[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:	Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:	Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:	COOKIE::ROLLOW

Created:	Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1517
Total number of notes:	13349

206.0. "CD PLAYERS & HUMIDITY" by MENTOR::COTE () Fri Nov 08 1985 12:17

In August I Purchased a Teac CD player. (model number eludes me at this
moment.) Hooked it up, plugged it in, worked fine. That night, it rained
and got relatively cool. The next morning,  I lite the unit up, pop in
a disc, close the drawer, and the unit just glares at me! It didn't
even do the initial read, nothing. I try again. Same thing. And again.
After about 10 - 15 trys, it performs the initial read and displays the
# of tracks and total time, but won't play! i could hear the mechanism
moving though, as though it were searhing for the beginning of the track.
A few more attempts and it finally boots.

Next day, (still cold and wet) the scenario starts to repeat. This time I
have a theory - Could the moisture be condensing on the laser focusing 
apparatus? A quick blast with a blow drier and *VOILA!* she lives!. 

My theory - Condensation on the focusing apparatus throws the laser so
far out of focus as to make the presense of the disc unrecognizable. A
few attempts at playing cause the condensation to lessen. Now it "sees"
the disc but still can't read. Blow drier evaporates moisture, and every-
thing is copasetic.

Any comments....

T.R	Title	User	Date	Lines
206.1		DELPHI::BECK	`Fri Nov 08 1985 17:45`	4
	Makes some sense. My Yamaha CDX1 had a slight alignment problem which caused it to create "fuff-uf-uf" sounds behind the music (it never actually skipped); one very humid day the problem was substantially worse. (Since having it realigned I've had no problems.)
206.2		MENTOR::COTE	`Mon Nov 11 1985 08:23`	9
	BTW... I checked, the model is PD-11. When it does get going, which is 99% of the time, I hear no extraneous or foriegn noise. Once it gets going there ^SCRATCH^ going, there is no problem. Edd
206.3		BABEL::MEIER	`Mon Nov 11 1985 11:29`	12
	While I agree that condensation on the lens could/would reduce/prohibit the player from functioning correctly, I question how this could occur. Condensation generally forms when there is high humidity, and on a cooler surface (technically when the temperature of the object in question is below the dewpoint temperature). I question why your lens would be cooler than the surrounding air (unless you just brought it in from outside), or unless the humidity was approaching 100% in which case condensation would form on everything. Now if you were playing the CD player in the bathroom while taking a hot shower that would be something different! In your environment could you explain how the lens would be signficantly colder than the surrounding air??
206.4		MENTOR::COTE	`Mon Nov 11 1985 11:55`	13
	RE -1 I believe that the weather simply cooling off will cause an increase in relative humidity. Much the same as dew forms on the lawn. This happened during the summer when windows were left open 24 hours. As i staed in the .0 note it was a rainy weekend. I've recently taken up the practice of storing a desicant in the drawer during periods of non use. Although I haven't had further problems, I can't attribute that to the practice. Too many other variables. Edd
206.5		HANOI::CLARK	`Mon Nov 11 1985 17:59`	10
	I've experience a similar problem with my Pioneer VP-1000A LV player. It sits on a cabinet hear a window. The window was left open during a chilly, rainy day last summer. When I tried to use the player, it behaved very strangely (causing a few moments of panic). I immediately closed the window and turned on the heat to take the chill off the room. When a returned a couple hours later, the player behaved normally (panic relieved!). -- Ward
206.6		GRAMPS::WCLARK	`Tue Dec 17 1985 16:54`	6
	It seems that a problem of this kind would haunt the portable amd mobile CD players in spades. I am thinking of getting the Sony FM/CD auto front end for my boat. Anyone seen problems like this with the portable/mobile jobs ? Walt