Date: Sat, 30 Jul 1994 13:23:06 -0700 Sender: HOMESAT - Home Satellite Technology From: Bob Wier Subject: SVHS tapes (was: Comp Chron on PBS) Just a brief technical note (again!) Since the topic of "making" SVHS tapes came up recently, I gave it a try since I happened to have all the materials at hand. I used some SONY "V" type T-120 tape from Walmart - a mid-price brand which runs about $8 for a 3 pack. Took one apart to see what the internal construction looked like and found that there is a plastic barrier wall which surrounds the tape reels from the other parts of the cartridge. That's important since if you drill the SVHS hole out, you may produce plastic shavings and you REALLY don't want to get those into your video head mechanism. In fact, I don't like the drill method at all because of that, so I decided to try a different method I'd heard about. I got my Radio Shack soldering iron (pencil, really) which is a switchable 15/30 watt model this case. Heated it up and took care to remove all solder. Marked the right spot on the bottom of the case using one of the JVC SVHS tapes I got with the machine as a guide. I found out that the iron tip has the exact right diameter to melt out a SHVS indicator hole, and the case melts EASILY (in fact, amazingly easily ... guess that explains why they say not to leave it in direct sunlight...). If you pushed too hard, you could go on thru and melt a hole in the opposite side. Anyway, with the melt method, no loose shavings. I used the 30 watt setting. It does smell a bit, so I took 'em down into the shop and did 3 of 'em at once. I tried it out yesterday on my machine and it works fine - perhaps a BIT less sharp than the real SVHS tape, but a whole bunch better than SP standard VHS. I didn't see any noise or droupouts... disclaimer: if you do this and it ruins your machine, you never heard it from me. I disclaim any responsibility from the beginning of the world to date... THANKS ===== Round Up the Usual Disclaimers! ====== Bob Wier, keeper of the Adobe Photoshop, Icom radio (WB5KXH), and Motorola HC11 mailing lists wier@merlin.etsu.edu currently in Ouray, Co at 8,000 ft. elevation (this is a *high level* system :-)