• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

It it worth fixing Sony CD Player CDP-68

aidynphoenix

aidynphoenix

Super Member
Today i picked up a Sony CDP-68 without remote for $20. I only bought it because a google search pulled up a few results that made it sound like a good quality cd player. It would not eject so i was unable to test it before buying. i replaced the belt with a rubber band and its now ejecting but not reading discs. I planned on getting the correct belt after i found out if it works or not. usually when i close the tray i hear the optical sensor click a time or two, but sometimes i hear the disc spin up but it still doesn't play. i looked around on the bay and found what claims to be a (NEW OPTICAL LASER LENS PICKUP for SONY CDP-68) but its another $24.
I very gently Q-tipped the laser pickup but no change.

Is it worth putting the extra money into?
Is there more to installing the new laser pickup than simply putting it into the cd player or does it need calibration?

I have another CD player a JVC XL-M505 but not sure how they stack up.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
You might want to check out some YouTube videos on CD repair. I found the ones by 12voltvids to be quite informative. I wouldn't start replacing things until you do some diagnosis...
 
I would clean the rails for the laser carriage and clean the drive (either belt or gears) and try that first. It does not take much ressistance to keep it from readint the disk. A light lube after cleaning might also help but sometimes not necessary as lube attracts dust.
 
Is that an "early" cd player?
Asking because I have a Sony CDP-55 I bought at GW for $10 and got a remote off ebay for the same.
I used it a little, it works fine, I think it has "good caps" in its construction according to a magazine review I found.
The Sony CDP-55 was made in 1986, the 68 might be from around that time?
 
That looks like a really nice player. And it's a Sony. So if can get it going it should sound great and last a while. Is there a number on the laser assembly, like KSS-213? That's what you'd want to match up with one on eBay.
 
Last edited:
goodolpg said:
Is that an "early" cd player?
Asking because I have a Sony CDP-55 I bought at GW for $10 and got a remote off ebay for the same.
I used it a little, it works fine, I think it has "good caps" in its construction according to a magazine review I found.
The Sony CDP-55 was made in 1986, the 68 might be from around that time?
Click to expand...
You are right. On the back of mine it says October 1987

wasclywabbit said:
That looks like a really nice player. And it's a Sony. So if can get it going it should sound great and last a while. Is there a number on the laser assembly, like KSS-213? That's what you'd want to match up with one on eBay.
Click to expand...
Yep it looks like KSS-150A. The ones on ebay for $10 are shipped out of china, and that might take months.
The only USA seller on ebay is about $30 after shipping. Amazon $27.
Apparently the KSS-210 is a direct replacement for the KSS-150A and seems to be cheaper.. about $12 shipped USA.

Bought a tube of white lithium grease today and lubed the carriage and still nothing. tried another Q-tip and now instead of clicking once or twice before it quits, it keeps going continuously, i am fairly confident now its the transport.
So i have what claims to be a brand new KSS-210 on the way.
 
Well.. it figures that after i order the replacement transport it begins reading discs.. but it still has issues. It plays fine for a few seconds then starts skipping around almost as if it was searching in reverse.. it goes from 5 seconds to about 12 seconds before starting over again around 5 seconds into the song. if this was a record player i would say the tonearm is stuck in place or the album is scratched badly.. but because this is a CD i don't know. does that sound like a motor issue or laser problem? Somehow this has only happened on track1 sofar.. track 2 and 3 seem to play ok.. This disc is flawless, no scratches or anything i am going to swap a different cd and put the sacrificial disco inferno cd away.
 
aidynphoenix said:
You are right. On the back of mine it says October 1987


Yep it looks like KSS-150A. The ones on ebay for $10 are shipped out of china, and that might take months.
The only USA seller on ebay is about $30 after shipping. Amazon $27.
Apparently the KSS-210 is a direct replacement for the KSS-150A and seems to be cheaper.. about $12 shipped USA.

Bought a tube of white lithium grease today and lubed the carriage and still nothing. tried another Q-tip and now instead of clicking once or twice before it quits, it keeps going continuously, i am fairly confident now its the transport.
So i have what claims to be a brand new KSS-210 on the way.
Click to expand...
Hope it works out.
 
Well it appears to be fixed! i very gently tapped and adjusted the focus bias pot and it seems to be working ok now.. I don't own a scope so i cant measure it. But it just finished playing through a 74 minute cd without problems, and now its playing a different cd. Guess i ordered the transport for no reason :thumbsup: It could also be coincidence i suppose. I just got done lubing the carriage so maybe it needed a few tries before it was lubed properly enough to work.
 
Last edited:
That era of players may skip when playing newer, 74 minute+ cd's or compilations, but that's par for the course with some of the older lasers. It sounds like it would be a nice sounding cdp if it has a philips dac.

I'm not sure how much white lithium grease you're using, but use it sparingly. There should be no accumulation or ridges formed after you lube the rail(s), fast-forward it to the last track then bring it back to the beginning. If any accumulation or grease ridge is formed, then it's too much.

I've had best results with lightly dabbing a q-tip with just a couple drops of machine oil for mistrackers, then using it to lightly dab the rails after they've been completely cleaned first. Weak lasers tend to like machine oil more than grease because it has a lower viscosity than white lithium grease with less friction, and will read and track easier, with the possible caveat you may sometimes hear the laser slap around a little when you're skipping through tracks, as grease offers more of a buffer or cushioning to laser travel, but that would all depend on the laser, the life left on it, and whether it used grease or oil to begin with.

Hope it keeps going and you get to enjoy it for awhile. When I turn up laser gain, it usually ends with the laser dying in a few months. But you might as well since it wasn't working anyway. Looks like replacement lasers would be available anyway when the time eventually comes.
 
aidynphoenix said:
You are right. On the back of mine it says October 1987


Yep it looks like KSS-150A. The ones on ebay for $10 are shipped out of china, and that might take months.
The only USA seller on ebay is about $30 after shipping. Amazon $27.
Apparently the KSS-210 is a direct replacement for the KSS-150A and seems to be cheaper.. about $12 shipped USA.

Bought a tube of white lithium grease today and lubed the carriage and still nothing. tried another Q-tip and now instead of clicking once or twice before it quits, it keeps going continuously, i am fairly confident now its the transport.
So i have what claims to be a brand new KSS-210 on the way.
Click to expand...
Many of the lasers on E-bay are counterfeit junk. Liberty Electronics is a seller on E-bay that I have purchased lasers from and they are good quality. The new laser will have a solder blob protective short on the pc board that must be removed or it won't work. Wear a grounded antistatic wrist strap when you replace the laser. Good luck with the one you bought. If it doesn't work, get one from Liberty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom