I grabbed one off the bay, they had sold 178 of them so we'll see how it goes. Any tips for replacing or is it pretty straight forward?
1. You need an anti static work station to do this on. Get or make a grounded wrist strap.
2. Before you install the new laser there is a solder blob on the back of the little circuit board that protects the laser from ESD. Remove the shorting blob with a soldering iron and solder wick. Wear the wrist strap and ground it when you handle the laser.
3. I think you can replace the laser without removing the mechanism, but you have to remove the drawer.
4. Power up the player and push the open button so the drawer goes out.
5. turn off the power and unplug the AC cord.
6. Carefully, and SLOWLY push the drawer in all the way.. It will now be free to slide out.
7. Remove the top cover of the player and push the drawer out. I think there are 2 screws on the rear of the drawer that have to be removed in order for the drawer to come out.
8. There is a machined post on the right side of the mechanism that the laser slides on. There are plastic caps on each end of the post secured by small screws. Remove the screws, supporting the mechanism with a finger underneath as you push on the screw. Set the screws and caps aside.
9. Now you can lift up the post and carefully lift the laser out, unplugging the 2 connectors as you do it. They are color coded on the old laser. The new one may not be color coded so take note which connector goes where.
10. Carefully plug the cables into the new laser, supporting the little PCB as you do it.
11. Slide the post into the bearing on the new laser and install the new laser in the same way as the original. Apply 2 - 3 drops of light machine oil to the post on both sides of the laser. ALSO APPLY 2 -3 DROPS OF OIL TO THE TOP BEARING OF THE DISC MOTOR.
12. Push the drawer in all the way and reinstall the screws.
13 Hold the drawer in place while turning the power on. the mechanism will rise and the drawer timing will now be correctly set.
14. For best performance the adjustments in the service manual should be performed, using an oscilloscope, but it should work pretty well without doing that.