Stuck VCR tape, DVD not reading

I've got a Toshiba SD-V392SU DVC/VCR player, and there's a tape stuck
inside. It won't play, and when you hit "eject", the little "VCR
spool" icon flashes, indicating that there's no tape inside. So, there
ya go: it won't eject or play since it thinks there's no tape inside
to play or eject. Upon opening the cabinet up, I easily found the
little motor that appears to eject the tape. Trouble is, it is a worm
drive setup, and the nylon gear is too small and too slippery to turn
by hand. Taking out the chassis that holds the tape doesn't appear
feasible (a screw that holds it in is only accessible by taking out
the tape), and even if it could be taken out, doesn't appear to be a
step toward solving the problem.

So, I gotta actuate the motor. The motor has 2 easily accessible
terminal that have been soldered to. They are labeled "+" and "-",
indicating the motor is a DC motor. If I hook up an external DC
voltage to the terminals, what voltage should I try? More importantly,
will damage result if the voltage is applied without unsoldering the
motor's terminals? If I hook up my supply by following the "+" and "-"
terminals' markings, will that eject the tape or suck the tape in
harder? Finally, if this is unwise, I might be able to take out the
motor. If so, then eliminating the worm drive gear should allow the
rest of the accessible gear train to turn smoothly by hand...right?
Will this allow me to take out the tape?

Suppose I get the tape out. Now what? What makes the VCR think there's
no tape inside?

Consider next the DVD portion of the player. Tray works, it spins the
disc, but it won't read DVD's or CD's. Is fixing this feasible, or is
there likely some tiny internal problem not fixable?

Art

.

Relevant Pages

  • RE: NTBackup - any resources
    ... Ejecting the tape can''t be done using the backup utility; ... removable storage manager that controls the tape and it can eject it: ... It can also be done from a command line. ... What I would suggest is to create a batch file that includes the backup ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • RE: make sbs backup eject tapes
    ... server to automatically eject the tape when the backup task is finished. ... the Ejecting operation should be supported by your hardware tape ... Actually ejecting the tape can't be done using the backup utility; ... It can also be done from a command line. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • Re: Stuck VCR tape, DVD not reading
    ... It won't play, and when you hit "eject", the little "VCR ... indicating that there's no tape inside. ... As far as the DVD player ... blown rail, though, considering all of the other functions (remote ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: Help! DAT stuck in unresponsive deck
    ... When pushing play, ... the client's tape will not eject. ... hold the loading mechanism onto the transport because you may not be able to ...
    (rec.audio.pro)
  • Re: replacement of dds-3 tape drive
    ... The settings are COMPRESS, EJECT and LOAD. ... replacement of dds-3 tape drive ... this time the close of the backup ejects the tape and the backup stream ...
    (comp.sys.hp.mpe)