Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    I have become a believer that the laser lens does in fact get dirty
    causing wierd problems as noted in the ad quote .0.
    
    Last week my Yamaha CD2 started doing strange things when asked
    to FF (e.g. skipping backwards at random points).  Then it got worse
    and started repeating itself like an old fashion record stuck in
    a groove.
    
    After rummaging thru my files I found that the CD2 was already out
    of warantee, so off came the lid and a part above the laser/disk
    drawer assembly.  Cleaning the lens with stuff from the darkroom
    (ie camel hair brush and canned air) seems to have completely restored
    the CD2 to health.
    
    I've had some chimney problems recently causing the wood burning
    furnace to smoke into the basement more that usual which is probably
    what got to the CD2.
    
    Does the LLC-1 do chimneys??
    
    Bob

    I never said that the laser assembly didn't get dirty, but a soft,
    lintless cloth, or a camel-hair brush, or compressed air, etc. will
    do every bit as good a job as a $27 "cleaning disc".  Likewise,
    an 89 cent bottle of Windex and a soft cloth will do as well as
    a $15 disc cleaning kit.  I have had my player for nearly a year,
    next to a woodstove, and have not yet had to clean the lens.  I
    have about 60 discs, and haven't had to clean one yet.  (Save for
    the one I ran over in the driveway... - try THAT with your LP!)
    				Steve

Be careful with Windex.  Some laser assemblies use plastic lenses, not
glass.  Windex could react with certain types of plastic - I would not
take a chance giving my laser glaucoma.  Stick with compressed air,
soft brushes etc.

pj

    I said Windex for the disc, not the laser lens.  Soft tissue, brush
    or air ONLY for the lens!
    				Steve

    Somebody in net.audio cautioned against using Windex because the
    amonia will haze the plastic in time.  Use cleaning solution for
    plastic eye-glasses.

    Early in my laser videodisc days (many years ago), I learned somewhere
    that Windex should not be used to clean LV discs.
    
    I've had great success cleaning filthy rental LV discs using liquid
    dishwashing soap and lukewarm water.
    
    -- Ward

    Slightly behind the times but I've been away from notes for awhile.
    Anyone had a similar problem with the D-5?  My wife's D-5 has been
    getting increasingly flaky over the last few months.  We're
    understandably not really excited about sending off to Sony.
    Especially if it's something we can do ourselves.  The D-5 is a
    prime candidate for this sort of problem because the lens is exposed
    to the real world.  
    
    Timid, but willing to save a trip to Sony,
    Gary

        Please define flakey. My wife's D-5 has also done strange things.
        It has been to SONY twice under warranty, and a month after the
        warranty was up, it started in again. It "thinks" that a repeat
        phrase has been programmed into it, whinh the D-5 cannot do.
        Running the servo thru a few dozen seeks from one end to the other
        seems to make the problem go away for a while. 
        
        A flame on D-5 repair. When mine got flakey after warranty, I
        called Sony to see what it might cost to get it fixed. They wanted
        my D-5 serial number. It seems that since I paid full price when
        it first came out, they also expect me to pay twice as much for
        repair! I also got the feeling that they were very aware of some
        major problems with the D-5. As long as I can keep tweeking the
        thing, I intend to stay away from Sonys repair service. 

    Re: .0                                           
    
    Are all of the optical lens assemblies close enough to the disc
    for such a device to work?
    
    My Sony CDP 101 recently started acting up, so I took the disc out
    and with the drawer opened, blew in really hard.  That cured my
    disc player problems.
    
    						-Dave

    re: .8
    
    I haven't heard the thing myself, but Trace says it's mistracking
    in the same manner as a disc covered in cat hair might.  Our discs
    are not the culprit because they track just fine in my D-5 and in
    our SL-P2.
    
    Gad! I'm not too thrilled to hear the horror stories about Sony.
    I hope we can avoid such imperial entanglements.
    
    re: .9
    
    Interesting question.  I never really thought much about how the
    lasers are positioned in various players.  I don't have an answer,
    but I'd like to hear one.
    
    Gary

    I've been having a problem with my D5 lately and I've been wondering
    if anyone has seen a similar problem.  It may be that the lens needs
    cleaning (I've had the player for about a year and a half and it's
    never been cleaned) but the symptoms do not seem characteristic
    of a dirty lens.  I use the D5 in my car and have it connected to
    the car sound system through an SLP-5 which converts the player
    output to an FM signal at 90.1.  The sound is now getting more and
    more distorted.  The other problem is that when I fast forward over
    tracks, I hear a low popping sound or stutter as the head moves
    over the disk.  Perhaps I should just try to clean the lens and
    see if the problems improve, but I was wondering if anyone has already
    encountered this problem.  Thanks.
    
    Rich.