Hacking a VCR

Yesterday, some people got to hack computers and printers, while we got to hack a VCR!!! (VideoCassette Recorder).  This was my first big hack, so I was very excited.

Inside the VCR were several gears and electric parts, and a few motors.  The first thing you see when you hack in to it, though, is the big, slightly tilted motor.  There were many coils running it and a chip on top to control speed.  There was also a very complex gear system that made the machine work.  Another interesting thing I found in there were the LEDs.  These were indicators of whether the power was on or not and they were facing up. This was weird because the light shows on the front.  I checked the face plate and found transparent plastic pieces that transferred the light to the front.  I also found the electric regulator, a large (discharged) capacitor, and the IR receiver.  This project was really cool and educational.  I loved it.