What head cleaner is best for vcr unit? wet or dry

Hi U can buy a DVD lens cleaner of E/BAY cost aprox $12. & a wet VCR head cleaner for aprox $18::::::.good luck

hiya


the heads are dirty run a wet and dry head cleaner through it a couple of times that should do the trick the head cleaners can be bought at you local electrical outlet

hope this helps

John

Do you know the best way to clean the head of a VCR is to take the top of the VCR and use cotton buds and that fluid or better still Servisol Video 40. Wipe the head and any part the tape touches with a bud soaked in the fluid. Let it dry and put the cover on. You will make a better job than the tape and get rid of fluff etc out of the works. PS It will take more work if someone smokes where the VCR lives.

The best way to clean a video head is to remove the top outer cover, then you can spray the head with Servisol Video 40. You can also spray the audio/control head at the same time. You can get Servisol from electrical shops and also online (image below).

Hi there,

Firstly, I must explain how the MiniDV system works:

Although this may sound illogical, MiniDV camcorder heads do actually use a type of lubrication cassette system and there are 2 types:

- DRY lubrication (Canon, Panasonic, JVC etc)
- WET lubrication (Sony)

Now, if you haven't noticed already from the above 2 types, you are in fact using the WRONG type of cassette on your camcorder.

Although Sony cassettes are often readily available (and often perceived to be the best quality), by using Sony cassettes on a Canon camcorder (or Pana, JVC for that matter), you are in fact causing premature wear on the heads. So, the condition you are describing as 'dirty' heads, is in fact caused by the use of the wrong (wet type) cassettes on your DRY type camcorder.

Using "WET" type cassettes on a DRY system camcorder, can often leave residue on your heads, or worse....cause wear. The same principle applies to Sony camcorders - use only Sony 'WET' type cassettes, not Dry cassettes.

This also applies when using HEAD CLEANER cassettes - as indicated, you have used a Sony Head Cleaner cassette (this is a WET type cassette), when in fact, you should be using a DRY HEAD CLEANER cassette (Pana, Canon etc).

CAUTION: when using a head cleaner cassette, only playback the cassette for no more than 6 sec's at a time (anymore will damage the heads).

Summary:

For your Canon camcorder, use only DRY MiniDV cassettes (Pana offer cassettes from Studio, Professional to Master Quality), including DRY Head Cleaner cassette. This should improve the playback quality from your camcorder.

I believe that channel 00 switches the set to the A/V inputs on the rear panel. You may have a bad cable or loose connection. Make sure the RCA plugs are firmly in the jacks at both ends.

The trouble may also be in the VCR. Sound but no picture is often a symptom of dirty heads. Try using a wet-type cleaning cassette and see if that brings the picture back. Wet-type cleaners come with a bottle of cleaning fluid which you apply to the strip inside. It's much more effective than dry type cleaners.

I’ve never had much luck with tape cleaners. I found that you can use acetone. You can buy it in any hardware or k-mart,walmart. Open the VCR up and find the big chrome cylinder that spins. It has the heads on it. There little windows on the cylinder. Clean them with the acetone. Use just enough acetone to wet the foam and rub the heads lightly. There is sometimes 2 to 4 heads on the cylinder. Let dry for about 5 to 10 min’s then play a tape. If still not a good picture, clean again. Sometimes if takes more than one cleaning. Hope this is helpful.

run a head cleaner through, a wet one is best and this should improve the quality of playback. Also check the condition of the vcr cassettes you are using, old ones do get worn out and leave dirt on the rollers and heads

You probably used too much "wet" cleaner on the tape which caused the heads to get fouled. You could try running the wet cleaner through again but use a little less solution than recommended. Failing that you could have the mechanism out of alignment which will require professional help to repair.