Do VCR machines have batteries for their display? I have a machine (SAMSUNG VIK-350) that I left unplugged for a while, and when I then tried to use it the display no longer lit and the VCR no longer worked. Over the years I had the machine I noticed the display getting dimmer so I figured this as a battery problem. Is this the case? How do I fix it? Where can I buy the battery?

S. Paterson, April 2008

Hi. No, most do not have batteries, and if they do, it's only for holding the station memory and your personal settings. The display should always work when plugged in. It sounds like you have a power supply fault. It is usually the capacitors drying up with age. You have had the first symptom - dimming over time. Now it is bad enough for the machine to mis-behave. Needs technical attention I'm afraid.

Mark, May 2008