HELP:DISCMAN D-121 Just Spins

[Wm Kresl]

Help! I have a SONY DISCMAN D-121 CD PLAYER that just spins when a
CD is inserted. Eventually it will stop, like it is seeking the disk info
track. It looks like the laser assembly is always to the end of travel
toward the center of the disk when I remove the CD. What gives and how
do I fix or further proceed?

tnx,
wmk

Wm Kresl
kr...@elknet.net
WB9...@KD9JK.WI.USA.NOAM
Delavan, WI
USA
EARTH

[YonyMar]

Sometimes the laser sled gets stuck. Try turning the sled motor or gear by
hand to move it toward the outside of the disk and try it again.

[JNadenicek]

If the laser is not providing sufficient power to "bounce" off the cd it
will try to read and focus but never start to play. On the side of the
laser pickup is usually a small potentiometer to turn the laser power up
or down. If you turn up the power and it appears to fix your player,
don't get too excited. The laser is in the death throws and will fail more
rapidly each time power is increased
TechJon

[Sam Goldwasser]

Geez! Do not tell them to turn up the laser power first - it is too easy to
ruin a perfectly good laser doing this. You will have no warning - one moment
it will work fine and the next microsecond it will be toast.

In fact, just turning that pot can ruin the laser if it is dirty - I don't
know how likely this is but it is possible.

It could be as simple as a dirty lens or crudded up track.

See the FAQ for 'startup problems'.

Adjusting laser power should only be used as the last resort. Turn that
control blind and unless the design limits the power to safe limits - not
necessarily true - it will blow because you will have no way of knowing
when you are at the limit.

--- sam : Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/REPAIR/