CD32 disc won't spin

Cooljerk · 13 December 2011, 17:48

So I've had my CD32 for a little less than 6 months now, and it's suddenly stopped spinning discs. When I first turn on the system, or close the door on a disc, I can hear the drive start for a second then die. If I look into the window on the console, I can see the disc jerk for a second, then stop spinning, almost as though the console was connected to a light switch which was flipped on and off quickly.

After doing this, the system will hang at a black screen, like the game is about to load. The yellow access light on the console remains off after the disc jerks.

Beyond this, the console seems to be alright - if I connect an analogic floppy drive to the machine, I can boot floppy games, and the data management screen is accessible. The only other problem I'd had with the system is that, prior to the drive dying, I noticed that audio would fade in and out as I played games - only the background music, though. If I plugged in some headphones, the sound output from that source was normal, but the rear RCA ports would give me rapidly fading sound. Someone told me this might be a cap problem.

Is my CD drive dead? Can the console be salvaged? I've already ordered myself a replacement console, but I'm still interested in restoring this one to working condition. Prior to my console dying, I was burning some games onto HP Lightscribe CD-Rs, could that be what killed the drive? It sounds like it's a motor issue, not necessarily a lens issue.

Any advice?

Cammy · 13 December 2011, 18:45

The CD32's motor will stop spinning when the CD lid is opened, and sometimes the sensor that checks if it's open or not doesn't know it's closed and stops. Sometimes just leaving a heavy book on top of the CD drive lid will make it work again, so try that. Put a game in and when you close the lid, put a couple of heavy books or something on top and see if it works.

The sound problem does seem like caps going I guess...

Cooljerk · 13 December 2011, 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cammy

The CD32's motor will stop spinning when the CD lid is opened, and sometimes the sensor that checks if it's open or not doesn't know it's closed and stops. Sometimes just leaving a heavy book on top of the CD drive lid will make it work again, so try that. Put a game in and when you close the lid, put a couple of heavy books or something on top and see if it works.

The sound problem does seem like caps going I guess...

I had heard about this before and tried pressing down on the disc door when booting up, but seemed to get no results. When I boot a game, the access light turns on for a second, then the drive stops spinning as I said. Prior to this issue, I had no problems with my door. Is there a more definite way to see if it's a door sensor problem than just putting books on the thing?

FOL · 13 December 2011, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooljerk

I had heard about this before and tried pressing down on the disc door when booting up, but seemed to get no results. When I boot a game, the access light turns on for a second, then the drive stops spinning as I said. Prior to this issue, I had no problems with my door. Is there a more definite way to see if it's a door sensor problem than just putting books on the thing?

Search for my posts regarding this.
Its going to be laser issue. Try cleaning the lens.
If that dont work, then turn the pot on the back of the laser clockwise very slightly (if it doesnt work, try abit more). (Mark the original position, just incase you need to put it back to where it was)
Failing that, then you will beed to replace the laser.

The door issue and be solved by adding something to the plastic bit that goes between the sensors.
I guess the doors become warped, which causes them to lift slightly.

The spindle motor (motor that spins discs) can also become dirty. Abit of WD40 can solve that issue.

Cooljerk · 28 December 2011, 04:53

Just to follow up on this thread, I tried increasing the laser power to no avail, and actually resorted to buying a new Amiga. It arrived, and I simply popped it into my cabinet where the old amiga was... same problem.

I was obviously upset, when I decided noticed that the power supply that came with my new amiga looked different than the old one. With nothing else to lose, I tried swapping out the power supply, and the disc in the new amiga spun to life. Curious.

So I tried the new power supply on the old amiga, the one which I was replacing, and same thing - the disc begun spinning. Apparently it was a power supply problem all along - I guess it was providing enough power to turn on the unit, but not enough to actually run the thing. Although I wish I had known that before I shelled out the money for a new amiga, having 2 working CD32s is better than none.

So a tip to everyone who thinks their drive is dead - try replacing the power supply first.

Rebel-CD32 · 28 December 2011, 05:47

Hey mate, good to see you sorted out your CD32 problem. Get yourself another PSU and make a null-modem cable for the CD32's AUX port and you'll have a great setup for head-to-head Amiga games, and there are heaps of them that support serial-linkup. You'll be able to play four-player Super Skidmarks matches with the track shared over two screens too.

