machine (or getting new heads/drum installed)!
Certainly don't put tape repaired as above through the machine more than once. Sellotape tends to "ooze" over time and getting any of the glue on the heads will be death to your VCR.
By an odd coincidence I was cleaning out a room today and found a FunnyThing(tm). It took me a bit of time to realise it's a jig for splicing videotape, I haven't used it since around 1988.
There are a few springs and other small bits, practice on a scrap / worthless cassette first. :~)
Not that hard - I've done it a few times. As you say, practice on an old one first... it's much easier just to go ahead and try, rather than have someone write down step by step how to do it. You just undo the screws and lift off the top (bottom?) half of the casing. Watch out for bits falling out etc as you do it (WTF did that come from!?) and remove the adhesive label on the spine first, as that will hold the two halves together while you're trying to tease them apart...!
David
This is something I must have done scores of times. If the transparent leader has snapped or pulled out of the take-up (RH) reel then it's very easy. No splicing as such required.
Remove any label on the back of the cassette, or slit it with a sharp knife Remove the 5 screws from the bottom and carefully turn it over so it's the right way round now very carefully lift the top clear, make sure the steel pins and roller guides remain in their holes in the lower half. Try not to disturb the flap in the lid, there is a small hairpin spring that keeps the flap closed.
It will do no harm at this stage to take a picture.
remove both reel from the cassette whilst holding the sprung ratchet do it doesn't fly off and get lost. slide out the little quadrant shaped clip that secures the tape to the hub. I bet you find a small piece of transparent leader in there. the tape rarely pulls clean out. Now unwind enough tape from the supply-spool to work with and allow the end of the leader to lie over the gap in the hub with about 4mm overhang don't slide the clip in that wont work, you need to clip it in bodily, trapping the leader. You need a strong finger but it will go in. Now return the spools to the cassette, carefully engaging the teeth with the ratchet. The tape goes between the large and small guides; ASCII art isn't my strong point.
(__ __) o(O_____________________O) o
Take up the slack and carefully drop the lid on.
Other have made a passing mention - but - be aware that the transparent section is there to operate the sensor to brake the rewind action.
You said in the next post you did this with a lot of audio tapes. Joining at an angle works well with audio tapes they use fixed heads and any disturbance is averaged over the duration of the splice, a butt splice could make a click as it went through, they used to use brass scissors to cut the tape BTW.
On the 1" Ampex Helical scan VTRs I used to work on I think we worked out the speed of the tiny and unbelieveably fragile (It broke if you looked at it) ferrite head was about 60 mph, naturally in the Helical Scan VHS sets with smaller head drums that figure would be less, but I reckon the heads must be even more fragile, a collision with a gap in the tape or the raw edge of the tape at the end of the gap would still probably result in a clogged or broken head
If it's considered the value of the programme material justifies the risk the tape should be butt jointed. This will show as a band of noise about 20 % of the height of the screen which sweeps down the picture. If the joint causes an interruption to the tracking pulses recorded on the tape it may take several seconds for the servos in the replay machine to lock back in.
If it's joined at an angle it could result in the head traversing the joint quicker leading to a wider area of disturbance which doesn't last so long, but at greater risk that the head will crash into the edge of the joint.
In the studio where I worked we didn't splice tapes at all. We held backups of valuable programme material and created programmes using electronic insert and assemble editing.
DG
Early VHS machines used a incandescent bulb as the light source. This needed replacing several times during the lifetime of the machine. Later machines use an IR LED.
By far and away the most common method for cutting audio tape - usually
1/4" - was with a single sided steel razor blade with the tape held in an edit block. 45 degrees was used for mono, but 60 preferred for stereo since you got less image disturbance at the edit point.Here's a pretty good description of the process:-
Perhaps the safest cheap approach for copying a snapped tape would be to cannibalise another cassette and put "half" the tape in each. You'd loose a few inches of tape but not risk damaging the heads with a splice.
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