CD32 drive wouldn't read discs anymore - Page 2

Amiga1992 · 08 October 2016, 00:54

Oh it didn't look like two pads to me! Thanks!!
So I just remove all that solder? Easy peasy. Will report afterwards.

Meanwhile I measured the values of the trim pots with my multimeter in case I have to touch them. The laser heads have a pot too, noticed their valies differ by like 100 ohms, is this to be touched?

FOL · 08 October 2016, 01:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

Oh it didn't look like two pads to me! Thanks!!
So I just remove all that solder? Easy peasy. Will report afterwards.

Yep, remove blob. I updated my post regarding other stuff I normally do. As motors can also cause random reading errors too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

Meanwhile I measured the values of the trim pots with my multimeter in case I have to touch them. The laser heads have a pot too, noticed their valies differ by like 100 ohms, is this to be touched?

I would not even bother, the only pot that should ever be touched is the pot on the laser itself. Even then, that should only be touched if your laser has a low output, i.e. failing. Used to get customers come to us all the time with CD issues. Simple tweak of the laser pot and cleaning of the lens and they continued working for years. Saved them buying new laser,

.

Messing with the factory set pots will cause you more trouble than its worth.

Amiga1992 · 08 October 2016, 01:03

I definitely do NOT intend to touch any pots if I can get away with it. I will first try to make it run as is. If I do run into issues, I'll try the laser pot first, then ultimate resort, the others. I have written down all values for the five pots so I should be OK in case I need to trim!

Thanks for your help FOL , very much appreciated.

FOL · 08 October 2016, 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

I definitely do NOT intend to touch any pots if I can get away with it. I will first try to make it run as is. If I do run into issues, I'll try the laser pot first, then ultimate resort, the others. I have written down all values for the five pots so I should be OK in case I need to trim!

Thanks for your help FOL , very much appreciated.

If you must, but you will end up destroying a brand new laser, no pots need to be altered at all. Trust me, I have changed 1000's of these lasers and they are just straight swap outs. Im pretty sure I have a box of these lasers in the attic (last job were going to skip £60,000+ of stock. So I salvaged what I thought would be useful).

Amiga1992 · 08 October 2016, 20:25

Just removed the blob, powered it up and it works great! Didn't need to touch anything, reads CDRs and originals. Super happy about this fix!

Noticed the CD spinning was louder than before and that by pushing the top it would cease, opened it all up again and gave a quarter of a turn to the two screws surrounded by black rubber that are towards the back, now it's super silent like it was before. I thought first it could be those were too tight but it was the opposite.

Anyway thanks everyone who posted here, couldn't have done it without your help.

FOL · 08 October 2016, 22:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

Just removed the blob, powered it up and it works great! Didn't need to touch anything, reads CDRs and originals. Super happy about this fix!

Noticed the CD spinning was louder than before and that by pushing the top it would cease, opened it all up again and gave a quarter of a turn to the two screws surrounded by black rubber that are towards the back, now it's super silent like it was before. I thought first it could be those were too tight but it was the opposite.

Anyway thanks everyone who posted here, couldn't have done it without your help.

Nice,

. Another CD32 saved.

Higgy · 11 October 2016, 09:23

Glad you go it working Akira.
This is probably the issue that will kill retro gaming on CD based consoles. Least SD card interfaces are available for a lot of them.

Amiga1992 · 11 October 2016, 22:36

Yeah it's a shame, I wish there were more CD emulation projects to circumvent this issue.

If we get the Hermes CD32 expansion and jotd works more on CD32Load, like adding CDDA support, we would be just great with our CD32s probably forever.

I added a step-by-step guide on how I changed my laser for anybody that might run into this issue as I did:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=1115899

21 February 2017, 18:17

Hi,

I recently got my first CD32 and I'm having a similar problem to the original poster.

My drive spins up but refuses to read discs. I think it's a bad laser. I ordered a replacement and I've been trying to figure out how to remove the original laser to get the replacement on in its place.

