One of my VFD's blew in front of my eyes.
Actually it was on a desk I was trying to get going again and the display was already faulty.
I watched the wires literally glow red like a toaster and dissolve the wires.
Just curiosity, do you have enough tapes for it? Or is there some way to fill the old ones with any other VHS kind of tape?
I have some tapes. New and used. They're getting harder to come by. I'm always keeping an eye out for them. As for reloading the tape shell. I heard Maxell XLII EE tape is what can be used. I'm keeping an eye out for that stuff too. Would be a fun experiment to try and reload a cassette.
Hi Sweetbeats
I saw this comment and pic of yours...
"Yeah. See pic below. I think mine have been modified with chase-lock sync capability...maybe. Both of mine have the 15-pin DSUB connector on the front...clearly not factory. Not sure yet what they're for."
View attachment 98764
This looks like an attempt to wire up the recorder controls for SMPTE control. My Akai mg1214 has this on the front as standard.
From the Akai Brochure...
" A synchronizer jack allows for quick and easy connection of the MG1214 to almost every popular SMPTE synchronizer for synchronous recording with other audio or video machines."
You can synchronize two of these (Akai mg1214) via a separate synchronizer. You can't just plug one into each other and expect them to lock together. It won't work.
If this modification of yours on the Akai1212 has been done right you may be able to lock it together with another Akai mg1214 or even lock it with a Protools rig.
Can you test if control signal is teaching the relay, and measure if the relay coil is being energized when it is supposed to be energized and staying that way when it is supposed to hold?
Yeah I can understand how that sucks, big time, not having that feature. Is there any way you can put up a video, a sort of dramatic re-enactment of what you were doing when the *poof*ing occurred, like what touched what and all?
I would try replacing the relay.