amiga 32 disc don't read anymore

[gjb1985]

this problem appeared all of a sudden. it does spin all the time but it doesn't read anymore. I only got my amiga compilation disc to work a little and it reads incredibly slow. and other cd's I use to to amiga bios screen eventually

I read that re adjusting the laser is for when the discs don't spin at all. this seems something different. I'm bit hazardous in opening it up.

does anyone know if the laser runs on a rail? I've saved many other consoles by using contatc spray on them to make the lens move easier. but I don't notice any moving laser at all in my amiga 32.

anyone have any idea?

[gjb1985]

btw audio cd's do work.

[prowler]

Are your CD32 discs originals or copies?

If they're CD-R copies, they might have been damaged by exposure, for example to sunlight, which has erased the recorded data, leaving them unreadable.

In that case, check whether they are readable in your PC's DVD/CD-ROM drive.

[RetroPaul]

You could try to clean the lens with isopropyl alcohol or it may just need a tweak of the laser settings.

My CD32 wouldn't read anything when i dug it out of the loft (Not surprising after 15+ years of not being used), i tried cleaning it with no joy. I replaced the laser with a new KSS-210A (Sony) which i picked up off eBay for ~£10 using this guide: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=38904. It's pretty straightforward to do so don't be afraid to have a go.

I had to tweak the settings a little as although it span up fine it still wouldn't read discs, I used this guide here and made small changes then tested after each tweak:-
http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/Amiga/Pa...32_Info/index/

After some patience it now reads all my original CD32 games with no problems at all. I can't get it to read burned copies though, i'm sure with a bit more tweaking i could get it working. Im happy its just working for now though and i can play all my classic games.

[gjb1985]

I've done a ton of tweaking with no succes today. I wonder how far I have to turn the screws. how minute is it? and in my case it reads music cd;s perfectly. so I only need to adjust 2nd and 3rd screw?

[johnim]

hi also check the psu

[gjb1985]

psu?

[FOL]

Originally Posted by gjb1985

I've done a ton of tweaking with no succes today. I wonder how far I have to turn the screws. how minute is it? and in my case it reads music cd;s perfectly. so I only need to adjust 2nd and 3rd screw?

People are still quoting that tweak guide. If you done that then your always going to have problems. Those are factory setup, the only adjustment you need to mess with is the laser power (which is on the laser).

Slight tweak of the laser power can make a big difference.
However, as you have already screwed with the BIAS, GAIN, TRACKING and FOCUS pots, then your proberly not going to get it to work properly.

[gjb1985]

how do I adjust the laser power?

[FOL]

Originally Posted by gjb1985

how do I adjust the laser power?

The pot on the laser.

Clockwise for UP
Counterwise for DOWN

DO NOT KEEP TURNING POTS, if you do that you will damage them. They are not ment to be turned all the way around.

[johnim]

psu?

power supply problems

[gjb1985]

Originally Posted by johnim

power supply problems

I don't think the power supply is a problem. but I'll be getting another amiga 32 this week so I can hopefully check and still repair my old one

[Hewitson]

If you do not have an oscilloscope do NOT touch the adjustment pots. You're never going to get it calibrated without one.

[cpiac64]

net connector on mainboard

change the laser with a new is easy

[roy bates]

just get a new laser unit,there cheap.and alot less time consuming then messing with pots.

[Amiga1992]

This might help out though. The Dreamcast also usually runs into similar problems with copies.
I have found out in most cases the problem has to do with teh spin speed of the motor. If the motor is old and has gunmk in it that doesn't let it spin at teh right speed, discs don't get recognized. Originals work fine though.

I would try to clean everything up as much as possible and properly lubricate the motor's axis with something thin, NOT WD40 or some such shit (which will create gunk again).

I recently revived pretty much a Dreamcast doing this!

Although as FOL said this might not help you out now as you messed up with settings you shouldn't have, this might still help someone else having problems to read copies.

[gjb1985]

Originally Posted by FOL

The pot on the laser.

Clockwise for UP
Counterwise for DOWN

DO NOT KEEP TURNING POTS, if you do that you will damage them. They are not ment to be turned all the way around.

do you have a picture of this? is it beneath the steel protective case? I only know how this works on dreamcast and on amiga 32 it seems to be in a different place

[gjb1985]

ok I only have one original game for amiga 32 which is pirates gold and I got it to work in very weird way. the loading of the initial microspose and video goes incredibly slow and the sound is hanging a lot and it makes a very weird pitched sound. but as soon as I click through the opening video and the menu starts. the game runs fine

[gjb1985]

Originally Posted by roy bates

just get a new laser unit,there cheap.and alot less time consuming then messing with pots.

I don't think the laser unit is the problem considering it reads music cd's fine and also pirates! gold pas the initial loading.

maybe it could help if I found a picture with the original screw settings of the focus pots(teg, feg etc) it's rather unclear in the faq I have. I thought I put them the way they were though.

also what is an oscilloscope? I need it to adjust lens?

[FOL]

Originally Posted by gjb1985

I don't think the laser unit is the problem considering it reads music cd's fine and also pirates! gold pas the initial loading.

maybe it could help if I found a picture with the original screw settings of the focus pots(teg, feg etc) it's rather unclear in the faq I have. I thought I put them the way they were though.

also what is an oscilloscope? I need it to adjust lens?

If the laser is making a whining noise, then its to high or you have screwed the focus, bios etc etc. You may never get it back to a working condition without alot of effort and patience.
On the laser itself is one pot. Not the pots on the main board.
You will need to take it apart to get at laser and pot.

Just turn it slightly anti-clockwise (reduces power), if that doesn't help try clockwise (increase power). Dont go nuts though as you could kill the laser completely. Before you start mark the pot position, so you can always put it back to its original position.