TIL that old VCR belts can be fixed with rubber bands in a pinch

I picked up an old VCR from 1987 at a garage sale for 5 bucks last Saturday. The tray wouldn't eject and I figured the belt was shot. Looked up some forums and found out people use rubber bands as a temporary fix. I tried it with a thick one from my desk drawer and it actually worked. The picture is grainy but the tape plays. Has anyone else tried this and actually kept it going long term?

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2 Comments

king.lisa2mo ago

Did you have to trim the rubber band at all?

3

colemartinez2mo ago

I trimmed about a quarter inch off mine when I did this setup. The rubber band I had was from a standard hardware store pack, nothing special. If you don't trim it, the band tends to bunch up and won't sit flat against the frame. I used a razor blade and just cut it clean. Left a tiny bit of slack so it wasn't pulling too tight. Worked perfect after that.

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