One thing I forgot to mention in the video, Sharp as a company exist in name only now, the TV side was sold to UMC and the microwave oven division was sold to Vestel although I believe it has since been passed on to Midea of China.
Most Excellent! Thanks for sharing! As you say, these were bread and butter repair jobs, back in the days. The Brass Pulleys, with the Knurled outer surface were available as a seperate part from Sharp, back in the days. The old worn out plastic one could be removed by slipping a pair of long nose pliers under it and pushing them through between the motor faceplate and pulley, and the taper of the pliers would gently slip it off. With the new brass one came with an interference fit large plastice shim / washer, so the exact height of the new slip-fit brass pulley could be set exact ly before bonding to the motor spindle. I then use super glue gell (not liquid super glue) to bond it to the spindle. Liquid super glue would bond instantly as soon as the pulley was pushed down and before reaching the exact position, sat on the plastic shim. Many thanks again.
Probably one of the best range of video recorders of the time , we sold them on piece buying them from Michael Blacks in Newcastle and Zed Electronics from Leeds and spares were readily available from Willow Vale and some from Charles Hyde . That one looks in very good condition Michael and good addition to your collection I also remember the Dv1600 tv with the integral remote ...Nice memories
I'm sure you could buy spares from Sharp themselves before Willow Vale had the "exclusive" right to the Sharp genuine spares however we used to get some from Charles Hyde in Pocklington however there was some friction between the 2 companies about this as I recall at a Sharp trade show .
Wow brings back good memories, especially those pics of you, I can remember buying the tv mag when you used to do the blog, with mr bullock and co, all I remember is talk of snubber circuits and chopper circuits,could never get my head round it, and still can't 😅
Must be over 10 years now when Television magazine closed, I had an advert in the very last issue, they couldn't afford to pay me so I asked for a free advert
Very nice vcr did hundreds of them, in fact I've still got a spare reel idler motor pulley that glued onto the shaft, looking back now at those machines they were incredibly well made, not designed to just last beyond the warranty period, and those designers really thought about us who had to repair them with that detailed service manual and thoughtful layout, very good and happy days.
Loving all the historical photos from your past Michael you are one talented repair engineer and know your way around like your back of your hand 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Not as good as I use to be , no service manuals for new sets, board only replacement, the industry is ruined now , all we have to look back on is memories.
I remember buying packs of idler tyres for those machines. Lots of happy memories brought back by this video. I can also smugly report that I was shouting look at the capstan while you were checking the takeup torque!
Forgot all about the capstan at the time but it did come back to me ! I use to fit genuine sharp idlers but I do remember later on some company selling just the rubber tyre with the slogan why replace the plastic when its only the rubber that wears out.
Lost count how many I repaired and yes indeed the idlers were comon as was the lamp, not convinced the brass pulley on the reel motor did solve the problem totally. I seem to remember an E to E fault which was a transistor on the top board. Loading belt was fairly common and I had one or two where the felt pad parted company from the back tension band.
You know, as soon as you loaded a cassette and pressed play, I instantly remembered the accompanying sounds. This has to be one of the most memorable sequence of notes/sounds from a VCR, (alongside the likes of early dial-up modem handshakes etc) that exist. I'm sure I could identify that deck from just listening whilst being blindfolded. Great machines. I was really impressed with mine - fantastic picture. Thank you for revitalising my memories Michael.
Excellent Service and repair Micheal. This Machine was really special to us in the 1980s and was very reliable. I still have mine and it works perfectly. There also was some NTSC versions of the Sharp VC-9300 which were available in japan only model Sharp VC-110ED which was exactly the same apart from the VHS logo was replaced with the logo My-Video and the clock display was lit up in blue instead of green. There was also another model which i am trying to find, Sharp VC-488X which is very difficult to find. I am ready to buy the Sharp VC-488X if any one would have it. Thank you Sir...
I do have a few other sharp videos but I don't recognise the 488X model , I'm guessing your in a different country and the 488X may be specific to where you live ?
