INDEX V2.86 (05/25/1998)

Contents:

Table of Contents
Chapter 1) About the Author & Copyright
Chapter 2) Introduction
2.1) Compact discs and the digital audio revolution
2.2) Scope of this document
2.3) Types of problems found in CD players
2.4) Repair or replace?
Chapter 3) CD Digital Audio Technology
3.1) General Introduction to CD Technology
3.2) CD information storage and playback
3.3) CD (disc) construction
3.4) And you thought driving on a narrow winding country road was tough!
3.5) CD optical pickup operating principles
3.6) Optical pickup complexity
3.7) For more information on CD technology
Chapter 4) CD Player Placement, Preventive Maintenance, and CD Care
4.1) General CD player placement considerations
4.2) Preventive maintenance
4.3) CD lens cleaning discs
4.4) CD protection and handling
4.5) CD cleaning
4.6) Should I really worry about cleaning my CDs?
4.7) Can a dirty CD or dirty lens damage my player?
4.8) Rental or library CD considerations
4.9) Can a CD player damage CDs?
4.10) Repairing a scratched CD
4.11) Repairing top-side problems on CDs
Chapter 5) CD Player and CDROM Drive Troubleshooting
5.1) SAFETY
5.2) Troubleshooting tips
5.3) Test equipment
5.4) Test CDs
5.5) Useful ways to mangle CDs
5.6) Getting inside a CD player or CDROM drive
5.7) CD enhancers
Chapter 6) CD Player and CDROM Drive Fundamentals
6.1) Parts of a CD player or CDROM drive
6.2) Power supply
6.3) Electronics board
6.4) The optical deck
6.5) Typical optical decks
6.6) Components of the optical pickup
6.7) Classification of CD player problems
6.8) Most common CD player problems
Chapter 7) Troubleshooting Guide
7.1) Instant troubleshooting chart - most common problems and likely causes
7.1.1) CD player is totally dead.
7.1.2) CD player is operational but there is no display or partial display.
7.1.3) CD player ignores you.
7.1.4) Drawer does not open or close.
7.1.5) Drawer operation is erratic.
7.1.6) Drawer does not close (or open) completely.
7.1.7) CD changer jams when selecting or ejecting CDs.
7.1.8) Spindle table loose or sticks to clamper upon eject.
7.1.9) Intermittent or erratic operation.
7.1.10) CD player or CDROM drive overheats.
7.1.11) Operation is poor or erratic when cold:
7.1.12) Disc is not recognized displaying 'disc', 'error', etc.
7.1.13) Disc spins in wrong direction or overspeeds and is never recognized.
7.1.14) Pickup attempts to reset past inner track.
7.1.15) Player won't let you go near it and/or use your favorite lamp.
7.1.16) Seek operations take too long or fail to complete.
7.1.17) Search, seek, or play starts correctly, then loses time or position.
7.1.18) Short distance skipping.
7.1.19) Playback gets stuck (rapid repeat).
7.1.20) Occasional long distance skipping or repeating.
7.1.21) Player gets stuck at approximately same time on multiple discs.
7.1.22) Various tracking problems on portions of discs:
7.1.23) Repetitive noise at disc rotation rate.
7.1.24) Audio muting, noise, or distortion.
7.2) General inspection, cleaning, and lubrication
7.3) Lubrication of CD players
Chapter 8) General System Problems
8.1) CD player is totally dead
8.2) CD player is operational but there is no display or partial display
8.3) CD player ignores you
8.4) Drawer does not open or close
8.5) Drawer operation is erratic
8.6) Drawer does not close (or open) completely
8.7) CD changer jams when selecting or ejecting CDs
8.8) Spindle table loose or sticks to clamper upon eject
8.9) Intermittent or erratic operation
8.10) CD player or CDROM drive overheats
8.11) Operation is poor or erratic when cold
Chapter 9) Startup Problems
9.1) What is a startup problem?
