Rotating Head

11 responses to “Rotating Head”

1. 

   zany destruction

   Apr 5, 2005 at 6:17 pm

   Did you slaughter a Handycam?

   Reply
2. 

   complexify.

   Apr 5, 2005 at 8:50 pm

   I can’t be sure of the format from this photo, but this reminds me of a VHS VCR that I disassembled many years ago. The VCR remained playable, open-topped with a weight holding the cassette in position. My favorite part was the shiny rotating head with its jaunty angle. Its smooth bearings were uniquely satisfying to spin. It was also educational, as the four tiny heads within the spinning wheel made it easy to understand what "tracking" the moving tape was all about (\\\).

   For all their technical superiority, DVD players aren’t able to give the amateur tinkerer the same sort of visible, mechanical performance! 🙂

   Reply
3. 

   angry shock

   Apr 5, 2005 at 8:56 pm

   ahhh… the ol´analog world. Yes, must be a VHS player, for what I know. Alien-Papa owned a video club for years 🙂

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4. 

   splorp

   Apr 5, 2005 at 9:34 pm

   I don’t think this is VHS. The size of the springs compared to the capstans makes me assume that it’s an 8mm mechanism. You want analog? remind me to post some shots of my commercial grade 1" reel-to-reel VTRs. Those suckers would shred your entire tape into metal-oxide confetti if you misthreaded a reel.

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5. 

   jurvetson

   Apr 5, 2005 at 9:57 pm

   Spot on Complexify & Alieness. Panasonic 4 head VHS.

   And yes, that angled rotating head is a marvel to play with…. it’s something about the precision of movement at that size.

   I also like the gearing that pulls the tape out of the cassette to wrap around the head.

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6. 

   complexify.

   Apr 5, 2005 at 11:16 pm

   Awesome. I hadn’t thought about that gearing in years, but yes, it’s also fun…almost like watching a little robot extract shiny tape from the plastic cassette. It’s forceful but delicate too, as it would occasionally demonstrate by filling the VCR with curlicues of tape (which is what prompted the disassembly in the first place). 😉

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7. 

   splorp

   Apr 5, 2005 at 11:36 pm

   It is a VHS mechanism? Well, befuddle my ducks. I guess I need to enroll in a VCR innards refresher course. I’m so embarrassed.

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8. 

   Victor1

   Apr 8, 2005 at 4:22 pm

   Hey don’t feel bad… if you threaded 1" tape back then like I did (7th grade!), your data bank had to sift through a lot more possibilities to reach a conclusion. When cassettes hit the scene we though ‘idiots version!’. Who’d have thought the useres would devolve to the point where a VCR was too complex for most people (remember the flashing 12:00 on everyone’s deck?).

   Reply
9. 

   splorp

   Apr 8, 2005 at 4:46 pm

   Flashing 12:00 displays? Hell, I remember when the clocks and timers in consumer VCRs were still analog dials – to match the twist-clunk VHF/UHF channel changers.

   Reply
10. 

    nano_cipher

    Aug 30, 2005 at 8:13 pm

    Looks like VHS to me. When I worked on these I used to be able to tell you the name of the manufacturer just by looking at the guts. It’s been to long to do that now. I miss working on VCRs. I still have parts for these things.
    The gears on VCRs were timed so no being off by even one tooth or snap!!!

    I wish I had some pictures of some of the Beta formats I serviced.

    Reply
11. 

    quixotic gold

    Sep 2, 2005 at 6:22 am

    Thanks for adding these to the Electronic Porn pool, I really like them!

    Reply