Troubleshooting CD Players

[MincedMeats]

Hi

I recently bought a NAD C 515BEE. The seller promised me that it worked perfectly but.. it doesn't. When seeking through a disc (or scan as it's called on the NAD) it will often get stuck and jump back and forth, a sort of stutter. It varies from disc to disc where it does it or how much it does it. If there is one common thing, then it's that it's usually worst at the end of long discs with more than 70 minutes of play time. It makes no difference if it's a perfect shiny disc or if the disc is worn and has marks/scratches

The local NAD service/distributor says a new laser is probably needed but can that be true? Apart from the seek stuttering it plays everything perfectly, loads all discs fast and with no issues

I would like to clean and lube it. But here's the problem: I have absolutely no idea what oil to get. I see various recommendations for oil with either teflon or silicone. Or a light machine oil. What kind of oil is that exactly? Is it general use oil you can use for lubing bicycles, door hinges and all sorts of other stuff? Or is it some sort of specialist oil? Looking at all the various types available makes it confusing. I've found a brand called Super Lube which I can actually purchase. They have something called "Super Lube Multi-Use Synthetic Oil with Syncolon". Would that work? And if it works, can it be used for both the rails AND the motor?

I live in Europe so I can't just use the actual brand names the US based users recommend. I have to find something that's for sale here

So TLDR: oil is awfully confusing - what to get?

 

[rockrink]

I have an older Magnavox FD1040. It spins up, reads TOC and displays track count, but then, the turntable continues to spin. If I press stop, it stops. It will then play all of the tracks fine. This is one of the units with the Hall effect devices. As I say, though, it will stop properly anytime stop is pressed. I am trying to see if anyone knows the process that sends the signal that initial focus was achieved, the tracks were read, now stop spinning, and where I should check first for this instruction/signal.

 

[heavyharmony]

Nakamichi CP-1 tray immediately closing

[Caveat: I am all thumbs when it comes to DIY, so this may be beyond my means to fix.]

Good afternoon,

I just purchased a Nakamichi "mini-system", composed of an R-1 Stereo Receiver, CP-1 combo CD/Cassette player, speakers, and remote. Everything functions properly, except for one small problem: when you press the button on the unit to eject the CD tray (no eject button on remote), the tray comes all the way out, but doesn't stay out. It immediately closes.

If I time it correctly, I can insert/remove CDs, and the unit plays said CDs just fine. However, that inevitably will futz up a CD. Also, I would consider the system untradeable or unsaleable with this limitation.

I have 14 days to return it, but I'd really like to find a way to make it function properly, as it's not a bad little system IMO.

Thank you in advance.

Image for reference (not mine; image stolen via Google):

 

[Doug G.]

That's usually dirty leaf switch contacts. These are activated by the moving drawer when it is fully open. If the contacts are dirty, the logic never receives the signal t hat the drawer is all the way open and pulls the drawer back in.

Doug

 

[John3655]

Hi

I recently bought a NAD C 515BEE. The seller promised me that it worked perfectly but.. it doesn't. When seeking through a disc (or scan as it's called on the NAD) it will often get stuck and jump back and forth, a sort of stutter. It varies from disc to disc where it does it or how much it does it. If there is one common thing, then it's that it's usually worst at the end of long discs with more than 70 minutes of play time. It makes no difference if it's a perfect shiny disc or if the disc is worn and has marks/scratches

The local NAD service/distributor says a new laser is probably needed but can that be true? Apart from the seek stuttering it plays everything perfectly, loads all discs fast and with no issues

I would like to clean and lube it. But here's the problem: I have absolutely no idea what oil to get. I see various recommendations for oil with either teflon or silicone. Or a light machine oil. What kind of oil is that exactly? Is it general use oil you can use for lubing bicycles, door hinges and all sorts of other stuff? Or is it some sort of specialist oil? Looking at all the various types available makes it confusing. I've found a brand called Super Lube which I can actually purchase. They have something called "Super Lube Multi-Use Synthetic Oil with Syncolon". Would that work? And if it works, can it be used for both the rails AND the motor?

I live in Europe so I can't just use the actual brand names the US based users recommend. I have to find something that's for sale here

So TLDR: oil is awfully confusing - what to get?

Because there are plastics and metal a silicone lubricant may be best, with yours clean the rod, any sliders and you might see a rack that moves the laser along, try and clean it with a paint brush to get any dirt out of the cogs. Clean especially at the end of travel where dirt tends to accumulate then lube lightly it doesn't need much. Great player, have one it has the same dac as the Meridian 508 so it must be good.

 

[cma2032]

@dr*audio Thank you for this thread.

I have a Technics SL-P100; I cleaned the rails and re-lubricated with a few drops of oil per your instructions. I also cleaned the laser. It reads TOC immediately, and some CDs will play fine, but others skip incessantly or "get stuck" in a loop in a track where it will stop and go back 30 seconds or so into the track.

I remember you saying there are no Technics lasers anymore, so I was curious what you would advise here. Thank you!