Cooljerk · 28 December 2011, 09:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel-CD32

Hey mate, good to see you sorted out your CD32 problem. Get yourself another PSU and make a null-modem cable for the CD32's AUX port and you'll have a great setup for head-to-head Amiga games, and there are heaps of them that support serial-linkup. You'll be able to play four-player Super Skidmarks matches with the track shared over two screens too.

That's actually an awesome idea! I was planning on just using one as a backup for when the laser and/or motor on the other eventually died, but I might tinker around and do just that.

FOL · 28 December 2011, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooljerk

Just to follow up on this thread, I tried increasing the laser power to no avail, and actually resorted to buying a new Amiga. It arrived, and I simply popped it into my cabinet where the old amiga was... same problem.

I was obviously upset, when I decided noticed that the power supply that came with my new amiga looked different than the old one. With nothing else to lose, I tried swapping out the power supply, and the disc in the new amiga spun to life. Curious.

So I tried the new power supply on the old amiga, the one which I was replacing, and same thing - the disc begun spinning. Apparently it was a power supply problem all along - I guess it was providing enough power to turn on the unit, but not enough to actually run the thing. Although I wish I had known that before I shelled out the money for a new amiga, having 2 working CD32s is better than none.

So a tip to everyone who thinks their drive is dead - try replacing the power supply first.

That is unusual, what PSU was your original one?
Official CD32?

Peter · 28 December 2011, 10:41

Did the power supply make the audio fading problem go away...?

Cooljerk · 28 December 2011, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by FOL

That is unusual, what PSU was your original one?
Official CD32?

I believe so. The old PSU has commodore branding and is very long, about the same size as an Xbox 360 PSU. Despite this, it's nearly identical to the new one, which is more box shaped and shorter, aside from the old PSU taking 300 mA input, while the new one takes 250 mA. I should note that I live in the US, and as such I have to use a converter to plug these PSUs into an american outlet. I don't skimp on my converter, though - I got it from a dedicated electronics shop and payed for a better model.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter

Did the power supply make the audio fading problem go away...?

Indeed it did!

FOL · 28 December 2011, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooljerk

I believe so. The old PSU has commodore branding and is very long, about the same size as an Xbox 360 PSU. Despite this, it's nearly identical to the new one, which is more box shaped and shorter, aside from the old PSU taking 300 mA input, while the new one takes 250 mA. I should note that I live in the US, and as such I have to use a converter to plug these PSUs into an american outlet. I don't skimp on my converter, though - I got it from a dedicated electronics shop and payed for a better model.

Indeed it did!

Is it light or heavy? As the heavy type was the original CD32 PSU.

Cooljerk · 28 December 2011, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by FOL

Is it light or heavy? As the heavy type was the original CD32 PSU.

The new one is pretty small and very heavy, the old one is pretty big and much, much lighter.

That's the old one, the new one is behind my cabinet and it'd be about an hour battle to fish it out, so I'll simply say that it's maybe half the size of the old one (or perhaps even smaller) and much, much heavier.

I assume the one I'm showing you isn't an original PSU?

FOL · 28 December 2011, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooljerk

The new one is pretty small and very heavy, the old one is pretty big and much, much lighter.

That's the old one, the new one is behind my cabinet and it'd be about an hour battle to fish it out, so I'll simply say that it's maybe half the size of the old one (or perhaps even smaller) and much, much heavier.

I assume the one I'm showing you isn't an original PSU?

Not the original, but a lite version as it were. I suppose to try and cut costs and hang in longer, they took the newer light A1200 version and slapped a CD32 connector on it.

The new one, is the original that came with the CD32 on release. Alot more current Im betting.

Cammy · 29 December 2011, 01:13

Strange, my friend and I picked up a CD32 from someone recently and the only PSU he could find was one of these longer, lighter ones. It seemed a bit suspicious so we just used one of the other CD32 PSUs with it first time we tried it, and still now. I don't even want to tempt fate by trying that longer one, I don't know why it fits into a CD32 but it doesn't match my other CD32 PSUs. It has a European plug on it anyway so I'd need an adapter to use it.

Cooljerk · 29 December 2011, 18:00

So just a question - the plug for the CD32 is different from the plug for the A1200? I ordered an A1200 the other day and I'm waiting for it to arrive... could I use the longer PSU with that A1200.

Peter · 29 December 2011, 18:49

CD32 has a round plug (I think) and the A1200 is square.
I'm talking about the bit that actually plugs into the console/Computer.

Cooljerk · 30 December 2011, 07:02

Ah, appreciate the info. I don't have the Amiga 1200 here with me yet, it's still in the mail, so I didn't know. I was trying to figure out if I should toss the PSU or keep it for another purpose... guess I'll toss it.