Hi, Micheal. I am in the U.K. I have seen the Sharp VC-488X in the U.K which was a slime line silver color Hi-Fi machine. This machine is similar looking to the Sharp VC-496N (Not Hi-Fi) and has a reel led rotation indicator on the cassette housing flap along with Hi-Fi led indicators near the clock display. Maybe you have not come across it. I am not sure if this machine was PAL or NTSC but it is a really nice looking VCR...
As usual a very interesting video. I get a little nostalgic when I hear the sound of a video cassette being loaded into a VCR. Another reflection I made at the end of your video, was how interesting it was to see pictures and hear you talk about your career.
Next year will be my 40th anniversary in business, its hard to believe I have lasted that long , no other repair shops here now ,in fact no shops at all only Argos.
Not seen one of those for years. The build quality of these early 80s Sharp VCRs was probably at it's peak and the idler was an easy fix courtesy of Willowvale.
some of the VCA series that preceded these were also an excellent machine but by the earley 90s sharp went the same as everyone else producing cheaper stuff that was rubbish .
If I remember correctly, the 9100 & 9300 were the first SKD (semi knock-down) products assembled at the factory in Wrexham. Basically a kit of parts was shipped from Japan and assembled in the UK. Once the PCBs were produced in Wrexham, they became the first CKD (complete knock down) products. Mechanisms were shipped almost complete from Japan, until the early 90s when the entire mechanism (including the drum) was manufactured in Wrexham.
Wasn't this because there were limits on the numbers of complete machines that could be imported but if a part of it was British assembled they could sell as many as they wanted ?
@@michaeldranfield7140 To be honest, I'm not exactly sure Michael. I wasn't at Sharp UK at the very beginning. I suspect it was because the UK factory wasn't ready to manufacture all variants of PCBs, and simultaneously, keep up with demand. In the early days it was a single production line, and having a constant supply of PCBs was essential. Auto Insert and PCB departments would have been learning how to ramp up production (whilst maintaining quality), so having that kit of parts coming in would have been part of the plan. We did stick a Union flag on the front of the kit versions, which could be seen as a little bit naughty, depending on your point of view. Is there a legal difference between "Assembled in the UK" and "Made in the UK"? When I left, there were 3 production lines, with one complete VCR making it to the end of each line every 28 seconds or so. So roughly 6 machines a minute, every minute of the working day! Typical outputs were between 3000 and 4000 VCRs a day, if we weren't changing models a lot. Sticking with the same model (for a single country) made things a lot easier, so we had good weeks where the finished goods warehouse was bursting at the seams. In retrospect, it was one of the most interesting and demanding jobs I ever had.
Years since I worked on one of these, pretty sure I have got the same machine in storage, I guess it will need the same work you have just done to yours. Bought back many memories of working on these, I certainly remember the idler being a problem, as a quick fix, I used to turn the rubber tyre inside out to get it working 🤣🤣
another great video Michael thanks again remember the cheats I used to do with these videos the idler tyre i used to reverse it the brake lining for the back tensioner used to glue it back on used to do all the cheap for some customers😊😊
@@michaeldranfield7140 These machines were very reliable electronicaly I love vintage Sharp they gave you your moneys worth and more I own a Sharp VZ3000 music centre and it still works like new
I am from Karachi Pakistan, and I am running electronic repairing shop since 1980 till now, I have repaired almost all brand's of VCR'S . SHARP VCR are to good but we have mostly 1 common problem that's cassette front loading mechanism down switch there are too many micro switches and other common problem was cassette down WARM gear but these all problem use to come after 10 to 15 years. This is what I experience.
I dont remember the down switch been a problem here but it would not be too difficult to fit something else, if a gear was faulty then the machine would be scrap , nice to hear that after 40 odd years your still in business but then in Pakistan you probley value stuff more than we do in the UK , everything here is now disposable and hardly worth repairing .
I remember Sharp VHS VCRs well & I remember Sharp when thay stopped selling parts direct or repairs. Then willow vale took over part's & repairs thay were just up Oldham road from Sharp UK.
