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How to repair CD player and CD ROMs
CD Player and CDROM Drive Troubleshooting
Electrical: There may be a few exposed electrically live parts from the power line, usually around the power cord entrance, power transformer, and on/off switch. If there are, tape them over or cover them somehow so you need not be concerned with a low tech shock! Unless you are troubleshooting a primary side power supply problem, there will be no need to go near the AC line. [1] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Useful ways to mangle CDs
For portable CD players where the designers in their infinite wisdom put some of the servo adjustments *under* the spinning disc, a 3-1/2" CD 'single' is extremely handy. A normal CD can be cut down as well - to whatever size you need as long as enough actual tracks are left so that the directory and a few minutes of music/data remain - this could be as little as about 2-1/2" to gain access to the adjustments on some models. This surgery is best done on a band saw with a narrow fine tooth blade.[2] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Getting inside a CD player or CDROM drive
WARNING: you will void the warranty, if any. You may make the problem worse, possibly much worse. If the player partially worked, it may no longer even recognize the disc directory. You may accidentally damage parts that were perfectly fine. If you should decide to then have the unit professionally serviced, you may find that the shop simply refuses to touch it if they suspect your tampering. There is nothing worse than having to undo 'fixes' introduced by a well intentioned do-it-yourselfer where the state of the player is now a total unknown. [3] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
What about DVD player and DVDROM drive servicing?
DVD players and DVDROM drives have hit the market place in a big way and (if you believe the hype), DVDs are about to replace CDs totally. Realistically, this won't happen for some time. In any case, DVD players and DVDROM drives are *supposed* to accept CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, so no need to panic just yet. But availability of new CD based devices will disappear because the cost to manufacture a DVD player or drive isn't much more than that of a similar CD unit so manufacturers will want to close down their old production lines and concentrate on DVDs only. [4] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Troubleshooting Guide
The following chart lists a variety of common problems and nearly all possible causes. Diagnostic procedures will then be needed to determine which actually apply. The 'possible causes' are listed in *approximate* order of likelihood. Most of these problems are covered in more detail elsewhere in this document.While this chart lists many problems, it is does not cover everything that can go wrong.[5] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD player is totally dead
Check input power, power cord, fuse, power supply components. Locate the outputs of the power transformer and trace them to the rectifiers and associated filter capacitors and regulators. While the actual voltages will probably not be marked, most of the power in a CD player will be typically between +15 and -15 VDC. Sometimes, the voltage ratings of the filter capacitors and/or regulators will provide clues as to correct power supply outputs. Don't forget the obvious of the line cord, line fuse (if present), and power switch - or outlet. Most component CD players use linear power supplies so troubleshooting is straightforward. [6] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD player is operational but there is no display or partial display
Where the display is very dim or totally out, suspect one or more burned out bulbs for the backlight. Sometimes the display uses miniature incandescent lamps and these burn out. Usually, alternatives to the high priced exact replacement bulbs can be located. Test the bulbs with an ohmmeter. Measure the voltage across the light bulb connections and then replace the bulb with one of about 25-50% higher voltage. These may not be quite as bright but should last forever. [7] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Drawer does not open or close
f the drawer doesn't open when the front panel button is pressed, listen for motor attempting to open the drawer. If you hear it whirring but nothing happens, check for an oily/loose belt or other mechanical fault like a gear loose on the motor shaft or a slipping rubber wheel. Such a gear is probably split and a replacement will be needed. Rubber parts may be cleaned for a temporary repair but replacement will be needed eventually. [8] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD changer jams when selecting or ejecting CDs
Unfortunately, this is the sort of problem one has to see to be able to make specific recommendations.
- Check for flabby/oily belts (if any), dirt, or and gummed up lubrication.
- Double check that it is in good condition mechanically - no chipped gear teeth or broken parts.
