Never Buy A Sharp VTR

[7N7]

I posted this by mistake in another of the Fora.

Two years ago I bought a Sharp VTR. "Six heads, Nicam stereo" etc., it boasted.

I hardly ever watch TV, and bought the machine to record Grands Prix; this it did perfectly satisfactorily.

recently I acquired some pre-recorded tapes; it refused to play any of them. After fiddling with the thing, taking advice and fiddling some more, I decided that it was obviously useless rubbish. I took it into my kitchen and smashed it to smithereens with a four-pound club hammer. Very easy to smash except for the drum thingy. This required several blows before the top came off revealing a lot of little coils of wire - very interesting, so I smashed those up as well.

Here's the message I have sent to SHARP (Blunt??):

This is actually a rant. I bought the above VTR about two years ago.

Furious that it will not play a pre-recorded tape - ANY tape- except those recorded on it, I have just, 10 minutes ago, entirely demolished it with a four-pound hammer.

It is now in my dustbin, together with the instructions that promised years of trouble-free service.

Tomorrow I shall buy a new one. I am sure that you will understand when I say that the new one will not have "Sharp" on the front of it.

Yours &c:

7N7
__________________
Plug them in and light them up

[dhaen]

Though the're cheaply built, they're no worse than many others.
Presumably you has a format fault. This can sometimes ocur when a tape guide adjustment comes loose and allows the guide to unscrew to another position.

The coils of wire were either from the brushless drum motor, or the rotary transformer.

I suppose it's too late for talking you through the alignment procedure?

Cheers,

[7N7]

Originally posted by dhaen
Though the're cheaply built, they're no worse than many others.
Presumably you has a format fault. This can sometimes ocur when a tape guide adjustment comes loose and allows the guide to unscrew to another position.

The coils of wire were either from the brushless drum motor, or the rotary transformer.

I suppose it's too late for talking you through the alignment procedure?

Cheers,

Yes, at the hi-fi circle meeting, it was explained to me what steps to take; unfortunately, they did not work.

The instruction book boasted amongst other things, that there ws an automatic tracking system (please don't explain!!). It was however an admission of defeat in my view that the makers added words to the effect that: "If, however there is still disturbance, etc." Unbelievably two small buttons were provided on the handset; these with supreme Japanese logic were marked "Channel"! Needless to say depressing these had no noticeable effect on the blurred and jumbled-up picture - except perhaps to provide a different class of jumbledness.

The useless pile of junk had never once properly played a pre-recorded tape; unfortunately I discovered this after it was out of guarantee. Everyone I know who has a VTR, simply plugs in a tape and settles down to watch and hopefully, enjoy the recording - and to this day I have never seen anybody adjust anything

One bloke said that he had had his machine for 19 years and that it still worked perferctly.

I think that it is outrageous that such rubbish should be sold - especially to me..

The problem is that I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in learning about VTRs - I am very angry because I was so looking forward to enjoying the tapes that I had purchased.

I am now even angrier, because I think it likely that those that I recorded on the hopeless SHARP machine are probably unplayable on anything else.

As for alignment, there is no-one in the galaxy who could make that contraption work now - I have made absolutely certain of that! After all it didn't work before I smashed it up!

Best wishes

7N7

[Tube_Dude]

Hi 7N7!!!

Maybe you can recycle some metal film resistors...and some capacitors...

[7N7]

Originally posted by Tube_Dude
Hi 7N7!!!

Maybe you can recycle some metal film resistors...and some capacitors...

'Fraid not; flattening the el cheapo electrolytics was one of the few pleasures I have had out of the beastly thing!

7N7

[Tube_Dude]

Originally posted by 7N7


'Fraid not; flattening the el cheapo electrolytics was one of the few pleasures I have had out of the beastly thing!

7N7

Specially the Philips VTRs are full of MR 30 metal film resistors(the green ones)...but is a pain to desolder and pick up them all...only the love to Diy,can overcome the dificulty...

Cheers

[mrfeedback]

It was however an admission of defeat in my view that the makers added words to the effect that: "If, however there is still disturbance, etc."

The manual tracking control is to allow adjustment for damaged tapes.
With good condition tapes Auto-tracking works perfectly fine.

recently I acquired some pre-recorded tapes; it refused to play any of them. After fiddling with the thing, taking advice and fiddling some more, I decided that it was obviously useless rubbish. I took it into my kitchen and smashed it to smithereens with a four-pound club hammer.

