• It takes quite a sophisticated little machine to transform magnetic patterns on a tape like this into moving images on your TV screen.Videocassette image by amlet from Fotolia.com
  
  The video cassette recorder (VCR) may be on its way to obsolescence, but it's not there yet. Plenty of people still own a VCR and have the tapes to prove it. Taking a look inside this entertainment console reveals that it is quite sophisticated, even when compared to the latest Blu-ray player or DVD recorder.
  
  

Power Transformer

• The power transformer is located near the back of the device and converts the 120-volt alternating current to the low voltage required by the components on the circuit board. A rectifier is in place to change alternating current to direct current.
  
  

Circuit Board

• The circuit board guides the low-voltage current to the electrical components that make up the interior of the VCR. A tuner circuit board can decode signals from the cable system as well as encode signals to the television.
  
  

Loading Motor

• The loading motor pulls the videocassette into the machine and releases it when the Eject button is depressed. A tape sensor or switch is in place to allow this function. A wrap motor guides the tape through the path it must travel in order to transmit pictures and audio to your television screen.
  
  

Video Head Drum

• The video head drum can interpret magnetic picture patterns on the tape during the Play function. The heads store electrical current as magnetic picture patterns when the VCR is in Record mode.
  
  

Audio Head

• In Play mode, an audio head is capable of interpreting magnetic sound patterns on the tape to produce the audio you hear. In Record mode, the audio head stores electrical current on the tape as magnetic sound patterns.
  
  

Capstan Motor

• The capstan motor is the component inside a VCR that drives a belt around the flywheel. This process turns the reels of the tape on the videocassette. The capstan is a metal shaft that rotates against a pinch roller to guide the movement of the tape.
  
  

Fast Forward/Rewind Mechanism

• A mechanism located inside the VCR speeds up the rotation of the videocassette when you press Fast Forward. The idler gear reverses the direction of the tape when you press the Rewind button.
  
  

Tracking Mechanism

• Usually located on the front of a VCR is a tracking adjustment potentiometer. Use of this device adjusts the "tracking," which can improve the video quality of the tape as it displays on your television screen.
  
  

Eject Mechanism

• The eject mechanism on the front panel of a VCR releases the videocassette from the loading assembly. On some models the cassette is released straight out of the machine. On older VCR models, ejection may require that the tape be lifted up and out of the machine assembly.