9.2) Startup sequence
9.3) Procedure for validating the startup sequence
9.4) Disc spins in wrong direction or overspeeds and is never recognized
9.5) Pickup attempts to reset past inner track
9.6) Player won't let you go near it and/or use your favorite lamp
Chapter 10) Tracking (Seek and Play) Problems
10.1) Description of seek and play problems
10.2) The seek process
10.3) Diagnosis of erratic play
10.4) Seek operations take too long or fail to complete
10.5) Types of skipping problems
10.6) Short distance skipping
10.7) Playback gets stuck (rapid repeat)
10.8) Occasional long distance skipping or repeating
10.9) Player gets stuck at approximately same time on multiple discs
10.10) Various tracking problems on portions of discs
10.11) Repetitive noise at disc rotation rate
10.12) Marginal play - internal controls are not marked
10.13) Testing the sled for mechanical problems
Chapter 11) Miscellaneous Problems
11.1) Audio problems - muting, noise, or distortion
11.2) Problems with the digital circuitry
11.3) Problems with the analog circuitry
11.4) Voice (almost) missing from CD playback
11.5) Problems with extended length discs
11.6) Problems reading CD-Rs
11.7) Problems recording CD-Rs
11.8) Problems with anti-skip buffers
11.9) Problems with CDROM drives
11.10) Portable CD player/CDROM drive power considerations - batteries
11.11) Portable CD player/CDROM drive power considerations - AC adapters
11.12) Boomboxes and compact stereo systems
11.13) CD player was dropped or got wet
11.14) Repairing flexible printed cables
11.15) CD player whine
11.16) Objective lens popped out
11.17) Testing the optical pickup
Chapter 12) Servo Systems and CD Player Adjustments
12.1) Servo systems
12.2) Play adjustments
12.3) Adjustment procedure for noise or skipping
12.4) Repetitive noise at disc rotation frequency
12.5) Short distance skipping or sticking
12.6) General servo adjustment procedure
12.7) Tips for adjusting CDROM drives
12.8) Low laser power
12.9) Optical alignment
Chapter 13) Motors and Spindles
13.1) Small motors in CD players
13.2) Problems with small PM motors
13.3) Testing of motors
13.4) Reviving a partially shorted or erratic PM motor
13.5) Replacement motors
13.6) Motor bearing problems
13.7) Spindle motor problems
13.8) Spindle motor drive modification to minimize chances of future problems
13.9) Spindle motor replacement
13.10) Unknown spindle platter height when replacing spindle motor
13.11) Spindle platform pulling
13.12) Correcting spindle platform wobble
13.13) Sled motor problems
13.14) Sled motor drivers
Chapter 14) Notes on Specific Equipment
14.1) Pioneer PD/M series players/changers do not recognize discs
14.2) Pioneer PD/M series test mode
14.3) Pioneer spindle motor voltage (operating normally)
14.4) Pioneer spindle motor problems
14.5) Pioneer PD/M series servo adjustment procedure
14.6) Pioneer PD-7010 adjustment procedure (from Davidson)
14.7) Yamaha CD3 adjustment procedure (from Davidson)
14.8) Audio whine (not from speakers) and/or muddy sound with Sony CD players
14.9) Notes on Sony CDU31/33A CDROM drives.
14.10) Disassembling the Sony CDU31/33A CDROM drive
14.11) Sony Playstation (and other game machine) problems
14.12) Playstation appears dead
14.13) PSX controller unreponssive
14.14) General problems reading PSX discs
14.15) Bouncing picture on some (Zenith) TVs
Chapter 15) Testing of Optical Pickup Assemblies
15.1) Introduction
15.2) When and why to test the pickup
15.3) Required tools, documentation, and test equipment
15.4) Precautions
15.5) Basic description of optical pickup
15.6) Identifying connections to the optical pickup
15.7) Testing the laser diode while in the player
15.8) Testing the laser diode with an external power supply
15.9) Laser power adjustment
15.10) Testing the focus and tracking actuators
15.11) Testing the photodiode array
15.12) Making the photodiode measurements
15.13) Sony KSS series optical pickups
15.14) Interchangeability of Sony KSS pickups
15.15) Super simple optical pickups
Chapter 16) Items of Interest
16.1) CD technology basic specifications
16.2) Comparison of CD and DVD Specifications
16.3) A down-to-earth comparison of digital and analog recording
16.4) What is oversampling?
16.5) What is an anti-aliasing filter
16.6) How good are the digital filters in digital audio systems?
16.7) Instant oversampling theory
16.8) Is there a difference between CDs for 1X, 2X, or 25X CDROM drives?
16.9) CDROM drive speed - where will it end?
16.10) CDROM spins continuously even when not in use
16.11) Golden ears and technohype
16.12) That last little decimal point
16.13) Totally worthless gadgets for CD enthusiasts
16.14) More on CD enhancers - magic markers and anti-vibration disks
16.15) Why is speaker cable like spaghetti?
16.16) Can a CDROM disc damage a CD player?
16.17) Performance testing of CD players
16.18) Comments on test discs
16.19) Custom test CDs using CD-Rs
16.20) Controlling the pitch of a CD player
16.21) Converting a CD player into a CDROM drive
16.22) Using a CDROM drive as a stand-alone CD player
16.23) SP/DIF digital audio interface
16.24) Can I use the pickup from a CD player or CDROM drive for optical experiments?
16.25) Taking a CD player overseas (or vice-versa)
16.26) Sony portable service mode
16.27) Portable CD player Q & A
16.28) CD players in vehicles
16.29) Who says CDROM drives are fragile?
16.30) Most expensive replacement part of the century award
16.31) Comments on Sony KSS pickup suspension problems
16.32) Impress your friends with the power of your CD player
Chapter 17) Exploration and Tinkering
17.1) Interesting CD player signals
17.2) The CD player 'eye' pattern
17.3) Focus and tracking drive or error signals
17.4) Focus, tracking, and error correction performance
17.5) IR detector circuit
17.6) Laser diode fundamentals
17.7) Laser diode life
17.8) Use of a CD, CDROM, CD-R, or DVD disc as diffraction grating
Chapter 18) Service Information
18.1) Advanced CD troubleshooting
18.2) Web resources
18.3) Suggested references
18.4) Rubber belts in CD players
18.5) Interchangeability of electronic and mechanical components
18.6) Interchangeability of components in the optical pickup
18.7) Aligning the lens assembly after replacement
18.8) Recommended parts suppliers