VHS system Install

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John Moore

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First I want to give a shoutout to CadillacBob for selling me this VHS system out of his Escalade. He went above and beyond any expectations I had. He removed, labeled, and packaged everything perfectly. Thank you CadillacBob!!!!!

So I am well aware that this post will interest very few and far between, If any at all. I am in my 20s and as a kid I had a bunch of VHS tapes I’d watch, I know now that they are not the best format but I’ve always had a love for them. Nostalgia aside, VHS actually has high quality aspects to it, a notable one being the hi-fi audio.

From what I can tell, and Bob can weigh in on the Cadillacs, these systems were a factory option on the Escalades and Denalis from 1999-2000. I have also read that it was a dealer option for suburbans, Yukons, and Tahoes. I have seen several denalis and Escalades with this system, I have seen a couple suburbans, and only one Tahoe. The system is made by Rosen and I haven’t been able to find too much information on it. I wish I could find a catalog or something with it.

The system consists of a LCD flip down monitor, a tuner interface module, a Video Cassette player, a FM modulator, and a power supply/filter.

I received the system in the mail the other day and I’ve been working on it ever since, Bob mentioned it used to work, but some time ago had quit and never really looked into it. I took the battery out of my Tahoe and brought it inside to wire everything up.

Once connected, nothing worked. No lights, no sounds. Completely dead. So I started diagnosing and the first thing I checked was the fuse on what Rosen calls the Power Filter. It’s a relay that gives power to the system when the ignition is turned on, it also has a circuit board with capacitors that help filter out any interference. The fuse was blown, it was a 5 amp fuse. I didn’t have any 5amp fuses to replace it with but I had a 20amp, I pushed the new fuse in and wired it up again…the fuse instantly popped.

By this time I knew there was a dead short somewhere and my diagnosing continued. I unplugged everything and left only the power filter, it would still pop the fuse so I determined it was the power filter itself causing the issue.

I disassembled the little box and checked for any shorted capacitors, brunt resistors, etc. all looked and tested fine. I then decided to pull the TVS diode on the board, which is a safety diode. If any shorts happen in the system, this diode will close, grounding the system and blowing the fuse every time. Sure enough, the diode was bad! It did it’s job and protected the system.

I bypassed the diode and the fuse just to see if it would then work, yes! I then wired everything back up and it all came to life. Bob had a goodfellas VHS in the player and it started playing flawlessly!

Satisfied with that, I decided to service the player, they are notorious for getting gummed up and the head becomes dirty giving a grainy, choppy picture. I’ve always used a piece of new printer paper soaked with alcohol to clean the video head. Never use cotton. Cleaned and greased everything and the picture became even better!

It looks great in person. Highly impressed with this system. I’ll keep updating this as I install it in my Tahoe.
 

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df2x4

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This is awesome, thanks for sharing!

I love retro tech and also grew up with a pretty sizeable VHS collection. They don't get watched much these days, but I still have a functional VCR connected to a 75" 4K TV. :lol:
 

Reluctanse

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This is the kind of awesome project that makes the internet great.

A buddy of mine still collects VHS, he has his VCR hooked up to a projector at his house for movie night. Got to love that old school analog tech.

Anecdote of the day:
Some time in the early 90s our VCR quit working. Back in those days, you could call a tech to come out and fix your stuff - and yes they would actually fix it, not quote you a crazy price to make you go away. Anyways, the guy came out and took the VCR apart, and pulled a huge wad of silly putty out of the head. Baby sister must have been doing some work. I think we paid that guy $20 for his efforts.
 

df2x4

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Some time in the early 90s our VCR quit working. Back in those days, you could call a tech to come out and fix your stuff - and yes they would actually fix it, not quote you a crazy price to make you go away. Anyways, the guy came out and took the VCR apart, and pulled a huge wad of silly putty out of the head. Baby sister must have been doing some work. I think we paid that guy $20 for his efforts.

Consumer electronics repair seems to be a dying field. There are only two shops in my area that will still do it, and only one will make house calls (and they've been in business for 50+ years). I've been trying to learn about it a little via YouTube and other internet research, it's interesting stuff and I'd like to be able to fix some of my old junk if those shops do go away someday.

It seems like most new consumer electronics are so engineered to a price point and/or warranty period that it's easier/cheaper to just replace them if they fail. Plus according to some conversations I've had with local techs they're an absolute pain to work on compared to older stuff. Nothing is built to last anymore.

End of rant, sorry. A related small anecdote...

When I was growing up we had a Montgomery Ward branded VCR in the living room. I have no idea who actually made it but it was built like an absolute tank. Thing probably weighed 40lbs and had a wired remote that plugged into the front panel with a 15ft cord. Unfortunately it was retired and thrown out before I ever had any say in the matter, but I bet it would've been a simple fix knowing what I do today.
 

jjester6000

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First I want to give a shoutout to CadillacBob for selling me this VHS system out of his Escalade. He went above and beyond any expectations I had. He removed, labeled, and packaged everything perfectly. Thank you CadillacBob!!!!!

