1979 Philips VR2022

[crustytv]

A bit of background, I've been trying to get an old VCR the earlier the better a Philips N1500 etc the goal but prices are too high. I did accumulate two old Ferguson piano key VCR's and an old Hitachi, sadly none work and the fergy's require belt kits which are rocking horse poo.

Today I was fortunate to get a Philips 2000, what a beast, bought from the original owner with 24 tapes packed with period programmes and adverts. It also came with the instructional tape and the manuals.

I'd not come across the 2000 format * before only VHS and Betamax so it was a revelation to see the tapes and that they are two sided. I also got a box of 40 VHS tapes from the owner, again with all sorts of recordings.

It works, well vision does giving a very good picture on my rack monitor but main fault, no sound just a pop,pop,pop,pop, pop to be heard. VCR's are not my forte so was wondering if anyone out there has some ideas to help. I'm chuffed to bits it almost working, it would be so nice to have the sound back and a working VCR to complement the old CTV collection.

A schematic would be useful but I have no doubt it would be mind blowing.

Yep, one of the tapes has Live Aid recorded.

The grave yard of non workers.

*
At the time of its launch Video 2000 offered several innovative features unmatched by the competing formats VHS and Betamax:

• Only half of the magnetic tape is scanned by a helical scanner during each side pass. The cassette can then be flipped over to use the other half of the tape, thus doubling playing time.
• The tape is totally enclosed when not in use. Unlike competing formats that have spaces in the cassette for the tape loading mechanism to be inserted, thus exposing the delicate magnetic tape surface, VCCs had a retractable sheath that covers such space. The sheath is retracted as a tape is inserted into the machine and only then can the tape cover be raised to fully expose the tape.
• Because of its Dynamic Track Following (DTF) technology (involving an advanced, movable video head tip), by design V2000 does not require a video tracking control (however, Grundig's model 1600 lacked DTF).
• All V2000 VCRs sport an auto-rewind function (later matched by VHS and Betamax)
• Dynamic Noise Suppression to reduce tape hiss on the audio track.
• Provision of a data track alongside the video track
• channel selection and timer programming are undertaken by a 0-9 numeric keypad

Thanks to DTF, V2000 is able to play both fields of the image in still frame mode, providing full vertical resolution whereas VHS and Betamax could only reproduce one field, giving only half of the normal vertical resolution. A real advantage of DTF on all but the very first V2000 models is the ability to provide picture search without noise bars across the screen, a feature domestic VHS or Betamax machines were only ever able to approach by introducing complex multi-head drums.

[jskinner97]

The sound head is mounted seperatly usually near the beginning of the tape feed spool It may just need a clean using some isoprop or even Alcohol Hand Cleaner.

This may help a little bit http://www.gregselectronics.com/cleanvcr.html
EDIT:
A quick Google tells us this "There is a NiCd battery on the control logic board. It's gone short circuit, will have leaked or at the very least outgassed, and might cause all sorts of erroneous operation. " http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/show ... hp?t=60588 May also help?

[crustytv]

Yay!

Scrub that! Old crusty was suffering from twonkitis

I was working on the assumption the recorded Live Aid tape was OK.... err no! Just tried another tape with some Cagney & Lacey, the sound is working fine. Just tried a few other tapes and they work OK too.

That's my evening/weekend sorted, I'm going to plough my way through these tapes watching all the old recordings/advert/news and forget its 2015.

So looks like I've been a spongy git and got myself a good working machine. Looking inside through the tape slot, I notice there are pulleys and drive cords not belts. If that's true then that will go a long way to explaining why this still runs. My other machines just have black goo splodges where the belts once were.

[jskinner97]

Lucky sod, and schoolboy error there! Glad to hear you've got a good working machine!

[Cathovisor]

Good news to hear, Chris. I always thought those machines embodied what domestic video should have become. However, we now have the sanity of the hard drive..

Any thoughts about capturing the content onto modern media? These days the interest (for me, anyway) is often in the adverts...!

[hamid_1]

Wow ... a WORKING Philips Video 2000!

I've had a few of these over the years, but never had one that stayed working for more than a day or two.

They were introduced in 1980. Cutting-edge technology at the time, though I think they were too complex and unreliable. Even setting the timer and tuning in the channels is quite a task.

These Philips machines were also sold as Pye, ITT and Bang And Olufsen Beocord. Grundig also made Video 2000 recorders to their own design. Later models had stereo sound and a long play feature, giving up to 16 hours recording per tape (2x8 hours per side). Much more information at http://v2000.palsite.com/

Definitely copy off any interesting material from those tapes - I can guarantee it won't stay working for very long, based on my own experience. DVD recorder with hard drive is my favourite method for doing this.

[Doz]

You could always tell a visionhire machine... it only had the centre screw holding the base plate on ....

[sideband]

Great machine Chris! I had the next one up, the 2023 for about 10 years until the heads became too difficult to source. Yes all direct drive, not a belt in sight. I attended a three day training course on these when they first came out...and got a free machine as a home trial. After two years it went wrong and Philips changed it for the 2023 and that sat under various TV's for the next 10 years with only a few minor repairs.

I still reckon they were the best VCR out there........

[crustytv]

Four hours later and its still playing. Good to hear my suspicion confirmed that its direct drive.

The only issue I've noticed and it could just be the age of the tapes, is the picture bounces occasionally. As I've said above I've no experience with videos so not sure whether its tape or machine. I notice there's very little user controls unlike the Fergy's which have tracking adjustment and the tuner controls etc.

It is in superb condition and has obviously been looked after, built like a tank a feels like its just as heavy. The previous owner said it cost them £30 p.m and the payment plan lasted many, many years. No idea what they cost when new. In the paperwork was also a Redifussion TV manual and a Mullard colour TV guarantee, no idea if that was around the same time or later. Perhaps I should go back and ask if they still have the TV ferreted away too.

