'No Disc' error

CuppaCocoa

Friend of mine has a JVC Superfine mini stack system approx 12 years old which she paid a lot for. The CD player reads 'error - no disc' when you put one in. Occasionaly it will play but most of the time wont. Do you think the lazer could be dirty and if so, would you have to dismantle it to clean it? Is it worth getting it repaired or should she just buy another player. Trouble is because of its age she may not get one to match.

big_moe

try a laser cleaner first, only cost about a tenner. you can get the type that an actual cd with brushes on it to clean the laser. if it needs more than that then its probably not worth while getting it repaired

adam

CuppaCocoa

If it won't read a disc how will it recognise a cleaning one?

big_moe

the disc has brushes on it so when the laser is trying to read the discs it goes through the brushes and gets cleaned. well, thats the idea!

Fuzzy Clam

It may be worthwhile cleaning the head manualy. It can work very well.
I prefer to use Isopropyl Alcohol (available from most chemists) but you could use meths. Use a cotton bud and be gentle.
The cleaning discs will not remove a build up of grime.

guinnessdrinker

big_moe wrote: »

the disc has brushes on it so when the laser is trying to read the discs it goes through the brushes and gets cleaned. well, thats the idea!

Moe, the problem is that the player is not recognising the disc so even when a lens cleaning disc is inserted it will not be recognised and so the disc will not spin. Cleaning discs work better when the player reads the discs but its skipping or not playing correctly even though the disc is spinning.

big_moe

the cleaning disks dont actually spin inside the player. on the disc tray is a slot where the laser runs up and down as the disc spins. the cleaning disc goes in the player so that the brushes on the disc are in the slot where the laser runs up and down. so the laser moves up and down, tries to read the disc and passes through the brushes.

obviously, these discs cant clean all the dirt off so its more than these discs can handle then you'll need to have the laser physically cleaned by a repair technician. this will cost you so if its a cheap enough cd player then it might not be worth leaving it in for repair as you'd pick up a new one for small money. the guy we use for repairs in work charges 70+vat minimum for repairs.



the big hole is where the brushes will stay as the laser runs up and down.

cnocbui

I have never encountered a problem with a CD player that was due to dirt on the lens.

What I have found in several CD players is that the mechanism that moves the laser head to read the disc can have problems with the lubrication of the moving parts. The grease accumulates dust and I think this eventually degrades the lubrication qualities of the grease and interferes with the ability of the mechanism to position the laser with the incredibly fine precision that is required. This usually manifests as a player starting to skip a lot. It is easy, if time consuming, to fix.

This no disk error sounds like it might be due to the laser head getting stuck completely so that is unable to move from its rest position.

Does the CD player make the normal noises it used to make when it was working properly? I don't mean the disc spinning noise, I mean the chirping or zzzt noises they make as the head moves about to read the disc?

CuppaCocoa

Sorted! I took it apart and cleaned the lens with a cotton bud dipped in a solution I use for cleaning vinly records. The bud didn't have any dirt on it but it did the trick. Probably just a build up of grease from the years. Works perfectly now!

Thanks to all!

cnocbui

lilybarlean wrote: »

Sorted! I took it apart and cleaned the lens with a cotton bud dipped in a solution I use for cleaning vinly records. The bud didn't have any dirt on it but it did the trick. Probably just a build up of grease from the years. Works perfectly now!

Thanks to all!

Great!

I think cleaning the lens (unnecessary ) jiggled the lens carriage and unstuck it. If it gives trouble again, look at the carriage and work out what it slides on - it is usually a highly polished metal rod. Clean of all the old grease using toothpicks or the like. If you use a cotton bud, make very sure not to leave even a single fiber behind. Re-grease with silicone or preferably, teflon based grease. You only need a tiny amount.

There is also usually a plastic rail the other side of the carriage that it also rests and slides on, clean and lube that too. If you study how it all works, you should also see a small motor with a worm/spiral drive that engages a gear or two, which in turn engage a linear rack attached to the carriage. You can move the carriage along the rail to get at the bit of the rail inside carriage, by rotating the worm drive bit with your finger or the rubber on a pencil. It takes a lot of turns to move the carriage much.

Clean the grease from the worm, cogs and rack and re-grease.