1981 Panasonic PV-1600 help
 

I'm pretty knowledgeable on these things as I had a huge interest in them about 7 years ago. I got this one around Thanksgiving 2010 (or 2012, I don't recall exactly). It worked great for about a year and then around Halloween the next year, the sensor lamp went out. I tried to fix it, but I ended up messing up the pop-top realease. Any more info on this VCR is appreciated. I got it off Craigslist in West Allis, WI a long time ago.

Here is the broken sensor lamp.

I think I have a bunch of those bulbs in my basement in a box of electronics junk/parts that I got from a buddy of mine a while back. :scratch2:

I probably have the RCA version. I will look tomorrow morning.

I think the RCA part number is 140619. If it is, I have them. I can't look it up as my microfische reader has a burned out lamp right now.

I took the bulb out today and found that the leads are broken in the socket, but the filament is still good. The part no is XAMV12S. I shorted the socket and I found that the bulb is the least of my worries with this poor old thing. It worked absolutely perfect when I got it five years ago. But now, it plays awful, the speed is way off, and the pop top is stuck. The eject button doesn't work. I don't understand how as soon as I get it, it starts going downhill so dramatically. That all happened in the course of two years of light use.

That said, I absolutely love these old pop top VCR's and if anybody has one you want to get rid of, let me know. My most wanted is an RCA VBT200.

Or find a Panasonic PV-1000 which is identical internally, and the original manufacturer.

http://www.videokarma.org/attachment...1&d=1449965579

Believe me, if I found one of those, I probably crap my pants. I've been searching for years to find the very first generation Panasonic VHS machines. I just love them. I think the PV-1000 actually looks more classy than the VBT-200. With all the chrome and dark grey and black. I just love all of them.

Earliest RCA VHS machines were also made by Panasonic, and may hold some commonality...

That 1st gen PV-1000 and it's rebadged versions (RCA, plus Magnavox sold one too) had superior picture quality compared to the next model PV-1100. The PV-1000 had a separate head amplifier located just behind the drum. Next model 1100 had the head amp circuitry down on one of the main boards with several inches of coaxial cable connecting the drum to the board. For whatever reason that just didn't produce picture quality as clean and clear as the PV-1000s did.

Then the PV-1200 came out with the 3rd speed SLP (we referred to it as "Super Lousy Picture").:D

I always wondered what would happen in you tried to play an SLP recorded tape on the SP/LP only models.

If anyone has a Panasonic PV-1000 clone or anything close to it that you want to sell, do not hesitate to message me.

You generally would get scrambled garbage going by the heads too fast or slow or constant hunting switching back-and-forth for the correct speed, causing sync problems with the VCR servos to the TV's circuitry trying to lock onto it.

So that's probably not a good idea. If I'm fortunate to get a vintage machine that actually works.