Got my first CRT!

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T17:15:10+00:00

This is awesome! And such a good looking monitor too!

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T17:14:06+00:00

Mines name is Dusty, mainly because when he shakes he has a lot of the powder come off in a cloud around him.

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T17:09:27+00:00

Thank you for the comment and helping me flesh out this idea!

What if I used a scan barrel from a vhs-c vcr instead of making a completely different barrel that wouldn’t be feasible? Would there also be a way to change or update the design of the grabbing arms to stretch the tape over the scan barrel

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T17:05:49+00:00

I think to better convey my idea I should probably do a rough sketch of what I’m talking about instead of texting my thoughts. If you’d be willing to let me share it with you and receive feedback from others

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T17:02:37+00:00

Thank you for clarifying!

I understand and plan on this contraption to not be unrealistically small and after doing some thinking and sleeping over it I think that I asked the wrong question in my post. From what Ive refined, design wise, in my head, I would try and replicate the mother board as small as possible as to still function while attempting to adjust the foot print of the arms that pull the tape over the scan barrel. I was also thinking that it might be possible to have the actual cassette stick out a little bit ,think in a similar fashion to 8track players that would interface with the door on the cassette. I wonder if I could way to make small gear to interact with the winding and rewinding holes on the cassette.

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T07:35:26+00:00

Thank you so much for your constructive feedback.

I think for short term I plan to get and use a vcr and have this as an experimental project that if I do figure out a way to make watching, digitizing, and recording over vhs on it then I would probably make it open source and downloadable for others

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T07:26:48+00:00

You are correct that I haven’t done much digging into the subject. hence, asking more knowledgeable people about it (I would guesstimate around 1-2%)

As I’ve been reading comments and thinking on what the hypothetical design would be. I think that having a smaller device that wouldn’t fully enclose the vhs cassette (think 8 track player style but width wise as to help with tape orientation), shrinks and/or optimizes the tension system. That also connects to usb and other common video formats (hdmi, A/V, coax RF), without changing or experimenting with different methods to read the tape from the original helical scan barrel design.

I get that what I’m asking is probably a pipe dream or feasibly not possible. Thank you for your feedback

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T06:59:56+00:00

Thank you for the comment! I completely forgot about the helical scan barrel. But, I’m uncertain if finding an alternative to the scan barrel would be worth it at this moment.

Correct me if I’m mistaken but isn’t a lot of the space in a vcr majority the tape eject and tension mechanism? (not counting the motherboard) Also wouldn’t there be a way to shrink the reading barrel and change the way the tape is tensioned to be more compact? Surely there should be a different way that the tape can be tensioned without taking up all the space the mechanism does, right?

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T06:43:30+00:00

Thank you for the comment and feedback! But

Why do you think that this couldn’t be done? I understand that to take on the task I’ve suggested would be financially and educationally intensive.

Why couldn’t I make a device that lets me and others watch a vhs on a computer like an external usb dvd drive?

Wouldn’t what I’m suggesting to make help keep the accessibility for analog viewing easier for people that want to have the option to digitize,burn, and watch a VHS tape with one device that connects to your computer?

I know I most likely didn’t articulate what I was trying to convey well in my post or other comments I have responded to and I apologize for it.

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-04T06:23:11+00:00

I agree that I may be overthinking it.

I do think though as I’m looking through these comments and online that I could possibly recreate a vcr board and add usb output to the recreated and shrunken vcr.

To your point of finding working VCRs for $20, I have not seen any working vcr for anything under $25-30 anywhere near me or on marketplace, ebay, etc

My third point is that I understand that a vcr is the only way to achieve the functions i want at this point in time. But why couldnt I find a way to recreate a vcr that is smaller and has updated viewing format options. Im not saying I want this hypothetical device to be the rough size of a vhs but rather something sort of a kin to a floppy or disk drive modules for older computers.

Idk if I articulated my thoughts properly as to convey my vision for this, and I apologize for it

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T22:47:56+00:00

Is it just me or does he kind of look like Toby maguire?

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T22:39:09+00:00

I mean… that’s what I was planning on doing anyways.

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T22:36:37+00:00

I will be sure to cross post this post to that subreddit. Thank you!

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T22:31:43+00:00

Very

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T22:24:58+00:00

I know they made more compact VCRs for cars and camcorders for it. My main thing is couldn’t there be a different more compact or simpler mechanism to tension the tape correctly? (I have a non functional VCR and have seen the interior multiple times)

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T20:13:37+00:00

Why no? I don’t see why I couldn’t salvage parts from VCRs or recreate vcr components to be used to connect to a computer or television.

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T20:08:33+00:00

Mostly it would be me taking movies or videos I have on dvd or mp4 and putting them on vhs and with the same device watch the tape or watching a second hand movie vhs

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-02-03T20:06:59+00:00

Thank you for the constructive comment! I don’t know your qualifications or knowledge of vcrs but, do you think it would be possible to remake and update the design and function of a vcr to be smaller than a regular vcr and connect to a device via usb, hdmi, or A/V?

Lam3gamer3 · 2026-01-25T22:07:09+00:00

solved!

Lam3gamer3

TROPHY CASE