19 Dec
2006
19 Dec
'06
2:51 p.m.
--- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
**>> snip <<**
Well, let's see...
I can either spend $10 on a set of rubber parts an
d
take an afternoon
putting them in (at which point, said VCR will be
good for another 2
years) or I can spend $89 and take an afternoon
going to the shop,
bringing a new unit home, and figuring out how to
connect it up and use
it. At which point I have a device assembled with
lead-free solder,
soldered at too low a temperature, so it gets dry
joints within a few
months. With plastic mechanical parts made from th
e
cheapest plastic
imaginable that make a freebie toy look solid. I'd
be lucky if that $89
machine lasted for a couple of weeks after the
warrenty period...
Now guess which I am going to do...
-tony
That's a very good point.
Just out of interest, my dad still has the first
VCR VHS recorder he bought around 1979 (no
typo). It's very heavy, largely due to the fact
that it's all mechanisms and levers inside.
(No I don't have the model name/number at
hand - I believe it's been put in the attic)
It was working fine up until around 1998/9
when it wouldn't record very well anymore. i
believe that's when we got our first modern
VHS recorder. The new one lasted 3 or 4 years
before it started playing up (won't rewind
tape without messing it up, but plays/records
fine!) and my parents got another one.
The one my brother bought around 2001 works
ok, but is hardly used.
Regards,
Andrew D. Burton
aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk