Newsgroups: rec.video

Hi, I recently aquired a JVC 5500 EH and modified it to record
  VHS tapes in S-VHS modes. Here are the instructions..
  This is PAL S-VHS deck but the mods should work for
  all JVC decks. 


1. Clear a big flat wooden table, get a power supply nearby so
   you can work on it. Get a Soldering Iron and a 1.5 INCH
   insulated single cored wire. A small cup for keeping the
   screws will be good. Also use a NON MAGNETIZED philips
   head screw driver set.

2. Open the top cover and place it aside.

3. Turn on the set, push in a vhs tape. Before the tape has a chance
   to engage on the video head, interrupt the power supply so the
   whole machine is dead.

4. With your finger, rollback the large black plastic gear to the right
   of the tape chassis so as to manually slide the tape out. Once the
   tape is removed we can proceed.

5. Remove the fixed horizontal bar on top of the chassis where the
   tape is fed. Remember the orientation

6. Looking down 90degrees, you will see 2 large copper philips head
   screws. Remove the screws.

7. Get a piece of paper and roll it into a ball. Looking at the vcr,
   you will see a large PCB directly infront of the chassis
   held buy some copper screws, remove them.

8. Lift up the PCB and stuff the paper ball under it to keep it up.
   

9. You will see one more large copper screw. Remove it.

10. You may see a shielded cable with a ferrite ring around it. Detach
    it carefully from the pcb.

11. Now, lift the chassis up with your right hand and with your left
    hand 's finger , press the 2 large and long plastic tabs on
    either side of the chassis so that the chassis can be lifted
    free of these locking tabs.

12. Lift the chassis at an angle so that the slot where the
    tape goes in goes up, because the back of the chassis
    is still full of wires..

13. If you look under the chassis to the right side, you will
    see a long black piece of plastic with connects to a spring
    loaded plastic pin visible from the top of the chassis.

14. This is the S-VHS sensor. The pin comes down to the plastic
    switch which comes down to a large soldered joint on the PCB
    at the bottom of the chassis. The other end of the plastic
    switch is shorted to CHASSIS GROUND with a conducting copper
    strip and a copper screw to the chassis, LOOSEN the screw.

15. Cut a 1 CM portion of insulation off the 1.5 inch wire you need
    to get. Cut off a .5 cm of insulation on the other side. Slide
    the longer expose wire under the copper screw just loosen and
    tighten it.

16. Solder the shorter end to the soldered joint of the switch.
 
17. You are done.

18. Put everything back.

The S-VHS Switch is ALWAYS SHORTED to GROUND. When a VHS tape is placed in,
the switch disconnects the sensor from ground.

If you need to send the set back for repair, you unsolder the joint
and unscrew the other end of the wire..

This should work for ALL Jvc s-vhs decks.. even the Victor
models in Japan.

This is very much more convenient than drilling holes in
the tapes. The drilling always leaves a lot of loose
plastic which WILL damage your video head if they come
into contact.

The S-VHS on off mode can still be manually controlled by a
switch on the VCR

The PANASONIC DECKS are even easier to modify, the switch
is has a little pcb with 2 soldered terminals. Just
use a piece of wire and short the terminals permanently.