Help please - CD player not spinning up - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Mimulus · 29th Aug 2019, 7:51 pm

Hi everyone,

I’ve just bought a CD/Radio set but the CD player isn’t working properly.
The laser lens is clearly visible and it’s not grubby. There is a little arm that can be swung across the CD to start it spinning and read the disc. It will only make contact in one specific patch on it’s arc, then the screen will show 00 and sometimes the disc will spin but only ever for a couple of seconds and sometimes not at all. Sometimes it will get as far as to give the number of tracks but it usually stops before it gets that far.

The radio function will work enough to get static and the volume seems to work. I can’t see anything popped or leaking but it’s not easy to see what’s going on!

My uncle suggested I post this here as he’s pretty experienced with old radios and is good at through-hole component work. I don’t know much at all but I can use a voltmeter.

I have no idea who made the set, I would guess it’s around 20-25 years old (hopefully that’s vintage enough?). It’s designed to look like an old Phonograph, if I can figure out how to post a pic I will do...

Any help would be wonderful!

Mimulus.

Mimulus · 29th Aug 2019, 9:45 pm

Photo of the unit.

Craig Sawyers · 29th Aug 2019, 11:13 pm

Sounds like it might be a Philips radial arm mechanism. The laser is probably kaput.

I had a similar problem with a parallel tracking mech in my Cambridge Audio Azur something or other. eBay came to my rescue from a Chinese manufacturer/remanufacturer who sent it free of charge for not much money at all (about £12). Plugged it in and screwed it to the mechanism - absolutely perfect.

Post some pics and we might be able to identify the mechanism for certain.

Craig

AC/HL · 30th Aug 2019, 12:28 am

Single player jukebox?
Dates from around 2009 I believe: https://anemos.in/collections/audio/...aph-cd-jukebox. (Rupees are in the 80 to the £ region recently)

wd40addict · 30th Aug 2019, 7:56 am

Try a drop of light oil on the spindle motor bearing.

Herald1360 · 30th Aug 2019, 9:50 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by AC/HL

Single player jukebox?
Dates from around 2009 I believe: https://anemos.in/collections/audio/...aph-cd-jukebox. (Rupees are in the 80 to the £ region recently)

About £250 then. Hopefully it's reasonably well made!

Mimulus · 30th Aug 2019, 12:45 pm

Hmm. Thought it was older than 10 years! Oh well, that's by-the-by really!

Not sure about the well-made thing, it looks a lot better when it's all together than it does now I've got the top off! It's not easy to see what's going on at all and it seems pretty flimsy. The pics are of the underside of the deck (two looking from the rear (photos 1 & 2) and the other from the front (photo 3)), if I need to get at anything on the bottom of the CD player I'll have to remove one of the circuit boards which I can attempt this weekend.

And it wasn't anything like £250, thank goodness.

Thanks for your thoughts so far!

McMurdo · 30th Aug 2019, 1:08 pm

Sounds like a weak laser, it wont spin the disc if it can't achieve focus and if it does and them bombs out, it probably can't track.
As the laser is exposed all the time it's ripe for collecting dirt.

First thing for me would be to clean the lens with IPA (even a dirty eye can look clean) and then if all else fails stick a new mech in there; the blurb linked to, if it's the same sort, boasts a Sanyo laser and these are generally cheap enough to take a punt.

29th Aug 2019, 7:51 pm	#1
Mimulus Diode Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 3	Help please - CD player not spinning up Hi everyone, I’ve just bought a CD/Radio set but the CD player isn’t working properly. The laser lens is clearly visible and it’s not grubby. There is a little arm that can be swung across the CD to start it spinning and read the disc. It will only make contact in one specific patch on it’s arc, then the screen will show 00 and sometimes the disc will spin but only ever for a couple of seconds and sometimes not at all. Sometimes it will get as far as to give the number of tracks but it usually stops before it gets that far. The radio function will work enough to get static and the volume seems to work. I can’t see anything popped or leaking but it’s not easy to see what’s going on! My uncle suggested I post this here as he’s pretty experienced with old radios and is good at through-hole component work. I don’t know much at all but I can use a voltmeter. I have no idea who made the set, I would guess it’s around 20-25 years old (hopefully that’s vintage enough?). It’s designed to look like an old Phonograph, if I can figure out how to post a pic I will do... Any help would be wonderful! Mimulus.

29th Aug 2019, 9:45 pm	#2
Mimulus Diode Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 3	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Photo of the unit. Attached Thumbnails

29th Aug 2019, 11:13 pm	#3
Craig Sawyers Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 4,993	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Sounds like it might be a Philips radial arm mechanism. The laser is probably kaput. I had a similar problem with a parallel tracking mech in my Cambridge Audio Azur something or other. eBay came to my rescue from a Chinese manufacturer/remanufacturer who sent it free of charge for not much money at all (about £12). Plugged it in and screwed it to the mechanism - absolutely perfect. Post some pics and we might be able to identify the mechanism for certain. Craig

30th Aug 2019, 12:28 am	#4
AC/HL Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 9,642	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Single player jukebox? Dates from around 2009 I believe: https://anemos.in/collections/audio/...aph-cd-jukebox. (Rupees are in the 80 to the £ region recently)

30th Aug 2019, 7:56 am	#5
wd40addict Octode Join Date: May 2009 Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK. Posts: 1,518	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Try a drop of light oil on the spindle motor bearing.

30th Aug 2019, 12:45 pm	#7
Mimulus Diode Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 3	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Hmm. Thought it was older than 10 years! Oh well, that's by-the-by really! Not sure about the well-made thing, it looks a lot better when it's all together than it does now I've got the top off! It's not easy to see what's going on at all and it seems pretty flimsy. The pics are of the underside of the deck (two looking from the rear (photos 1 & 2) and the other from the front (photo 3)), if I need to get at anything on the bottom of the CD player I'll have to remove one of the circuit boards which I can attempt this weekend. And it wasn't anything like £250, thank goodness. Thanks for your thoughts so far! Attached Thumbnails

30th Aug 2019, 1:08 pm	#8
McMurdo Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK. Posts: 5,274	Re: Help please - CD player not spinning up Sounds like a weak laser, it wont spin the disc if it can't achieve focus and if it does and them bombs out, it probably can't track. As the laser is exposed all the time it's ripe for collecting dirt. First thing for me would be to clean the lens with IPA (even a dirty eye can look clean) and then if all else fails stick a new mech in there; the blurb linked to, if it's the same sort, boasts a Sanyo laser and these are generally cheap enough to take a punt. __________________ Kevin