The fuse in the power supply is fine. What the @#$% is she talking about?
Once the top and bottom covers are removed, a thorough visual inspection is performed. One intersting observation is that the capstan seems to be binding – the rotor of the direct drive capstan motor is rubbing against the bottom support bracket. Surely, this cannot be the cause of all the problems, could it? A little more thought and examination of how the capstan is mounted reveals the likely answer: there is a white plastic ‘knob’ with a cross-slot poking through the main circuit board on top of the VCR. This knob adjusts the height of the capstan bearing. No doubt the so called ‘fuse’ that was attempted to be replaced was this white knob which does kind of resemble a 3AG type fuse holder. OK, mumbling something about no user serviceable parts inside, I adjusted the capstan height so that it is clear of the bracket and spins freely. I make a note to check for any problems with the capstan servo after the main problem is found since as expected, there is no change in behavior with th