13 December 2011, 17:48	#1
Cooljerk Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston, USA Posts: 95	CD32 disc won't spin So I've had my CD32 for a little less than 6 months now, and it's suddenly stopped spinning discs. When I first turn on the system, or close the door on a disc, I can hear the drive start for a second then die. If I look into the window on the console, I can see the disc jerk for a second, then stop spinning, almost as though the console was connected to a light switch which was flipped on and off quickly. After doing this, the system will hang at a black screen, like the game is about to load. The yellow access light on the console remains off after the disc jerks. Beyond this, the console seems to be alright - if I connect an analogic floppy drive to the machine, I can boot floppy games, and the data management screen is accessible. The only other problem I'd had with the system is that, prior to the drive dying, I noticed that audio would fade in and out as I played games - only the background music, though. If I plugged in some headphones, the sound output from that source was normal, but the rear RCA ports would give me rapidly fading sound. Someone told me this might be a cap problem. Is my CD drive dead? Can the console be salvaged? I've already ordered myself a replacement console, but I'm still interested in restoring this one to working condition. Prior to my console dying, I was burning some games onto HP Lightscribe CD-Rs, could that be what killed the drive? It sounds like it's a motor issue, not necessarily a lens issue. Any advice?

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13 December 2011, 18:45	#2
Cammy Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Age: 39 Posts: 1,189	The CD32's motor will stop spinning when the CD lid is opened, and sometimes the sensor that checks if it's open or not doesn't know it's closed and stops. Sometimes just leaving a heavy book on top of the CD drive lid will make it work again, so try that. Put a game in and when you close the lid, put a couple of heavy books or something on top and see if it works. The sound problem does seem like caps going I guess...

28 December 2011, 04:53	#5
Cooljerk Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston, USA Posts: 95	Just to follow up on this thread, I tried increasing the laser power to no avail, and actually resorted to buying a new Amiga. It arrived, and I simply popped it into my cabinet where the old amiga was... same problem. I was obviously upset, when I decided noticed that the power supply that came with my new amiga looked different than the old one. With nothing else to lose, I tried swapping out the power supply, and the disc in the new amiga spun to life. Curious. So I tried the new power supply on the old amiga, the one which I was replacing, and same thing - the disc begun spinning. Apparently it was a power supply problem all along - I guess it was providing enough power to turn on the unit, but not enough to actually run the thing. Although I wish I had known that before I shelled out the money for a new amiga, having 2 working CD32s is better than none. So a tip to everyone who thinks their drive is dead - try replacing the power supply first.

28 December 2011, 05:47	#6
Rebel-CD32 Amiga will never die! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Tasmania, Australia Age: 43 Posts: 532	Hey mate, good to see you sorted out your CD32 problem. Get yourself another PSU and make a null-modem cable for the CD32's AUX port and you'll have a great setup for head-to-head Amiga games, and there are heaps of them that support serial-linkup. You'll be able to play four-player Super Skidmarks matches with the track shared over two screens too.

28 December 2011, 10:41	#9
Peter Still an Amiga user Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kent Age: 55 Posts: 2,715	Did the power supply make the audio fading problem go away...?

29 December 2011, 01:13	#14
Cammy Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tasmania, Australia Age: 39 Posts: 1,189	Strange, my friend and I picked up a CD32 from someone recently and the only PSU he could find was one of these longer, lighter ones. It seemed a bit suspicious so we just used one of the other CD32 PSUs with it first time we tried it, and still now. I don't even want to tempt fate by trying that longer one, I don't know why it fits into a CD32 but it doesn't match my other CD32 PSUs. It has a European plug on it anyway so I'd need an adapter to use it.

29 December 2011, 18:00	#15
Cooljerk Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston, USA Posts: 95	So just a question - the plug for the CD32 is different from the plug for the A1200? I ordered an A1200 the other day and I'm waiting for it to arrive... could I use the longer PSU with that A1200.

29 December 2011, 18:49	#16
Peter Still an Amiga user Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kent Age: 55 Posts: 2,715	CD32 has a round plug (I think) and the A1200 is square. I'm talking about the bit that actually plugs into the console/Computer.

30 December 2011, 07:02	#17
Cooljerk Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston, USA Posts: 95	Ah, appreciate the info. I don't have the Amiga 1200 here with me yet, it's still in the mail, so I didn't know. I was trying to figure out if I should toss the PSU or keep it for another purpose... guess I'll toss it.

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