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CDX-1100U - disc read issue

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ichorid55

New Member
Hi all, this is my first post here. I recently acquired my 1100U from a family friend, it plays nicely but only with certain discs. Initially thought it only liked “older” discs, like early 90s, but that has proven to be false. My latest copy of Led Zeppelin II remaster from 2015 works flawlessly. After some research I found that the laser might be looking for the first stripe of data in the wrong place, for some discs and not others. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I was told it’s simply the laser is bad, however on some discs it does play flawlessly.
 
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Did you already clean the laser lens? To do a good cleaning you have to remove the cover and clean the lens’s with a Q-tip and some gentle cleaning fluid. If this does not help the laser is kaputt.
 
Dr. Ear said:
Did you already clean the laser lens? To do a good cleaning you have to remove the cover and clean the lens’s with a Q-tip and some gentle cleaning fluid. If this does not help the laser is kaputt.
Click to expand...
Yes it has been cleaned but most likely years ago. Many of the laser components were tinkered with so I was just looking for an excuse to avoid replacing it. Are replacements even available?
 
I have a Yam CDX 1110 and had similar problems. A tech was able to do some adjustment to the laser or so he said (a few years ago) and its been playing perfectly since then. He told me it cannot be adjusted any more so if it goes again its overs as the laser is not available any longer. Maybe take it to a Yamaha knowledgeable tech for a once over
 
Just fixed a 2d tracking issue (months apart) on my Yamaha cdx1030, both times related to bad solders on the mainboard. 1st time - transistor solders - 2d time - pin connector solders. It may be your root cause too.
 
ichorid55 said:
Hi all, this is my first post here. I recently acquired my 1100U from a family friend, it plays nicely but only with certain discs. Initially thought it only liked “older” discs, like early 90s, but that has proven to be false. My latest copy of Led Zeppelin II remaster from 2015 works flawlessly. After some research I found that the laser might be looking for the first stripe of data in the wrong place, for some discs and not others. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I was told it’s simply the laser is bad, however on some discs it does play flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Yes, it could be the laser, but it is usually not the case.

Has your unit been serviced for anything other than lens cleaning?
 
Please refer to Dr*Audio's thread about fixing cd players.

I have that magnificent beast. Usually, cleaning and relubing the sled, wiping the lens with a dry q-tip will fix most issues. Also, I have found that if you burn a cd, PLEASE burn at the slowest rate possible. Seems to correct the issue of not playing them.
 
OK
I will try to be more " precise "
Are you sure that your laser emission is enough strong ? do you have a laser beam meter ?
Do you know if your trouble is present when the unit is hot or cold ?
Is your motor disc within specifications ? Do you have tools to test it ?
Also, I have found that if you burn a cd, PLEASE burn at the slowest rate possible. Seems to correct the issue of not playing them. Sorry but non sense , the fact that a CD player is able to read has no relation with burning speed but with refraction of your disc . If the "eye" in your laser ass'y is coming bad ( blinded) it will no "see" the reflected laser ray coming from the disc and will say " NO DISC" , whatever you laser is very strong !
Do you have reliable CD test or PHILIPS 5A ?
as you can see , no easy to predict anything
 
I would add that I have seen strange things with these units.

I now have two of these units. one working the other not working.
The first I bought is the non-working unit. Initially it was exibiting similar issues wih yours and shortly it stopped working all toghether. I thought it was the laser until lI read Lampizator' sarticle on CD and laser heads.
It turns out it is not the laser. In my case it is something with the circuit board. I noted that these units suffer from Dreaded Sony Glue issue (see Brutal's post). I did not have time to further thinker with it anyfurther and I ended up buying the second unit that works.
To effectively repair this DC player is a complex preposition and if you start working those laser pots, additional to the specialied tools that Patrice is refering to, you really need to know what you are doing.
Beffore you make a decission, I would strongly suggest you search for and read Dr. Audio's article and Lampizator's article on CD laser heads. Sorry, I do not have them saved. You would have to search for them.
That would help you make an informed decission on which route to take. To me, the unit is worth repairing and I will eventually get to repair mine.
 
forgot to mention this: the only unobtanium part of this unit is the DC tray mechanism itself. The laser is same as CDX-500, CDX-700, CDX-10000 and possibly a few other models. You will easyly find a 500 or 700 unit as donnor if you need to. The only possible difference for the laser heads would be the laser wireing connector. I already have a 500 and a 700 unit that read any CD. But as I mentioned, it is not the laser that it is the issue with my unit so a donor unit did not help me.
 
I am having tray opening issues. Gets stuck and struggles to open. Needs coaxing sometimes, very irritating.
 
clinic-audio said:
Also, I have found that if you burn a cd, PLEASE burn at the slowest rate possible. Seems to correct the issue of not playing them. Sorry but non sense , the fact that a CD player is able to read has no relation with burning speed but with refraction of your disc .
Click to expand...

Sorry, chum, but I can show you first hand that if I burn a disc at 52x, it will play, but it will be choppy and unlistenable on my Yamaha CDX-1100u. .
I burn the same stuff at 4x, and no noise.

It worked for me, and continues to be something I occasionally forget that gets me from time to time. No harm in others knowing what fixed my headache.
 
OP - you might want to find/download the service manual. they usually have a section on
calibrating the lasers and other tuning information. then decide whether you, your trusted
electronics-educated-and-experienced friend, or your equally capable local tech can
be trusted to make these adjustments. like tuning a triple two-barrel downdraft weber
carburetor or dialing in timing on a 1960's Chevrolet V8.
 
Thought I'd stop back here, really good info and thanks for the tips. The unit has been sitting, seeing very few hours if not minutes of play since last year. When it does play, it sounds fantastic however it will stop tracking after a while (seems to have a mind of its own). It's worth noting that when I initially did pick up the unit from my buddy we experienced a total non-play problem, would not read any discs. We took the lid off and hit the whole thing with a hair dryer, warming it up after sitting for years, it would track after that, good enough to be a future repair candidate anyways. The laser was messed with years ago, I say this because I know the guy has gone in there and adjusted it but I'm afraid likely not in a scientific way. To my knowledge it cant be adjusted any more which is probably why he was so willing to part with it. He has service manuals for this unit, 2 of them in fact. The circuit board and 'glue issue' are an interesting proposition - looking to take a deeper dive into it at some point but for now I can get at least one side of a disc to play and that's usually enough for me.
 
Since it worked when you warmed it up it very well could be cruddy grease on the sled. I'd try cleaning and lubing it with a light machine oil and see what happens.
 
I've had a couple Yamaha CDP do this. Cure....
CA740C-Large.jpg
 
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