Fascinating machine. The Japanese are so clever. These things were so advanced back in their day. They are so complicated, it’s no wonder they needed repair every so often! One bugbear of some of the earlier machines like this is that the play LED is red and not green. It used to confuse me sometimes especially with no remote or OSD!
These were very common in Australia along with the similar 300 series. I used to buy dozens of them faulty, put in a lamp and belt kit and sell them working again. The loading gear was common for breaking as well where the high tension spring breaks a plastic post off it. Dont think I ever saw a faulty reel motor in them. The National NV300 that sold at the same time was much more reliable as it had an LED rather than lamp and didnt eat idlers like the Sharps. Sharp kept the repair industry in work though.
the NV300 was slightly harder to work on the bottom panel but having said that Panasonic did some really comprehensive deck service kits for not a lot of money back then .
I remember their ad here "Sharp products for sharp minds". I still have a supply of various idler tires & belts for VCR's and Beta;,(we used to buy them by size in bulk). and the upgraded motor pully made of brass to replace the Mitsubishi plastic ones that were always cracking. I remember one brand that excess light when the cover was off caused the cass. mech to malf. I love your mech cross ref. We never had one of those here. I hated it when the belts for VCR's and cass. decks turned to sticky "glue" that you had a miserable time getting off your hands. When VCR's fell out of favor, some of the dist. had clearance sales on belt kits. I remember in one shop we loaded up on any kits they had left , as many sets used the same size belts. and I remember even some of the belts fit cass. decks.
I wouldn't have thought there would be much demand now for video spares as it must be 20 odd years no since they fell out of fashion but I still managed to find a set of belts on the internet ! Here Argos were selling video recorders off for £39 just to get rid of them , its a far cry from the £700 one would have cost you in 1972 .
I am not surprised you found a belt kit for a 386. I had many more 386 models in for repair than the 9xxx series. It's a shame we live in this throw-away world now. I don't think Willow Vale, HRS, Seme, CHS are around anymore. So sad really.
@@manolisgledsodakis873 I left the trade in 2003 and only maintain my own equipment now. I am amazed that after a search I found Wiltsgrove in Digbeth is still going, though I only ever used them now and then.
@@manolisgledsodakis873 Telepart were traditionally very expensive compared to all the other suppliers, I only ever used tele part for semiconductors no one else had.
I'm sure you right but cant remember, I do remember though some Panasonic machines with incorrect back tension and the head drum lost its shine and wouldn't do a reverse search due to friction .
This was our first VCR. Unfortunately it didn't last very long - ours had problems with speed stability from new and it was impossible to get a stable picture without noise bars moving up the screen. It went away for repair twice, was never repaired properly and on the third occasion my dad lost his rag with the shop and demanded a Ferguson (which was the one he'd wanted in the first place) as a replacement. Regrettably, we never had any Sharp equipment after this growing up, although I've bought plenty since.
I found sharp generally very reliable so you must have just had a bad one , unfortunately by the mid 90 s sharp were producing lower cost machines and build quality took a dive .
@@michaeldranfield7140 Oh I absolutely agree that it was just a bad one, but it demonstrates how easy it is to lose customers - my dad never bought Sharp again. I thought he was daft, bought a couple of Sharp items in the early 1990s and stuck with them, and still buy Sharp stuff now.
I also loved those video recorders...mind you I loved the 7700 previous (huge) model too. I did one have to change a capacitor or two in the PSU on a high hours one. Then they brought out one with a smitch-mode power supply & reliability went in a downward spiral. On the VC7700 there was an NE555 timer IC that went down. Richard, G0OJF, UK
@@michaeldranfield7140 I've two here I want to do. one has a PSU, the other doesn't. I have a couple of Sharp colour cameras already. Lovely transportable machines. Richard
@@ukfmcbradioservicingTango21From memory I think the camera was a XC30 and the portable video was VC-2300 ! By the way Jeremy from Peak electronics now has your samsung plasma TV .
I'm yelling at the computer the capstan isn't driving the hole time as there was no tape spooling up inside the vcr as it would have been if it was only the take up not working lol. i guess 40yrs of being a repair tech will do that to you.I love these vcr and tv repair videos they bring back great memory's of back in the day.I remember working on this model i always liked the Sharp and Panasonic vcr's.
