After the tape exits the drum it makes contact with the number seven guide (shown above) and then travels on to the ACE assembly. (This guide is made into the ACE assembly but in later designs it is separate.) The height of this guide determines the position of the exit path from around the drum and the entrance to the ACE. However the various angles of the ACE (Audio/Control/Erase) head and the height of the number eight guide also play a big part in how the tape behaves. To review the tape path consult the CLEANING CHART by clicking here. In the examples above let's look first at the number seven guide on the right. Here you see a flat spot that is the result of the tape traveling against this surface. The number eight guide is not clearly seen here but it suffers a similar fate. During the refurbishing process these worn guides are replaced or rotated to expose a new surface. Look now at the ACE head on the left and the area inside the circle. You can easily see that the lower portion of this component has a worn area. The small rectangular surface outlined in a gold color is the electromagnet for the control track. It records and picks up the pulses that tell the VCR when to write a frame every thirtieth of a second. Once it gets as worn as this it starts to become problematic. This is because the tape is unable to touch enough of the surface to get a good signal. The result is no picture or one that will tear or blank in and out. There is another one of these electromagnets near the top of the ACE assembly. Click on the picture. This is for the monaural audio. (Called the normal audio track in the manuals.) It doesn't usually wear as badly as the lower one because less pressure is exerted on it. ACE assemblies can get pretty worn and when this happens they must be replaced, but ones that are not too bad can be resurfaced. The last item in this picture is the full erase head and it usually only gets dirty and cleans up easily. The full erase heads duty is to remove all the old information and prepare the tape for a new recording. It usually doesn't wear much but it does get dirty. There is another head element shown here. It is used to erase the monaural audio track independently for audio dubbing. When adding audio to an existing video the full erase head is not activated. Only the mono erase head is used. All Betas I refurbish have the ACE assembly replaced or renewed unless they show little or no signs of wear. All the assemblies shown in this photo, except the full erase head, have been resurfaced. To see where the full erase head is located click here. Now that we have addressed all the components in the tape path we are going to see if the video heads are healthy. After that video path alignment will be outlined. This will involve most of the items discussed up to this point To go back to the VIDEO DRUM page click here. To proceed on to the next section VIDEO HEAD MECHANICS click here ©Misterßetamax go to homepage