 

[dr*audio]

@dr*audio Thank you for this thread.

I have a Technics SL-P100; I cleaned the rails and re-lubricated with a few drops of oil per your instructions. I also cleaned the laser. It reads TOC immediately, and some CDs will play fine, but others skip incessantly or "get stuck" in a loop in a track where it will stop and go back 30 seconds or so into the track.

I remember you saying there are no Technics lasers anymore, so I was curious what you would advise here. Thank you!

The transistors that drive the sled may have low Beta. Had that happen on mine.
First, with the power off, tilt the player from back to front and see if the laser glides smoothly back and forth. If not, you didn't get it clean enough. If the laser slides freely, Connect a scope or DMM to Q106 or Q107 emitter and play a cd. This is the sled voltage and it should steadily climb to maybe 1V and then drop to 0V after the sled moves. If it goes higher when the unit skips and then the voltage goes negative (because it overshot) remove Q106 and Q107 and test HFE with your meter. If it's less than 20, replace them. The other thing to check is the rf signal, BT102 pin 1. If it is lower than 1.2V p-p on your scope with a commercial CD, the laser power is low and the pickup is on it's way out.

 

[cma2032]

The transistors that drive the sled may have low Beta. Had that happen on mine.
First, with the power off, tilt the player from back to front and see if the laser glides smoothly back and forth. If not, you didn't get it clean enough. If the laser slides freely, Connect a scope or DMM to Q106 or Q107 emitter and play a cd. This is the sled voltage and it should steadily climb to maybe 1V and then drop to 0V after the sled moves. If it goes higher when the unit skips and then the voltage goes negative (because it overshot) remove Q106 and Q107 and test HFE with your meter. If it's less than 20, replace them. The other thing to check is the rf signal, BT102 pin 1. If it is lower than 1.2V p-p on your scope with a commercial CD, the laser power is low and the pickup is on it's way out.

Thank you.

This is most likely a stupid question, but how do I get at the Q transistors with them being under the CD tray? Do I need to remove that assembly and set it on a level surface to the side?

 

[dr*audio]

Thank you.

This is most likely a stupid question, but how do I get at the Q transistors with them being under the CD tray? Do I need to remove that assembly and set it on a level surface to the side?

Yes. I thought the model I had was a SLP-100, it may have been SLP-110. On mine those transistors were on the main board. You're going to have to remove the mechanism and board, support it with a board and solder wires to the transistors to test. Or you could just remove those transistors and test the HFE.

 

[soccerfan]

Got a NAD 5255 CD player that spins disk for a few seconds and then quits. Same behaviour as the following thread. Already tried cleaning the lens but no change
Only difference is the laser (transport) is Toshiba OPH-34. Any thoughts on if its fixable?

NAD 5255 cd player

Hi you all. I've found a 1985 NAD 5255 CD player in the trash, it spins CDs for a few seconds then it quits without recognizing them, any chance of fixing it? maybe bad capacitors?

audiokarma.org

 

[dr*audio]

Got a NAD 5255 CD player that spins disk for a few seconds and then quits. Same behaviour as the following thread. Already tried cleaning the lens but no change
Only difference is the laser (transport) is Toshiba OPH-34. Any thoughts on if its fixable?

NAD 5255 cd player

Hi you all. I've found a 1985 NAD 5255 CD player in the trash, it spins CDs for a few seconds then it quits without recognizing them, any chance of fixing it? maybe bad capacitors?

audiokarma.org

Well, if you have a scope you can look at the rf waveform, it should be at least 1V p-p. If it's less, the laser is bad. I have never seen any Toshiba lasers available. It is possible the laser is not moving to the playable part of the disc. When you load a cd the laser should move to the home position and then move back slightly, so the home switch opens. If that isn't happening the rails may need to be cleaned and lubricated or the sled motor could be bad, or the home switch could be dirty.

 

[Sagtech]

Hi dr*audio

Nice tread for troubleshooting, I have read alot on it and try to understand / learn some.
I have problem with a Luxman D-355, I got it for some weeks ago. Played ok, but then I decided to recap it.
Job done and now it dont read cd. I have checked the orientation of the electrolytics and for solder splatter 5-6 times on pcb.

Here what is happend, it load cd. Mecanism rise, good clerance between metaldisk and plastic bridge. Cd spin for 1-1.5 sec, then the laser try move into center of cd. It goes agains the end stop, then try to go even longer and plastic wheel skipping teeth. I see the toothrail is springloaded, maybe made this way to prevente damage when doing this move. It skipping some time ( 2-5 sec ) then dc starts spin backwards for some seconds then stop. If I try to load the lid pressing play then skipping to song 5 it does the same, move against end stop. I have taken out dc and taken of the plasticbridge, close lid and i see light in laser. It goes up and down 5-6 times then move 0.5-1.0mm against midle of cd then shut of laser. Its a bad start doing the recap but done is done. Maybe you have a few tips I can test. New laser is also on the way.

