How can I eject a cassette with the eject button broken? Is there a button combination on the Remote that would eject the cassette? The eject button on the machine has broken before and needed repair--it's now definitively broken and I want to replace the machine. But there is a tape in the machine I can't get out. So I need to eject a cassette just this one last time. The machine otherwise works fine.

James Charney, August 2007

First, unplug the VCR.

You'll have to take the metal cover off (4 Phillips-head screws), the 2 front feet, (Phillips-head screws), and then the front face-plate (3 catches on top, at least one on the bottom and perhaps 1 screw). Then, you can get at the small button (the circuit board should have it labeled) that is for the Eject.

Now, you can plug the VCR back in and hit the Eject button. After that, you can decide if you want to fix the Eject button with a little bit of glue (mine too broke many years ago, and I go in every few years to re-glue it). These VCR's are solid pieces of equipment (I have the U-52, a U-51 and a U-54), and outside of the Pinch Roller assembly which likes to break every 5 years or so (I just bought 2 replacements from http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/mbk-37.htm), took about 20 minutes to swap them out, they will give many more years of service than the cheap-o replacements that came after it.

J. Francis, September 2007