How do I go about doing this without destroying the delicate plastic pieces that hold the rail onto the rest of the assembly? Or am I going about this the wrong way?

Any tips would be very appreciated.

Amiga1992 · 21 February 2017, 19:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunta714

How do I go about doing this without destroying the delicate plastic pieces that hold the rail onto the rest of the assembly? Or am I going about this the wrong way?

If you read the post before yours, you will see I posted a link to my step-by-step guide > http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=1115899

Follow that and post there if you get stuck, I'll try to help. I explain how to get the rail out. It's easy once you know how to.

21 February 2017, 19:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akira

If you read the post before yours, you will see I posted a link to my step-by-step guide > http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=1115899

Follow that and post there if you get stuck, I'll try to help. I explain how to get the rail out. It's easy once you know how to.

Sorry about that, I just noticed that I completely overlooked that post. Thank you!

jotd · 11 October 2018, 23:23

Hey, just got the same issue with the new CD32 I bought. It very rarely boots, but reads CD audio perfectly... Do you think the washer solution could work? I just don't want to change the lens yet...

Now got stuck with 2 non-working CD32s. 1: motor dead, and faulty lens (slowly decayed), 2: motor OK, faulty lens (dunno, just bought it but the parcel was dropped

)

Mrz · 11 October 2018, 23:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

Hey, just got the same issue with the new CD32 I bought. It very rarely boots, but reads CD audio perfectly... Do you think the washer solution could work? I just don't want to change the lens yet...

Now got stuck with 2 non-working CD32s. 1: motor dead, and faulty lens (slowly decayed), 2: motor OK, faulty lens (dunno, just bought it but the parcel was dropped

)

surely the laser of your CD32 is weakened by the time of use
that's because reads CDaudio but not data, this happens on normal PC cdroms and DVD roms
also the lens could be fogged, try to clean it using alcohol, if after the cleaning the laser continue weakened you must replace the lens

jotd · 12 October 2018, 00:05

Thanks. The alcohol thingy I can do. Did it prove useful for someone before?

Could the problem be because it was dropped? Sounds "easy" to change the lens with Akira tutorial. Is it easy to change the motor ? I'd like to try that on my "old" CD32; nothing to lose.

Mrz · 12 October 2018, 00:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

Thanks. The alcohol thingy I can do. Did it prove useful for someone before?

Could the problem be because it was dropped? Sounds "easy" to change the lens with Akira tutorial. Is it easy to change the motor ? I'd like to try that on my "old" CD32; nothing to lose.

yes the alcohol trick worked for me very well in lot of cases , ie psx 2 len,psx1 len,PC dvd, PC CD etc

also every CDrom have a screw to calibrate the power of the Laser, you can play with it, this can help in lot of weakened Lasers
browse the web for more info about this

DVD roms have 2 screws, 1 for the CD calibration and the other for DVD calibration

jotd · 12 October 2018, 22:39

okay, alcohool trick didn't help. I could boot & play Oscar (pressed CD) again. But another pressed CD wouldn't boot at all.

Then I could boot a burned CD, but since it's a RN loader game (Lotus) the faulty lens triggered the "grinding" bug and it crashed.

What can I do besides changing the lens? Given the symptoms above, is that worth trying to calibrate it?

Any link/tutorials to change the motor for my second CD32? I feel all DIY all of a sudden.

malko · 12 October 2018, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

Thanks. The alcohol thingy I can do. Did it prove useful for someone before?[...]

+1. You can also use a window cleaner or AJAX (diluted according to the instructions on the bottle), worked perfectly.

jotd · 12 October 2018, 23:42

I think my lens is beyond that ajax thing. depends if the problem comes from a dirty lens, or just an old, worn out lens.