I hope for their sakes that none of your children, spouse or pets ever happen to crap on the carpet....
With your level of technical knowledge it is very likely that you screwed up what could have been quite easily fixed.

Here's the message I have sent to SHARP (Blunt??):

They would have just laughed at you.
It seems that you need professional help just as much as you now need a new VCR.

The useless pile of junk had never once properly played a pre-recorded tape; unfortunately I discovered this after it was out of guarantee.

12 months is plenty of time to try playing a pre-recorded tape.
If you had contacted the regional service manager and said that it has done only 50 hours of tape operation, and asked very nicely, you might have still gotten a warranty service.

I think that it is outrageous that such rubbish should be sold - especially to me..

The manufacturers do try to make them so that simpletons can operate them.
I guess they did not count on you in their market researching.

I am now even angrier, because I think it likely that those that I recorded on the hopeless SHARP machine are probably unplayable on anything else.

Ha, sucked in - you should have thought about that in the first case, shouldn't you ?.
The only thing that can make you angry is YOU - no body, no thing, nothing except YOU.
You might like to keep that in mind next time you get behind the wheel of a motor car.

As for alignment, there is no-one in the galaxy who could make that contraption work now - I have made absolutely certain of that! After all it didn't work before I smashed it up!

I fix these things for a living, and my profile says so.
I have helped other members with servicing issues and you could have asked.
It is very likely that three or four posts would have cured your problems - you now have only one problem - that is for yourself to cure.

Eric.

[7N7]

Originally posted by mrfeedback

The manual tracking control is to allow adjustment for damaged tapes.
With good condition tapes Auto-tracking works perfectly fine.

I hope for their sakes that none of your children, spouse or pets ever happen to crap on the carpet....
With your level of technical knowledge it is very likely that you screwed up what could have been quite easily fixed.

They would have just laughed at you.
It seems that you need professional help just as much as you now need a new VCR.

12 months is plenty of time to try playing a pre-recorded tape.
If you had contacted the regional service manager and said that it has done only 50 hours of tape operation, and asked very nicely, you might have still gotten a warranty service.

The manufacturers do try to make them so that simpletons can operate them.
I guess they did not count on you in their market researching.

Ha, sucked in - you should have thought about that in the first case, shouldn't you ?.
The only thing that can make you angry is YOU - no body, no thing, nothing except YOU.
You might like to keep that in mind next time you get behind the wheel of a motor car.

I fix these things for a living, and my profile says so.
I have helped other members with servicing issues and you could have asked.
It is very likely that three or four posts would have cured your problems - you now have only one problem - that is for yourself to cure.

Eric.

Thank you for your lack of sympathy; there was supposed to to be an element of black humour present in my part; a little subtle for your puritanical mind perhaps.

And I made it quite clear that technical knowledge regarding VTRs is something to which I have no aspiration.

Thank God I have no "spouse, pets or children" if "crap on the carpet" is what they do.

The comment about simpletons is rude and unnecessary.

Automatic tracking did NOT WORK IN THIS CASE.

Additionally I have made it clear that I want simply to plug in a tape and watch the contents. Perhaps you prefer to spend an hour beforehand with £100,000 worth of alignment equipment - not for simpletons eh?

Your comment about driving is stupid and ignorant; you have no knowledge about anything concerning me and motoring so until you do, I suggest that you shut your trap.

7N7

[Brett]

7N7,

As someone who was once sacked for destroying a work computer in much the same way, your post brought a smile.

I can sympathise wrt the cheap-crap build quality of lots of consumer electronics. I have a 2yo Sony hifi VCR which I only ever use for watching rented or purchesed pre-recorded tapes, and it's OK, but nothing special. For the (nowadays) rare time-shift recording I do, I use my old Sony SLHF100 Beta Hifi, which is built like a Mercedes, and hasn't given any trouble since I bought it in 85 or 86. I have tons of Sony Beta tapes NIB to use with it too.

Concumer electronics I veiw now as consumable items, and pay as little as I can for what seems the best made, and hope it lasts a while.

Cheers

[mrfeedback]

Why are you smashing up saucers, Rick? Your prints on 'em? I know just how you feel, man, y'dig? Sometimes saucers used to make me pretty angry too. Yeah, there's a lotta heads buried at the bottom of the garden because of a saucer in the works.
Mike, In The Young Ones.

Eric.