does a CD lens die?

Music as represented in 1's and 0's. Discuss anything pertaining to D hardware - CD, DVD, SACD, DAC, etc.

does a CD lens die?

Postby jadis » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:13 pm

just curious if anyone has used a cd player till its lens died and would not read anymore...my 1987 philips/magnavox transport is taking a
long time till it initially reads all the tracks on start up...wonder if the
lens is about to die...
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Postby iceman90a » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:56 pm

i've had a lens die on me - but it wasn't a CD player well sort of it was my Sony Playstation... after several years of use, the lens just wouldn' read anymore...

at first the usual remedies were done:
- cleaning the lens
- oiling the rail (where the lens travels)
- adjusting the laser intensity

but eventually it just quit. i had the lens replaced, and its as good as new :D
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Postby jadis » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:01 pm

thanks for the feedback, iceman. well at least it's good to know the lens can be replaced,
if they are available at all...
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Postby Oldfogey » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:17 pm

Hi Jadis,

Yup, this happened to me when my CDP was not yet two years old! Thankfully, the company offered to replace the laser mechanism gratis. But you are correct in thinking that several laser pickup models are no longer available, hopefully the companies have stocked up on spares!

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Postby zach » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:51 pm

how do they die? what in the lens wears out?
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Postby KD » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:59 pm

Intuitively, I would think the only thing that can go wrong with the device is that the laser stops giving off light (napundi).
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Postby iceman90a » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:04 pm

or maybe the lens turns hazy over time - affecting the light that is supposed to shine through?
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Postby quarterback » Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:03 pm

I have replaced the lens of Rotel RCD 971. At first it took sometime to read then ayaw ng pirated (natakot siguro kay Edu) then it died. According to the technician napundi na. Same thing with the Cd player of my 1998 CRV at first ayaw ng pirated then ayaw na talaga. The lens can easily be replaced. Mine cost Php4.5 last year. I don't know how true it is but the tech said the reflections on cheap cd used for clones affect the lens. There maybe some truth in this because our 2002 Civic which is being used by my son now also has trouble reading cds.
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Postby bayonic » Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:19 pm

2 things can fail over time ....

the laser ( emitter ) - no laser beam emitted to CD
and
the photo-electric cell ( receiver ) - cannot read data reflected from CD

the lens/prism in-between the two components can also get damaged.

all three components are usually replaced as one assembly.
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Postby dogears » Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:04 pm

OR the spindle motor just may be the culprit. I've read somewhere that the cd lens is very durable, however, the spindle motor may wear off. It's also a problem when you don't use your player for a long period of time- it gets 'stuck' :P I just recently dissected my 'Made in Japan' Denon portable cd player coz I just won't accept that the lens isn't working anymore. First thing I did was to check if the spindle motor was still working. Found out that it did so I connected it directly to a 3Vdc supply for a minute to loosen it up. Assembled everything back and it's working fine again :D
But then the same trick didn't work to the other 'dead' players I checked after :lol: 1 had a working spindle motor but won't complete it's startup sequence :P the other 1 just needed some loosening up on the mechanical gear and switches.

more on troubleshooting cd players at http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/cdfaq.htm
enjoy reading! :D
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Postby jadis » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:02 am

Hi OF,

wow, two yrs old and gone...swerte pa pala ako...but good to know there are companies that still give great support. and thanks for all who
are kind enough to share their experiences.
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Postby Audio_Tyro » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:15 am

Yes, the CD lense has limited life span (longevity depends on usage). That's why it's not advisable to invest in a very expensive digital rig.
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Postby ihatejazz » Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:20 am

Audio_Tyro wrote:Yes, the CD lense has limited life span (longevity depends on usage). That's why it's not advisable to invest in a very expensive digital rig.


That is why I have always argued, both being healthy from day 1, a phono cartridge will always outlast the digital counterpart
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Postby dogears » Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:52 am

Audio_Tyro wrote:Yes, the CD lense has limited life span (longevity depends on usage). That's why it's not advisable to invest in a very expensive digital rig.


Bai, like how many years kaya?
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Postby bugsy » Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:11 am

dogears wrote:
Audio_Tyro wrote:Yes, the CD lense has limited life span (longevity depends on usage). That's why it's not advisable to invest in a very expensive digital rig.


Bai, like how many years kaya?


Like a light bulb, it is built to last X amount of years but only God knows when he will halt the life of a CD lens. I guess, the more you use it the faster it goes blind. Specially if you are one to keep jumping from one track to another more often than usual. There will always be that strain factor.

The cartridge, on the other hand. is somewhat of a phenomenon. Great MC's from the glory days of Koetsus and Supex can last almost forever. I know for a great number of analog users still using their trusty Koestsu Urushis and Platinums to date. i.e. Jadis is one! :wink: I am sure its still gives them goosebumps when playing them today as they did the first day these used them carts!
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Postby Audiogeek » Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:13 am

dogears wrote:
Audio_Tyro wrote:Yes, the CD lense has limited life span (longevity depends on usage). That's why it's not advisable to invest in a very expensive digital rig.


Bai, like how many years kaya?


I agree. It has been said that the lifetime of cd lens pick up is designed and estimated to last for 20 years or less depending on the type of use. But due to technology and frequent remodelling always tempts to upgrade and change change cd player in 3-5 years. My 16-year old cd player (which im using for almost 8 years now)is still runnin and reading good and giving me the same old sound. Reading problems usually came from the mechanical side like misalignment, wear and tear of the gears or motor, skipping due to lack of special grease, lack of or low luminance of the laser beam, or simply defective lens pick up system. It is however advisable to replace your lens if it shows repeated abnormal behavior.
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Postby dogears » Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:28 am

Cool! I hope my pcdp will give me good music for the next 10yrs pa for a full 20yrs of service :D
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Postby onedown » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:07 am

dogears,

my previous portable lasted for about 10 years before it died out. :(
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Postby dogears » Tue Mar 01, 2005 1:22 pm

onedown, palitan mo na ng pocket radio :D oops, OT :P
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Postby brady » Tue Mar 01, 2005 5:48 pm

Sony lenses (in Audio Note, or Rotel, or Yamaha or Cambridge CDPs, for instance) costs anywhere from P600 to about P800.
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