- Gear timing may be messed up (especially if someone worked on the unit previously though I don't know which, if any CD changers, depend on this for proper operation). [9] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD player or CDROM drive damages CDs
First, use a garbage CD and attempt to determine exactly where it is hitting or scraping. That may be enough to identify the culprit. Most of the time, this will be a simple mechanical fault like a broken plastic part causing things to jam, or a bit of that part getting in the way. Or, perhaps, your ace system administrator got just a bit carried away in frustration and stomped on the top of the drive. :) [10] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD player or CDROM drive overheats
Before blaming the CD player, confirm that the ambient temperature is not excessive - CD players may not like to operate in a sauna. High power stereo components surrounding the CD player may elevate its internal temperature enough to cause erratic operation or total failure. CDROM drives sandwiched in between high capacity hard drives (this used to be more of a problem than it is today) may overheat. [11] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Description of seek and play problems
The term 'seek' refers to the operations needed to move the pickup and locate the exact position (time) on the disc to begin or continue play (during programmed track selection). The term 'play' is self explanatory and refers to the condition of reading off data continuously while outputting audio signals to the headphones or amplifier. Somewhat in between are the actions performed during audible search forward or backward. [12] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Diagnosis of erratic play
If you have a suitable oscilloscope, the following approach may help to narrow down and correct the problem. If not, you can use the alternative techniques outlined in the sections relevant to your symptoms. See the section: The CD player 'eye' pattern for a description of typical test points and signals. [13] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
How to Fix Your CD Player
To start with, make sure that your CD player is suffering from the problem that this method is designed to fix. This method is designed to fix a misaligned CD read head. The common symptoms of this problem are:
1. You place a CD in the player, and it spins for a bit but never finds the list of tracks on the CD and returns some kind of error. This problem may occur regularly or intermittently.[14] - thanks to kuro5hin.org More details.
Learn how to repair your CD player in a snap!
CD Players are gradually becoming the most popular music format in the world. They work by having digital code stamped on the underside of a 4 inch wide flat plastic disc. This code is aligned on a spiral track. As the player rotates the disc a laser beam is focused on the disk and reflected back through an objective lens to a detector, which reads the digital information representing sound then sends analog pulses to an amplifier.[15] - thanks to allsands.com More details.
How to replace the laser pick-up assembly of your CD player
Ah! Repairing CD players... If you have experience modding your CDP, repairing them seems like an extension. Or shouldn't it be a pre-requisite? Nevertheless, most of the repairs on CDP is just by replacing the laser pick-up assembly. You see, over time, even the strongest laser will die out. And a CDP without its laser it's like a Diyer without his soldering iron, Austin Powers without his mojo.[16] - thanks to diyparadise.com More details.
How to Fix a Scratched CD
While compact discs (CDs) are remarkably durable, it’s nearly impossible to prevent scratches and scuffs from occurring from time to time. The resulting damage can be either a skip in your favorite music track or, in the case of data CDs,the loss of that spreadsheet you worked on for two weeks. Don’t despair — repair! While commercial CD repair kits and CD refinishing machines are available, you may be able to repair the damage on your own with products you already have.[17] - thanks to wikihow.com More details.
Audio problems
Silly me, what other kinds of problems are we talking about? OK, I should have said: audio signal chain problems. The player appears to be working fine (the disc is spinning; the time is incrementing correctly; seek, search, and play operations behave normally) but there is either total silence, noise, or distortion, on one or both channels[18] - thanks to repairfaq.org more details.
Problems playing/reading certain CDs
While you may be tempted to blame *Big Brother* and some sort of diabolical copy protection scheme, I doubt that CD dependent behavior has anything to do with a lower intelligence at work. :) More likely, it is a bad quality control on the pressing. (This assumes your CD isn't one of those which has 85 minutes of music squeezed into a 74 minute space. See the section[19] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details/
CD Player Placement, Preventive Maintenance, and CD Care
Proper care of a CD player does not require much. Following the recommendations below will assure peak performance and long life, and minimize repairs. Locate the CD player in a cool location. While the CD player is not a significant heat producer, keeping it cool will reduce wear and tear on the internal components and assure a long trouble free life. Don't locate CD players in dusty locations or areas of high (tobacco) smoke or cooking grease vapors. [20] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
CD lens cleaning discs
I generally don't consider CD lens cleaning discs to be of much value for preventive maintenance since they may just move the crud around. However, for pure non-greasy dust (no tobacco smoke and no cooking grease), they may not hurt and could even do a good enough job to put off a proper cleaning for a while longer. However, it's also possible they will ruin the lens. Consider that the worst thing to do to a precision [21] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Repairing a scratched CD
Mild abrasives: plastic or furniture polish, silver polish, toothpaste. These will totally remove minor scratches. DO NOT use anything that contains solvents including petroleum distillates - if it smells like kerosene, it will likely attack the polycarbonate plastic of the CD rendering it useless. Brasso(tm), a popular product may fall into this category but I've also heard that it works fine without damaging the CD. [22] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
Repairing top-side problems on CDs
If scratches penetrate to the information layer, all bets may be off. Much of the optical system compliance with respect to damage depends on the short depth of focus assuring that surface scratches *on the bottom* will be out of focus and ignored. This is not possible with damage to the pits. Even though the CIRC code should be able to deal with thousands of bad bits, such damage can confuse the tracking servos to the point where the disc will be unusable. [23] - thanks to repairfaq.org More details.
