20 Most Recent Philips VR550 VHS VCR Questions & Answers

Seems that way since repair not cost effective.

Most VCR's will auto-rewind the tape when it gets to the end of a tape. Most will leave the tape in the unit assuming you may wish to view it again once rewound. Does the tape eject properly when you press the eject button? What does the manula say about the eject function?

- Jim

You might be able to get the user manual from the Philips website free!

http://www.usersmanualguide.com/philips/home_audio-video__vcr/page35

Here you have the manual in PDF.

I am a bit confused? A vcr will only need the aerial to pick up signals for TV signals broadcast by a transmitter. As long as the vcr has two scart sockets you can connect your TV to AV1 and the sat box to AV2 and it should record the sat picture and you can watch it by switching your TV to the AV channel. Of course the video will only be any good to record things from sat if your out or in bed. Because you can't watch one channel, record another with the vcr.
I suggest you have a word with your sat company about the record a program service or provide you with a multi room service so you can record channels whilst viewing others.

Check mains rectefier and / or power transistor.

Thank you for your concern, I have had an e.mail from the seller apologizing for the omission and offering to send me the Manual via the post.
Blondie39

red, white plugs are for left and right audio..... yellow is video, your tv may not have a video plug, just speaker plugs 

There is a small glass fuse there as well. These units have aswitch mode power supply and the transistor that is attached to the heatsink sometimes gets shorted. This is the most likely problem. If you feel comfortable working on these and can solder, let me know and I'll provide more detailed information.

Dan

Try carefully cleaning the video head drum.
If it has any deposits on the heads, it may not be getting enough signal to synchronize and if it can't do this is a limited time, it will spit it out.

To clean it, use something that leaves no residue such as pure denatured alcohol and a cloth that leaves little or no lint.
Not the 'rubbing alcohol' variety as this contains 30-40% water and that isn't a good idea.

You did not mention the brand and model of the TV so it is unlikely we can answer your question.

If the TV is equipped with outputs for audio and video or a composite output, this should be difficult.
Many sets of all kinds involved with A/V use a fairly standard set of color coded in/outputs to simplify interconnecting them.

If your pre-recorded tapes also play without sound, then check the scart lead is in straight.

If not, then it's more likely to be a dirty audio head.

Try a VHS head cleaner tape.

OK, I think I see the problem there.
The aerial lead from the DVDR to TV should be removed.
You should have it setup the same as the other Freeview - VCR - TV
Nutshell time:
Main aerial to Freeview input.
Loop aerial from freeview output to DVDR areial input (all this does is allow you to watch freeview, or standard both out of the DVDR)
So..
Scart from Freeview to DVDR input
Scart from DVDR output to TV
Set DVDR to AV input mode.
Set TV to AV (whatever number you need for that..you now won't get anything on screen unless you have the right input selected)

If you can now see the Freeview picture on the TV and change the channels with the Freeview remote then you should be set for recording.

Having the aerial and a scart lead both going to the TV is not needed.

You should have the Freeview box connected to the VCR, then the VCR to the TV

Hope that helps =)

Check that the record button on the player is not pushed in. It could be the button stuck behind the casing, or the microswitch on the main circuit board stuck against the switch mech. This should be apparent, as there would be no click when you push the record button.

Also check the REC button on the remote control.

Both of these potentially could cause the symptoms you describe.

The remote control for the later VR series does not, as you say, have an eject button.There is no alternative unfortunately.

Could be tracking, dirty / faulty heads, or mis-alligned guide rollers.

First,adjust the tracking on the player during playback. This is done by pressing P+ or P- on the remote control.

If this doesn't work, use a video head cleaner. This consists of a video cassette and fluid. Follow the instructions with the cleaner.

If this still doesn't help, and you are confident in opening up the VR550, you could cleaner the heads manually.

Disconnect from the mains.

Remove the screws from the back and sides of the VCR.
Gently ease the lid off the machine.
Locate the large silver coloured head drum towards the back of the machine. There are four small receptors around the side of the drum. These are the video heads.
Take a small piece of clean white paper about 1.5 inches square. (Copier paper)
Hold the paper square over 1 finger and rub each head in turn. Keep the head near the centre of the paper so as not to catch the heads with the edges of the paper.
Check the paper for dirt from the heads.
Reconnect the player and try a tape. If the problem is still there, try cleaning again.

If none of this works, insert a tape NOT recorded on this machine (Mis-alligned rollers affect recording as well as playback) and play. Locate the rollers which guide the tape around the mechanism. Particulary either side of the head drum.

The rollers have adjustments on the top, which can be turned to move the guide up and down slightly. This is a fiddly job, and over adjustment could cause the tape edge to be damaged.
Adjust the rollers to get a clear picture. It is mainly trial and error.


If all fails then the video is probably destined for the skip.

If you need a replacement, www.cheapestelectrical.co.uk , will sell you a VR550 at a very good price.

If you can get the instructions off the internet, then you can 'Save as' to your 'Documents' Files on your PC. Or you can 'copy and Paste' to a blank sheet (Word or Works) and 'Save as' into Documents. Then read from there.

Unit might be picking up 60 cycle hum or other electromagnetic field. Is VCR sitting on/under another piece of electronic equipment? If so, it could pick up such from the power supply circuitry of that other device. Try moving the VCR away from other equipment and see if the unwanted sound disappears.