Frank

 

[dr*audio]

Hi dr*audio

Nice tread for troubleshooting, I have read alot on it and try to understand / learn some.
I have problem with a Luxman D-355, I got it for some weeks ago. Played ok, but then I decided to recap it.
Job done and now it dont read cd. I have checked the orientation of the electrolytics and for solder splatter 5-6 times on pcb.

Here what is happend, it load cd. Mecanism rise, good clerance between metaldisk and plastic bridge. Cd spin for 1-1.5 sec, then the laser try move into center of cd. It goes agains the end stop, then try to go even longer and plastic wheel skipping teeth. I see the toothrail is springloaded, maybe made this way to prevente damage when doing this move. It skipping some time ( 2-5 sec ) then dc starts spin backwards for some seconds then stop. If I try to load the lid pressing play then skipping to song 5 it does the same, move against end stop. I have taken out dc and taken of the plasticbridge, close lid and i see light in laser. It goes up and down 5-6 times then move 0.5-1.0mm against midle of cd then shut of laser. Its a bad start doing the recap but done is done. Maybe you have a few tips I can test. New laser is also on the way.

Frank

You didn't kill the laser by doing a recap.
It keeps trying to go past home position, so verify the home switch is closing. If the home switch doesn't close it won't play.
Maybe you didn't plug in one of the cables or plugged it into the wrong connector.

 

[Sagtech]

You didn't kill the laser by doing a recap.
It keeps trying to go past home position, so verify the home switch is closing. If the home switch doesn't close it won't play.
Maybe you didn't plug in one of the cables or plugged it into the wrong connector.

Hi, I have visual checked the plugs. Looks ok and are in right place. Clean the home switch. Tested again and laser goes past home posision. Have not taken it out and measure it. Ill do that and get a big magnifiing glass and recheck the pcb. Frank

 

[dr*audio]

Hi, I have visual checked the plugs. Looks ok and are in right place. Clean the home switch. Tested again and laser goes past home posision. Have not taken it out and measure it. Ill do that and get a big magnifiing glass and recheck the pcb. Frank

I could not find a service manual for free for this model. If you have one and can upload it here I can help more. It could be that there are 2 plugs with the same number of contacts and you got them switched around, or there could be a power supply that isn't working, like maybe the +15V is good but the -15V is bad or there is a fuse blown.

 

[Sagtech]

I could not find a service manual for free for this model. If you have one and can upload it here I can help more. It could be that there are 2 plugs with the same number of contacts and you got them switched around, or there could be a power supply that isn't working, like maybe the +15V is good but the -15V is bad or there is a fuse blown.

There are 4 plugs, all have different pins. 5,6,7 and 8. So all good there. The service manual is not easy to get if possible. I have tryed the web, talk to the Luxman importer in Norway, they have contacted Luxman in Japan with no luck. It can also be that this player was made when Luxman was owned by Samsung. I will check moore.
Frank

 

[urbom]

I confess, I have not read all 66 pages here, but I have read the first few pages numerous times. I have an Onkyo Dx-1400. It worked fine at first, then I recapped it and got one of the big power supply caps in backwards. I fixed that with new caps. The unit turns on, the tray moves in and out, if the pickup is at the position where it should read the TOC, the lens moves up and down. I replaced the laser with a KSS-210A unit. The laser never moves on the rail front to back, if I manually move it, it will not go back to the center when I close the tray. I checked continuity on all (4) cables to make sure they are good. When the laser is in the center (TOC), and I close the drawer with a disk in it, it spins the disk for several seconds and I can hear the laser doing focus search a number of times, maybe a dozen. When the disk stops, the focus search stops and all is quiet. I have looked through my phone, and can see the red light. I have multimeter and lab power supply, no o'scope. What next?

 

[dr*audio]

I confess, I have not read all 66 pages here, but I have read the first few pages numerous times. I have an Onkyo Dx-1400. It worked fine at first, then I recapped it and got one of the big power supply caps in backwards. I fixed that with new caps. The unit turns on, the tray moves in and out, if the pickup is at the position where it should read the TOC, the lens moves up and down. I replaced the laser with a KSS-210A unit. The laser never moves on the rail front to back, if I manually move it, it will not go back to the center when I close the tray. I checked continuity on all (4) cables to make sure they are good. When the laser is in the center (TOC), and I close the drawer with a disk in it, it spins the disk for several seconds and I can hear the laser doing focus search a number of times, maybe a dozen. When the disk stops, the focus search stops and all is quiet. I have looked through my phone, and can see the red light. I have multimeter and lab power supply, no o'scope. What next?

It looks like the sled isn't moving. Check the + and - 15V supplies. There may also be p fuses in series with the drive IC. They look like little black plastic transistors but have 2 pins. On the schematic they say ICP (IC Protector.)

 

[urbom]

It looks like the sled isn't moving. Check the + and - 15V supplies. There may also be p fuses in series with the drive IC. They look like little black plastic transistors but have 2 pins. On the schematic they say ICP (IC Protector.)

Where the icp’s should be, there are jumpers

 

[urbom]

Will figure out how to check the 15v supplies tonight.