By the way, JVC Hi-Fi VCRs are an outstanding machine as well, I find the heads in them last a very very long time. Also very stable mechanisms with gentle tape handling. If you have not used yours for a while, be sure to put an old tape in it you don't care about and fast forward/rewind first, before attempting to play back or eject as years of idling may cause it to chew tapes due to degrading belts/idlers etc.
I had to sand the idler tyre in the national as it had been sitting idle since the late 80's before I acquired it recently, once it had proper grip again it functioned normally, otherwise it would have eaten the first tape I put in it. The pinch roller was like new but I still cleaned it and checked for proper grip. Also the belt had to be sanded. I should have some new belts/idlers for it in the next few months depending on finances. Its amazing that you can get parts for a 31 year old machine these days. However it has done around 45 hours recording so far without a hitch, no tape eating, nothing. I keep an eye on it from time to time to be sure its stable.
Lee helped me with the re-capping of the power supply, thanks bud. Brought this machine back to life nicely!