Toshiba VCR (w-614)

Problem: When inserting a tape into the VCR, it will accept it but does not play and then ejects the tape.

Solution: Usually this problem would be to clean the mode switch. I made a video showing how I did this in real time (link is here) - essentially all you do is disassemble the VCR and take the chassy apart from the board. On the board you will find a circular plastic component called the "mode switch"

Clarification: What is the mode switch?
The mode switch is a component which communicates to the VCR what state the player is in. Stop, play, fast forward, etc. When this component is dirty, it's not able to properly make connections to communicate what state the VCR in and thus, can act irratically or not at all. Cleaning it is easy and most of the time is the first thing that should be tried (along with replacing loose belts) when troubleshooting a VCR, as this is one of the most common issues.

This is the mode switch.

The mode switch has two pieces - a top and bottom. Pry apart the top of the mode switch from the bottom. Clean the contacts of the mode switch with alcohol or electronics cleaning spray like Nutrol or Deoxit D5. I show how to clean the mode switch in the video tutorial, as well as how to properly put the mode switch back together.

However, even after cleaning the mode switch, the problem persisted. I checked to make sure the belts were fine, they weren't loose, which means it was able to pull the gears correctly. Then, I realized the video head drum (the metal part that reads the tape as the tape is being passed through) was not spinning. Usually the video drum spins along as the tape moves. But since it wasn't, it wasn't able to read the tape. All I did was move the drum manually and it started functioning as normal - VCR fixed.

That's the video head/drum, it has a few different names. If the mode switch and belts aren't the issue, try nudging the video head to make sure it's actually spinning.

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