[sideband]

No idea what they cost when new.

I seem to recall it was upwards of £500 depending on the model.

[crustytv]

Found the service manual on-line, its now in the library.

[nuvistor]

From what I recall but I never saw one, the 2000 VCR had dynamic tracking of some sort, no need for a tracking control.

VCR's were just getting in their stride when I left the trade so my experience is very limited, fixed a few early VHS and Beta machines but not that many. I owned a Panasonic VHS VCR from the middle 80's to late 90's, only fault it had was an o/c reservoir cap. The same recorder was available in a Philips version.

The Mullard guarantee, filled a few of those out in the 1970's but claimed on very few of them, still they gave the customer confidence in the CRT. The ones I did make a claim, Mullard never quibbled, they had a dept in Heywood near Manchester, take the CRT in and they tested it and handed a replacement over there and then.

Perhaps I am wandering off topic.

Frank

[malcscott]

Hi Chris, i have just scraped one of these machines due to drum failiure. You are welcome to all of the PCB,s i have salvaged, Malc.

[crustytv]

Hi Malc,

Yes please, that would certainly give peace of mind knowing I had some spares in stock.

Now just for a further insurance policy, the hunt for a spare head commences. It may take months or years but I'm sure something will eventually crop up.

[Cathovisor]

From what I recall but I never saw one, the 2000 VCR had dynamic tracking of some sort, no need for a tracking control.

They did, and it worked in much the same way as professional VTRs like the Ampex VPR2 did. The heads were mounted on piezo bimorphs which were in a servo all of their own to get the maximum RF off the tape. See http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US4544967 for the general principle.

[Niall]

When our family decided to get our first VCR the choice was VHS, Beta or V2000. I researched it and reckoned that V2000 was the best choice from a technical point of view, but my parents went for VHS in the end. I think the signs were there even then that VHS was going to be the dominant format. V2000 wouldn't necessarily have been a bad choice as most of what we ended up doing was off air recording, although the cost of the tapes might have been a factor when VHS tapes became cheap to buy. I remember the dynamic head alignment being a feature.

An interesting lesson for me that being the technically best system doesn't automatically mean success in the market, which was reinforced later by the BSB / Sky thing and arguably PCs. I tend to think of this as the US approach of aiming at "good enough to do the job" rather than technical perfection at a cost in lead time, complexity and reliability. Perhaps one of the secrets of Amstrad's success in their heyday, where Sinclair had tried a similar approach but usually ended up with "not quite good enough to be useable".

[malcscott]

The Rediffusion instruction leaflet is for the Mk3, Malc.

[AidanLunn]

Hello Chris

In case you come across any TV station closedowns or continuity on these, would you be able to supply me with DVD copies? Such material is most welcome on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIpVRq ... RdvoOPx4lA

[Katie Bush]

From what I recall but I never saw one, the 2000 VCR had dynamic tracking of some sort, no need for a tracking control.

They did, and it worked in much the same way as professional VTRs like the Ampex VPR2 did. The heads were mounted on piezo bimorphs which were in a servo all of their own to get the maximum RF off the tape. See http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US4544967 for the general principle.

If memory serves me, the video heads followed a pilot tone, with each head having its own specific tone.. If a head strayed 'off tone' the servo acted to get the head back on track - a true dynamic tracking system.

If I understood it correctly, if both heads were reading the incorrect tones, was either the tape speed, or head drum speed (can't say which) that would be adjusted until the there was a correct coincidence of tone and head - as would be the case when the machine was first started into play mode.. After whch, each head would 'ride' its correct tone, the idea being that the head would seek maximum 'correct' tone and zero, or minimum, 'incorrect' tone.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Price wise, I seem to recall a tag reading £720 for a V2000 (of one variant or other) in Cussins & Light.. By contrast, my first N1700 was tagged at £638 and a few coppers, from the same supplier.

Marion

[Bobhowe]

Hi i had a Phillips vr2023 ( best vcr I've ever had ) got it SH in 1986 for £150 ( had to get a provident loan to pay for it ) seemed to remember that it was not cheap when they were new in Comet

[Mark Hennessy]

From memory, each video line was laid down with slightly different carrier frequencies. There were 4 of them, and they followed a distinct sequence. The frequencies were chosen such if there was crosstalk - from a head that wasn't tracking optimally - then a sum/difference product was produced at one of two certain frequencies. This signal was used to "steer" the piezoelectric strip to get the head back on track.

Upstairs I have paper copies of the manuals for Grundig V2000 machine that I still have. I'll have a look in a minute, just in case the above is wrong (I wouldn't be surprised - it's been 20 years!).

I'm ashamed to confess that I gutted several Philips V2000 machines about 25 years back. They were just too complicated to fix, with multiple faults and connectors that became unreliable if you cycled them too much. Most internal wiring was solid core, which could also break with repeated flexing. Typical Philips, really! The PCBs were a great source of good quality components, and I still have many upstairs that I occasionally raid when I can't find the exact thing I need in my usual stores. But I did get to understand the Grundig machine, and still have a complete set of spare PCBs and other parts. Lovely machines - the power supplies weren't the most reliable, but the rest of the circuitry was good. The user interface was surprisingly different to everyone else's - which is normally what you'd expect from Philips. The mechanisms were very different indeed. They used a full wrap - like most Beta machines, whereas the Philips look more like a VHS mechanism. The guides on the Philips were driven by steel cables IIRC...

As many will know, the DTF feature was common on professional formats like Betacam. It worked a lot better than V2000, which always took perhaps a second or two before the tracking settled down after a mode change (but it was still very impressive).