CD32 drive not spinning properly?

Bren McGuire · 29 February 2020, 05:27

I got a CD32 at a bargain price, very lucky find, but alas it seems it's not working properly.

What seems to be happening is that the disc does not spin properly/too slow. It's like whatever holds the disc in place is not holding onto it properly, so the disc gets no traction.

How do I know this? If I press on the lid lightly, I can get it to work. Disc spins nicely and games load correctly. Also a "swish swish" noise that can be heard otherwise disappears.

Is this a known problem? how to repair? The CD lid looks fine, it isn't broken. Is it something to do with the motor?

Kin Hell · 29 February 2020, 11:59

Playstation suffered similar issues....

The spindle's Disc grab would fail after a while, not gripping the CDROM adequately, therefore the CD wouldn't spin fast enough, if at all. In this case, the ball's loose their grip on the CDROM because of wear & tear.

Your's may actually be worn in the centre & no longer gripping the drive shaft adequately.

Can you ascertain if the Disc grab is spinning on the spindle or on the actual CDROM?

Worn motor brushes can also cause slow spins & pressure on the lid forces the motor's armature against the worn carbon brushes.

jotd · 29 February 2020, 12:04

or you can duct-tape-in a CD32load compilation with 100+ games on it => no need to ever change the disc again

Seriously those are only mechanical problem, and some simple hacks like elevating the disc, like shown above can fix it. Nothing like a motor failure or lens failure or other electronic stuff that is more annoying to handle.

One of my consoles has a "disc non spinning issue" but sometimes it works, and I was told that the plastic bit from the lid (in the middle) that dives into the console to make contact may be worn out so that would prevent the drive from spinning.

Clearly one of the parts that age badly is this damn lid mechanism (the lens too, but 1:1 replacement is easy). Good luck.

Bren McGuire · 29 February 2020, 18:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kin Hell

Can you ascertain if the Disc grab is spinning on the spindle or on the actual CDROM?

What is the disc grab? The thing that goes on top? How can I ascertain that? It's stuck to the lid...

Also I thought that thing was magnetic!

Kin Hell · 01 March 2020, 12:29

From the back side of the pic above, the three small ball bearings are spring loaded. When you push the CDROM onto it, the three small ball bearings move inwards slightly, forcing a grip on the hole in the middle of the CDROM.

The CD32 Disc Grab does not have these ball bearings, so either your CDROM's are spinning on the CD32's Disk Grab or the Disk Grab is spinning on the Motor Spindle.

The lid is just a cover & plays no part in spinning the CDROM & also, CD's are not magnetic.

29 February 2020, 05:27	#1
Bren McGuire Registered User Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Croydon Posts: 580	CD32 drive not spinning properly? I got a CD32 at a bargain price, very lucky find, but alas it seems it's not working properly. What seems to be happening is that the disc does not spin properly/too slow. It's like whatever holds the disc in place is not holding onto it properly, so the disc gets no traction. How do I know this? If I press on the lid lightly, I can get it to work. Disc spins nicely and games load correctly. Also a "swish swish" noise that can be heard otherwise disappears. Is this a known problem? how to repair? The CD lid looks fine, it isn't broken. Is it something to do with the motor?

29 February 2020, 11:59	#2
Kin Hell 0ld0r Git Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall, UK Posts: 1,570	Playstation suffered similar issues.... The spindle's Disc grab would fail after a while, not gripping the CDROM adequately, therefore the CD wouldn't spin fast enough, if at all. In this case, the ball's loose their grip on the CDROM because of wear & tear. Your's may actually be worn in the centre & no longer gripping the drive shaft adequately. Can you ascertain if the Disc grab is spinning on the spindle or on the actual CDROM? Worn motor brushes can also cause slow spins & pressure on the lid forces the motor's armature against the worn carbon brushes. Last edited by Kin Hell; 29 February 2020 at 12:02. Reason: typo

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29 February 2020, 12:04	#3
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,172	or you can duct-tape-in a CD32load compilation with 100+ games on it => no need to ever change the disc again Seriously those are only mechanical problem, and some simple hacks like elevating the disc, like shown above can fix it. Nothing like a motor failure or lens failure or other electronic stuff that is more annoying to handle. One of my consoles has a "disc non spinning issue" but sometimes it works, and I was told that the plastic bit from the lid (in the middle) that dives into the console to make contact may be worn out so that would prevent the drive from spinning. Clearly one of the parts that age badly is this damn lid mechanism (the lens too, but 1:1 replacement is easy). Good luck.

01 March 2020, 12:29	#5
Kin Hell 0ld0r Git Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cornwall, UK Posts: 1,570	From the back side of the pic above, the three small ball bearings are spring loaded. When you push the CDROM onto it, the three small ball bearings move inwards slightly, forcing a grip on the hole in the middle of the CDROM. The CD32 Disc Grab does not have these ball bearings, so either your CDROM's are spinning on the CD32's Disk Grab or the Disk Grab is spinning on the Motor Spindle. The lid is just a cover & plays no part in spinning the CDROM & also, CD's are not magnetic.

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