Hello
I'm trying to open this CR for a Phillips VCR.
There are only two screws (red), and after removing them, I tried to separate the parts by applying pressure with a plastic card. It's not possible. I'm asking the older technicians who have worked with these devices: Is it possible that the plastic rivet (green) needs to be removed?
Thanks in advance!
I'm trying to open this CR for a Phillips VCR.
There are only two screws (red), and after removing them, I tried to separate the parts by applying pressure with a plastic card. It's not possible. I'm asking the older technicians who have worked with these devices: Is it possible that the plastic rivet (green) needs to be removed?
Thanks in advance!
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Most cases like this have clips along the circumference. You don't know which direction, so you must bend the side of either the upper part OR the lower part outwards. Best to try this is to pry a small screwdriver in between the halves. Push it between the two halves, lift the screwdriver upwards and bend out the side of the lower part. If nothing happens, reverse the direction so you can bend out the side of the upper part.
In some cases you only can find out when you unintentionally broke off all clips in this process. It is not a big deal since the two halves can be put together again using the screws. But it is not as neat.
In some cases you only can find out when you unintentionally broke off all clips in this process. It is not a big deal since the two halves can be put together again using the screws. But it is not as neat.
Most such items have molded clip s along the border, the svrews are a secondary lock.
Use the widest blade that will fit in the groove between halves.
The interior, after removing battery cover, will give you some idea of what has been done for that particular item in molding and assembly.
Do not use excess force.
Clean and dry the parts, including PCB and pads, with dish wash or hand wash LIQUID soap.
Check battery terminal joints on PCB for dry joint and corrosion.
Then put a single red LED in parallel with existing LED.and try with battery, if it flickers, all is well.
If not, change crytal, after changing electrolytic capacitors on the PCB (usuall tiny).
If not, see if replacement is available.
There are also available conductive pads and ink to repair the keypads.
The PCB to keypad surfaces get worn out, or coated with food residue like oil, vicible on the most used keys. That happens after a few months or years of use, and other failures can be after dropping or long term non use.
Batteris left inside can cause damage by low voltage or corrosion, remove if not in use.
New remotes here are like 50 US cents and up, with a chip bonded to the PCB, really not worth the hassle.
Older reotes had dicrete soldered ICs, but spare IC is difficult to find, so a progammeable remote may be an option, if you can set that up.
Use the widest blade that will fit in the groove between halves.
The interior, after removing battery cover, will give you some idea of what has been done for that particular item in molding and assembly.
Do not use excess force.
Clean and dry the parts, including PCB and pads, with dish wash or hand wash LIQUID soap.
Check battery terminal joints on PCB for dry joint and corrosion.
Then put a single red LED in parallel with existing LED.and try with battery, if it flickers, all is well.
If not, change crytal, after changing electrolytic capacitors on the PCB (usuall tiny).
If not, see if replacement is available.
There are also available conductive pads and ink to repair the keypads.
The PCB to keypad surfaces get worn out, or coated with food residue like oil, vicible on the most used keys. That happens after a few months or years of use, and other failures can be after dropping or long term non use.
Batteris left inside can cause damage by low voltage or corrosion, remove if not in use.
New remotes here are like 50 US cents and up, with a chip bonded to the PCB, really not worth the hassle.
Older reotes had dicrete soldered ICs, but spare IC is difficult to find, so a progammeable remote may be an option, if you can set that up.
Thanks for the replies. I've opened many CRs before, but this one is holding up. The screwdriver only damages the edges, but it doesn't open even slightly. It's a very rigid plastic, not flexible at all. What do you think of that plastic "rivet" in the center? It looks like something along the lines of "if you open it, we'll find out, and you'll lose your warranty." It's late here; I'll upload photos of the edges tomorrow.
Dril out the rivet with a pin vice or drill press, hand drill may wander.
Then try a gentle edge heat with a hair dryer if that does not free up the joint. Too much will cause the plastic to warp, that is a big headache.
I do not think the maker would have put adhesive to seal the joint.
But sometimes, who knows?
Then try a gentle edge heat with a hair dryer if that does not free up the joint. Too much will cause the plastic to warp, that is a big headache.
I do not think the maker would have put adhesive to seal the joint.
But sometimes, who knows?
You likely need to pinch the 2 sides and then pull the front cover (with the buttons). The plastic rivet seems the thingie needed in the plastic molding process.
If the possibility that it may break bothers you you could "teach" its functions to a new remote control. Please also think of digitizing the tapes before the device itself breaks down.
If the possibility that it may break bothers you you could "teach" its functions to a new remote control. Please also think of digitizing the tapes before the device itself breaks down.
Well, it's open, as NarashBrd and Rayma suggested, by prying it off with the appropriate tool. You can see the locks in the photos; click to enlarge.
The "rivet" was part of the injection process, as Jean Paul said.
The CR had stopped working; the battery contacts were unsoldered. Changing the batteries after so many years of use had caused the solder joints to come loose.