My videos are not edited so you get to see all my mistakes as well but I did remember in the end its the pinch roller that turns the tape and the take up reel just takes up the slack and winds the tape back onto the spool .
my favourite video at the time was the Ferguson video Star 3v30 a quick service recently and still using it and got sitting next to it a 3v29 both going great😊
The days when electronics were built to a quality and not a price unlike the end when the final Philips model has a deck made of cooking foil it was that thin and flimsy.
Wow, such a well built beast of a machine, designed to be serviced. Quality! Those were the days when you had pride in something you owned. What would that machine have cost in it's day?
Good morning Michael I watched you repair the Sharp 9300 and you mentioned you had a tb you used to watch it on when are you repairing the TV? Sandy in Glasgow I'm not an engineer I just love watching electronics being repaired.
22:05 The capstan and pinch roller don't seem to be rotating! My first VCR was a Sharp VC-7300H in 1981, followed by a Sony SL-F1UB Portable Betamax in 1984. I still have the Sony portable, and it still works.
@@michaeldranfield7140 I remember the VC-7300H head drum is belt driven. My machine was very noisy when lacing. I still remember the excitement of being able to record TV! I still have a home video movie recorded on the Sharp. Unlike VHS, these days, HD recordings on HDD are indistinguishable from the original broadcast! Technically better maybe, but not as much fun!
I want to sincerely thank you for posting this overview. I have a VC-7400 with multiple mechanical issues. The unit is two years older than the 9300 but the drawer assembly is identical (except that the "flap" is a manually triggered plastic door). I replaced the belt on the door but it still struggles to load cassettes. Is there a gear or a spring that I need to look out for? Is this a common problem with this series?
Im guessing your in a different country as in the UK we had a model VC-7300 in the UK , your issue could be the loading motor itself but at this sort of age hardened grease is a very common problem , it would be a good idea to clean off any old grease and apply some new .
Not a VCR I ever encountered. I can't remember the model number of the one my grandfather had - and as it had a press button tuner, not very versatile. We briefly had another, actually a VC386, Rediffusion-badged, on loan from Granada while they repaired the Hitachi we were renting.
@@michaeldranfield7140 I don't know if ours was faulty but I seem to recall being able to change the channel on it while recording... of course, the press button tuner type did that anyway, but the VC386 was capable of multiple recordings on timer, so had electronic switching on the tuner.
I ran my own servicing business from 1992 to 1996 doing TV, VCR, microwave ovens and audio. I was also selling those same units which I got cheap, repaired or refurbished then put out in the showroom. I was making a really good income. I also used to do house-calls which brought in extra money as I was the only person in the area who did them so I was very busy. These were times when there were no cheap chinese appliances, so people were prepared to pay hundreds of dollars to have their equipment repaired because a replacement was usually over a thousand. Once the china imports started to flood into the country, that was pretty much the end of the servicing game. You could buy a new TV for a couple of hundred dollars so people chose to do that rather than have theirs repaired.
Back in the late 80 I was making a clear profit of £75 on a video recorder and £30 on a 0.9 Cubic feet microwave oven , doesn't sound a lot of money now but it was back then , repairs brought in a very good living because everyone had stuff repaired , we didn't live in a disposable society like we do now .
It's the lamp for the tape end sensors. When a cassette is inserted, there's a hole on the underside of it which is lowered over the lamp. The light shines through a small hole in each end of the cassette and operates sensors which detect the clear leader sections at each end of the tape. As technology changed, the lamps were replaced by infra-red LED.
@@sw6188 Thank you Michael - Looking at the video of your old shop in the high street I tried to find it on streetview but was unable to - it's probably changed beyond recognition now! so not being a local (Southampton) I couldn't find it. regards Nick
@@PertinaxPertinax My old shop is all flats now so as you say its unrecognisable but the alarm box I fitted in the 80s is still on the wall . 62 Fairfield Road Buxton , Derbyshire
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