Retro1234 · 12 October 2018, 23:45

there is a screw you can turn to change the strength of the laser but at your own risk.

jotd · 13 October 2018, 09:39

"at your own risk" that's only when it's working. If it doesn't I don't think I'm risking anything. Next move will be to buy another lens and replace it. But let's try simpler things first (even if Akira tutorial is excellent)

08 October 2016, 20:25	#25
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	Just removed the blob, powered it up and it works great! Didn't need to touch anything, reads CDRs and originals. Super happy about this fix! Noticed the CD spinning was louder than before and that by pushing the top it would cease, opened it all up again and gave a quarter of a turn to the two screws surrounded by black rubber that are towards the back, now it's super silent like it was before. I thought first it could be those were too tight but it was the opposite. Anyway thanks everyone who posted here, couldn't have done it without your help. Last edited by Amiga1992; 08 October 2016 at 20:44.

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08 October 2016, 00:54	#21
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	Oh it didn't look like two pads to me! Thanks!! So I just remove all that solder? Easy peasy. Will report afterwards. Meanwhile I measured the values of the trim pots with my multimeter in case I have to touch them. The laser heads have a pot too, noticed their valies differ by like 100 ohms, is this to be touched?

08 October 2016, 01:03	#23
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	I definitely do NOT intend to touch any pots if I can get away with it. I will first try to make it run as is. If I do run into issues, I'll try the laser pot first, then ultimate resort, the others. I have written down all values for the five pots so I should be OK in case I need to trim! Thanks for your help FOL , very much appreciated.

11 October 2016, 09:23	#27
Higgy Registered User Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 547	Glad you go it working Akira. This is probably the issue that will kill retro gaming on CD based consoles. Least SD card interfaces are available for a lot of them.

11 October 2016, 22:36	#28
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,644	Yeah it's a shame, I wish there were more CD emulation projects to circumvent this issue. If we get the Hermes CD32 expansion and jotd works more on CD32Load, like adding CDDA support, we would be just great with our CD32s probably forever. I added a step-by-step guide on how I changed my laser for anybody that might run into this issue as I did: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=1115899

21 February 2017, 18:17	#29
Bunta714 Posts: n/a	Hi, I recently got my first CD32 and I'm having a similar problem to the original poster. My drive spins up but refuses to read discs. I think it's a bad laser. I ordered a replacement and I've been trying to figure out how to remove the original laser to get the replacement on in its place. How do I go about doing this without destroying the delicate plastic pieces that hold the rail onto the rest of the assembly? Or am I going about this the wrong way? Any tips would be very appreciated.

11 October 2018, 23:23	#32
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,160	Hey, just got the same issue with the new CD32 I bought. It very rarely boots, but reads CD audio perfectly... Do you think the washer solution could work? I just don't want to change the lens yet... Now got stuck with 2 non-working CD32s. 1: motor dead, and faulty lens (slowly decayed), 2: motor OK, faulty lens (dunno, just bought it but the parcel was dropped )

12 October 2018, 00:05	#34
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,160	Thanks. The alcohol thingy I can do. Did it prove useful for someone before? Could the problem be because it was dropped? Sounds "easy" to change the lens with Akira tutorial. Is it easy to change the motor ? I'd like to try that on my "old" CD32; nothing to lose.

12 October 2018, 22:39	#36
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,160	okay, alcohool trick didn't help. I could boot & play Oscar (pressed CD) again. But another pressed CD wouldn't boot at all. Then I could boot a burned CD, but since it's a RN loader game (Lotus) the faulty lens triggered the "grinding" bug and it crashed. What can I do besides changing the lens? Given the symptoms above, is that worth trying to calibrate it? Any link/tutorials to change the motor for my second CD32? I feel all DIY all of a sudden.

12 October 2018, 23:42	#38
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,160	I think my lens is beyond that ajax thing. depends if the problem comes from a dirty lens, or just an old, worn out lens.

12 October 2018, 23:45	#39
Retro1234 Phone Homer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: 5150 Posts: 5,773	there is a screw you can turn to change the strength of the laser but at your own risk.

13 October 2018, 09:39	#40
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,160	"at your own risk" that's only when it's working. If it doesn't I don't think I'm risking anything. Next move will be to buy another lens and replace it. But let's try simpler things first (even if Akira tutorial is excellent)

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