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Arcam CD73 will not read CD's?

audioholic2

audioholic2

Active Member
My Arcam CD 73 will sometimes not read CD's. It will say "no disc". I changed out the laser to a new old stock and then it will not read discs at all.

The manual says the following: "we use this supply
rail within the CD73 to derive the +8V using U502
and reservoir capacitor C513, the +8V supply
feeds the Tray control and Laser optic drive
packages at location U102 and U202."

Reservoir capacitor C513 looks rusty on top and a bit bulging. My question is if C513 is bad would it cause the laser to fail at times and not read discs?

Thanks in advance.
 
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There's not enough info to make a diagnosis.

The first mistake (in my opinion) was to change the optical assembly based on speculation.

It was a good guess and all, but sometimes there's some mechanical adjustment to fine tune the installation. Secondly, who's to say the optical assembly installed was any good?

It really could be anything. The sequence for a disc player to play a disc is:
1. Turn on laser and move lens up and down (no disc spin)
This action is looking for a mirrored surface that reflects the laser
back. If it see's a reflective surface, it assumes a disc is loaded. FZC
is achieved.
2. Spin disc motor and begin to read data.

If you're not seeing the disc spin, it could be an indication that the laser is dead or weak, the disc motor is dead, C513 is bad, power supply is bad, or any number of things.
 
I changed the mechanism to a new one based on many opinions on the web. If it worked, then a really easy fix, if not, out return shipping. Now returned back to the original laser assembly. Will return the other for a refund. The laser does move up and down to read the disc. The disc spins slowly attempting to read the disc. It seems not to read and it stops spinning. The front panel then reports "no disc".
 
make sure you new laser doesn't have to have a solder bridge removed to make it work . they are soldered so they are safe to transport .
 
audioholic2 said:
I changed the mechanism to a new one based on many opinions on the web. If it worked, then a really easy fix, if not, out return shipping. Now returned back to the original laser assembly. Will return the other for a refund. The laser does move up and down to read the disc. The disc spins slowly attempting to read the disc. It seems not to read and it stops spinning. The front panel then reports "no disc".
Click to expand...

Where did you buy the optical assy from? You're really lucky to get a refund on an electronic part.
 
I too have read all the web reports "hey if your player skips, just change the laser and everything will be great!". So I bought a new assembly, plugged it in and it skipped 100 times worse than the old one. I fiddled with the various trim pots--again, per all the glowing web reports-- and still nothing. Gee what next, get a set of CD calibration discs, put it on a scope and try to adjust it myself? Without a manual that didn't seem prudent.

Finally I just put the old laser back in and sent the player back to Teac. A couple hundred dollars later it returned as good as new....it's an Esoteric so I figured it was worth the money.

Moral of the story: I can fix a lot of things, but CD laser adjustments (and FM tuner alignment) are more than even I can handle.
 
petehall347 said:
make sure you new laser doesn't have to have a solder bridge removed to make it work . they are soldered so they are safe to transport .
Click to expand...

I forgot about that. At some point I read that. Now to figure out where the solder joint is located, if there is one.:thmbsp:
 
Here is a pic of what I believe to be the solder bridge (circled in red, upper left side of green section in pic). Am I correct?:scratch2:


 
audioholic2 said:
Here is a pic of what I believe to be the solder bridge (circled in red, upper left side of green section in pic). Am I correct?:scratch2:


Click to expand...

nope that's not it . only place i have had to remove is on the laser assembly itself .
what number laser is in there ?
 
ok check against your old laser unit and look for 2 points jointed together by solder on your new laser . i am surprised it didn't come with instructions . it is for static protection by the way .
if i find a picture i will post it for you .
 
check here ...
image008.png
 
if you suffer from static where you are then use anti static precautions whilst working on it . use it anyway is the best procedure . you are supposed to also use an anti static soldering iron . i haven't had a problem here ,,then again never suffered from static at all .
 
Thanks for all the help. It appears that I will just return this unit for my refund. Perhaps the new laser is just faulty (rather than me:D).
 
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