JVC MX-C33 Tape Drive Problem

Water is a great damaging factor for tape drives. I know you can disassemble the drive (almost) complete and clean everything you can see. Not only should all moving parts and rollers guiders be cleaned, but also the logic boards and the cables and connectors. You are not allowed to remove any of the rolling parts, because you wont be able to readjust them without calibration tools. Then it should be reassembled after cleaning. Also use a cleaning tape several times, to remove all residue of the cleaning fluid. There is special cleaning fluid for things with water damage, but the heads and guiding system can be cleaned with clean alcohol (no spiritus)

For what it is worth, I found an old manual of the drive. Because it does not have a normal URL I put the link in the text here:
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/information_storage/software/ltt/2-wd11.pdf

Don't use any of the storage tapes, you have your data on, because you could damage the tapes. In the end, perhaps you have to buy another tape drive, to restore your data so save the tapes, till you are 100% sure the drive won't eat the tapes.

It sounds as though the drive mechanism needs to be overhauled. This can entail replacing belts or drive wheels, depending on the model. On occasion, I have had success cleaning belts and wheels, but the real solution is to clean everything that moves, and replace the belts and "rubber" drive wheels. Make certain everything moves smoothly and easily, too. They used to sell rebuild kits for different machines, though most people just buy a new machine. You might look on JVC's website. There should be plenty of used machines available, too. Only you and I still use VHS. LOL

iT MAY BE A DV CASSETTE WAS INSERTED AND HAD A TENSION PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE PLAYER TO CHEW TAPE . PLEASE SEE IF JVC SERVICE CENTRE IN LONG BEACH CAN REPAIR IT ( GOOGLE FOR THEM) . ANOTHER OPTION IS TO MANUALLY OPEN THE UNIT YOURSELF-
REMOVE THE MAIN POWER CORD OFF .
.
YOU WILL REMOVE 8 SCREWS TO REMOVE THE TOP COVER OFF - 2 ON EACH OF THE SIDE , AND 4 AT THE BACK , , AND GET THE TOP COVER OFF, THEN YOU CAN PEEK INTO

THE DV TAPE DRIVE TO SEE IF THERE IS A TAPE CHEW UP MESS , IF YOU ARE OKAY TO DESTROY THE TAPE , CUT OFF AND MANUALLY EXTRICATE LOOSE TAPE WITH A FORCEPS , , THEN FORCE EJECT THE TAPE BY TURNING THE BLACK GROOVED GEARWHEEL ONTHE RIGHT FRONT OF THE TAPE DRIVE - BY PUSHING IT INWARDS INTO THE SLOT , YOUR TAPE WILL MOVE UPWARDS , THEN PUSH THE WHITE PIECE ON TOP OF THE TAPE TOWARDS THE TAPE DRIVE DOOR , THE TAPE SHOULD NOW COME OFF THE DOOR , PULL IT OUT .IF THERE IS AND DVD LEFT IN THE DVD DRIVE , YOU CA MANUALLY REMOVE IT BY TAKING OFF 4 SCREWS AT THE TOP BLACK ROOF OF THE DVD DRIVE , AND REMOVE ANY DVD HELD INSIDE .REPLACE THE SCREWS BACK ON THE DVD DRIVE AND THEN CLOSE THE TOP COVER OF THE UNIT .

POWER BACK THE UNIT ON AND SEE IF IT RESETS ITS STATE -
NOT FINDINY ANY PLAYBACK MATERTIAL IN THE DV OR DVD DTRAY - IT SHOULD GO TO OFF , SWITCH OFF THE UNIT FROMTHE FRONT SWITCH AND THEN UNPLUG IT. RESTART THE UNIT AFTER 1 MIN AND IT SHOULD BOOT PROPERLY AS LONG AS FIRMWARE IS NOT CORRUPTED ON ON-BOARD HDD.. PLEASE CHECK IF THE REAR HDD COOLER FAN IS NOW WORKING GOOD LUCK . PLEASE RETENSION ANY DV TAPES BEFORE PUTTING THEM INTO THE PLAYER . EVEN DV HEAD CLEANING TAPES CAN CAUSE ISSUES . JVC WILL NOT ADMIT IT .

I have a used JVC MX-C33 and put the cartridge in with only one cd and only one tray in the cartridge. Now it wont eject nor will the single slot open. Any suggestions on how to open it? Thanks, Monte

The best way that I have solved this is by using the move commands from the drive, and move it from drive to any free tape slot. Also if that does not work, put a few tapes in the drive and perform the random moves test in diagnostics, that will fool the drive to move the tape.

You may have an idler gear wheel which has been damaged- perhaps broken/worn gear teeth or something afoul in it's drive mechanisms. Check this idler which sits down in between the supply and take-up spindles. You should be able to see this with no tape loaded. This idler should also move freely from supply to takeup- if it is sticky in movement this could be the problem. If your idler is broken, you may be able to replace it. Check with a service center- or a parts supplier. MCM electronics is one such supplier- there are others.

common fault on the JVC tape decks is the belt stretch and then it does a clicking sound its trying to pick up the audio heads. changing the belt is quite hard if you have`nt done it before.


craig:)

Possibly a slipping rubber belt in the tape unit drive is not gripping enough to complete an action and so is just stopping everything from happening until it completes that action. You might try GENTLY helping the belt complete its action.

The BR-DV3000 DV deck has LP inhibit function which is set in the operations menu. JVC does not recommend the use of LP mode and therefore locks this mode out by default. You can change this setting to allow operation in LP mode if you like but I don't recommend it. Using LP mode on DV tape causes the error rate to escalate due to the narrower track width produced by the slow moving tape. Good Luck, this is a nice machine! Joe Weibel Custom Electronics (customelectronics.org)

It may need to be cleaned. Mechanical problems are one of the big problems with VCRs they use alot of mechanical moving parts and play for so long they fail. Plastic parts dont help much either. The pinch roller takes up the slack and is usualy the part that fails first because it constantly runs along the tape and builds a coating on the rubber so it doesnt grip the tape and pull it back into the cassette. If its not pulling the tape back in then it hangs up inside and you cant get the tape out. Fastforward uses the reels to pull the tape not so much the roller. Try and stop 2 times then fast forward then eject the tape. Try and eject the tape while its fastforwarding so it doesnt do anything else. Sometimes machines will unload after its been in fastforwad a while then it will eject. You will hear a change in the sound when it unloads, you can hear the mechanical arms move the tape in and out of the cassette. Thats when you eject it. You cant really clean it till you get the tape out. YOu can clean the pinch roller with fingernail polish or paint remover. It is a wheel inside it looks like a black tire. It pinches the tape against the capstan arm this is why it developes a film or a shine on the rubber making it slip.