This CR has a huge spring-loaded rotary knob; I don't know what it's for, because the VCR was given to me by a dear friend, who is no longer with us in this vale of tears. But the CR's most important functions worked until recently (mainly the tracking adjustment, which is impossible to do without it), so this mysterious device doesn't worry me. If anyone knows, I'd be grateful for clarifying it for me. I'd never seen this system before in other VCRs I've owned.
That system is complicated to disassemble because you have to separate the mechanism from the knobs, and the PCB is in between. I removed the screws, studied everything, and gave up. There's a risk of breaking something if you apply force. I tried with minimal pressure, and it doesn't come off. I can clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol—they're in good condition—without disassembling that part.
I'll let you know if I'm successful when I'm done. Everything suggests there won't be any problems, and I'll be able to use this VCR to watch and, if possible, edit family memories and burn them to DVD. A task I've attempted several times but never managed to achieve. You buy Pinnacle Dazzle Recorder; it works well in Windows 7, but time flies. You start the task, interrupt it, and when you resume, it no longer works. You have to upgrade to Windows 10! And the heirs of our friend Bill are already warning me that technical support will end in October and I will have to upgrade to Win 11....Surely when I do, Win 12 will come out!!! And I will have to learn everything again.......sniff....we were so happy!
The "rivet" was part of the injection process, as Jean Paul said.
The CR had stopped working; the battery contacts were unsoldered. Changing the batteries after so many years of use had caused the solder joints to come loose.
This CR has a huge spring-loaded rotary knob; I don't know what it's for, because the VCR was given to me by a dear friend, who is no longer with us in this vale of tears. But the CR's most important functions worked until recently (mainly the tracking adjustment, which is impossible to do without it), so this mysterious device doesn't worry me. If anyone knows, I'd be grateful for clarifying it for me. I'd never seen this system before in other VCRs I've owned.
That system is complicated to disassemble because you have to separate the mechanism from the knobs, and the PCB is in between. I removed the screws, studied everything, and gave up. There's a risk of breaking something if you apply force. I tried with minimal pressure, and it doesn't come off. I can clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol—they're in good condition—without disassembling that part.
I'll let you know if I'm successful when I'm done. Everything suggests there won't be any problems, and I'll be able to use this VCR to watch and, if possible, edit family memories and burn them to DVD. A task I've attempted several times but never managed to achieve. You buy Pinnacle Dazzle Recorder; it works well in Windows 7, but time flies. You start the task, interrupt it, and when you resume, it no longer works. You have to upgrade to Windows 10! And the heirs of our friend Bill are already warning me that technical support will end in October and I will have to upgrade to Win 11....Surely when I do, Win 12 will come out!!! And I will have to learn everything again.......sniff....we were so happy!
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Like you I found such a forgotten device 2 weeks ago. It was one of the first 1080p camcorders with SD card recording. I deliberately avoided tape stuff then and this was not a bad decision as many throw away the device and have no means to playback the tape anymore. The batteries were both EOL and could not be charged. When I walked past a thrift shop/recycling shop last week I went in and found the battery new in blister with the original price still on it (59 Euro). I paid 1 Euro. Charged it and now the camcorder was alive again. I found family recordings in pretty good 1080p quality.
It seems Win11 is not as good as Win 10.
Ubuntu has its followers, seems the most accepted Linux version / flavor, Manjaro and others have their fans.
My VCRs had tracking control on the main unit, my last VCR gave up years back.
Here it is like $1.50 for the people to burn video tapes to DVD, I have to get around to do it.
Good luck in getting the remote to work again...
Ubuntu has its followers, seems the most accepted Linux version / flavor, Manjaro and others have their fans.
My VCRs had tracking control on the main unit, my last VCR gave up years back.
Here it is like $1.50 for the people to burn video tapes to DVD, I have to get around to do it.
Good luck in getting the remote to work again...
I'm so glad you found that! Yes, many people throw away their VCRs and then regret it; it's becoming increasingly difficult to find them in good condition...
NareshBrd
My oldest son is "on the theme " and tells me the same thing, plus every OS change means a new loss of time assimilating the changes.
I think the CR will work again, because it actually worked until a week ago, when the solder joints finally came loose. (Murphy's Law, back again!) Thanks!
When I worked long ago at a Japanese brand of such stuff it was already like that then. People keep VHS-C and Mini-DV etc. tapes but nearly always throw away the devices?!?! Same with analog film and the projectors.
With regards to my case: for the first time I experienced that moving image with sound is another dimension/emotion (when people are not on this planet anymore).
With regards to my case: for the first time I experienced that moving image with sound is another dimension/emotion (when people are not on this planet anymore).
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The problem is that the guys who do this here charge per hour for ripping...and I have a lot of hours to process!
And there's always the risk of a tape jamming and getting damaged (something that used to be very common). I'd rather have it happen to me ! 😉
Just like that! Like carefully storing the cart in the stable, but all the horses have died ! 🙁
Just came to my mind that the camcorder techs use to make compilations of the tapes that got stuck when the camcorder was dropped. Just for entertainment these tapes were played to test repaired camcorders/recorders.
The stuff people record 😀
The stuff people record 😀
It seems like we'll see the glow at any moment! J.M. Serrat: "The world is run by crazy people with licenses."