So I am well aware that this post will interest very few and far between, If any at all. I am in my 20s and as a kid I had a bunch of VHS tapes I’d watch, I know now that they are not the best format but I’ve always had a love for them. Nostalgia aside, VHS actually has high quality aspects to it, a notable one being the hi-fi audio.

From what I can tell, and Bob can weigh in on the Cadillacs, these systems were a factory option on the Escalades and Denalis from 1999-2000. I have also read that it was a dealer option for suburbans, Yukons, and Tahoes. I have seen several denalis and Escalades with this system, I have seen a couple suburbans, and only one Tahoe. The system is made by Rosen and I haven’t been able to find too much information on it. I wish I could find a catalog or something with it.

The system consists of a LCD flip down monitor, a tuner interface module, a Video Cassette player, a FM modulator, and a power supply/filter.

I received the system in the mail the other day and I’ve been working on it ever since, Bob mentioned it used to work, but some time ago had quit and never really looked into it. I took the battery out of my Tahoe and brought it inside to wire everything up.

Once connected, nothing worked. No lights, no sounds. Completely dead. So I started diagnosing and the first thing I checked was the fuse on what Rosen calls the Power Filter. It’s a relay that gives power to the system when the ignition is turned on, it also has a circuit board with capacitors that help filter out any interference. The fuse was blown, it was a 5 amp fuse. I didn’t have any 5amp fuses to replace it with but I had a 20amp, I pushed the new fuse in and wired it up again…the fuse instantly popped.

By this time I knew there was a dead short somewhere and my diagnosing continued. I unplugged everything and left only the power filter, it would still pop the fuse so I determined it was the power filter itself causing the issue.

I disassembled the little box and checked for any shorted capacitors, brunt resistors, etc. all looked and tested fine. I then decided to pull the TVS diode on the board, which is a safety diode. If any shorts happen in the system, this diode will close, grounding the system and blowing the fuse every time. Sure enough, the diode was bad! It did it’s job and protected the system.

I bypassed the diode and the fuse just to see if it would then work, yes! I then wired everything back up and it all came to life. Bob had a goodfellas VHS in the player and it started playing flawlessly!

Satisfied with that, I decided to service the player, they are notorious for getting gummed up and the head becomes dirty giving a grainy, choppy picture. I’ve always used a piece of new printer paper soaked with alcohol to clean the video head. Never use cotton. Cleaned and greased everything and the picture became even better!

It looks great in person. Highly impressed with this system. I’ll keep updating this as I install it in my Tahoe.
VHS, are you serious? Why not go for something with a little better resolution? Like Beta, Laserdisk, Umatic, or maybe even Quadruplex.

240 lines of horizontal resolution just isn't enough.

In all seriousness, the '97 Suburban I grew up in the back of had a portable VCR that my father retrofitted into the truck. We'd watch stuff on a 5 inch B&W portable CRT during car trips.
 

Reluctanse

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Consumer electronics repair seems to be a dying field. There are only two shops in my area that will still do it, and only one will make house calls (and they've been in business for 50+ years). I've been trying to learn about it a little via YouTube and other internet research, it's interesting stuff and I'd like to be able to fix some of my old junk if those shops do go away someday.

It seems like most new consumer electronics are so engineered to a price point and/or warranty period that it's easier/cheaper to just replace them if they fail. Plus according to some conversations I've had with local techs they're an absolute pain to work on compared to older stuff. Nothing is built to last anymore.

End of rant, sorry. A related small anecdote...

When I was growing up we had a Montgomery Ward branded VCR in the living room. I have no idea who actually made it but it was built like an absolute tank. Thing probably weighed 40lbs and had a wired remote that plugged into the front panel with a 15ft cord. Unfortunately it was retired and thrown out before I ever had any say in the matter, but I bet it would've been a simple fix knowing what I do today.
I bought my first watch at Montgomery Wards. It was a calculator watch.

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Dariusz Salomon

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VHS, are you serious? Why not go for something with a little better resolution? Like Beta, Laserdisk, Umatic, or maybe even Quadruplex.

240 lines of horizontal resolution just isn't enough.

In all seriousness, the '97 Suburban I grew up in the back of had a portable VCR that my father retrofitted into the truck. We'd watch stuff on a 5 inch B&W portable CRT during car trips.
I think the idea behind this is more of an "nostalgia/period correctness" rather than quality of picture-of course he could've had a hard drive with wifi and stream everything. But going to a car/truck show i.e.-nobody would take any notice. Seeing a VHS is gonna make many people smile and appreciate.
Correct me if I'm wrong John Moore
 
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