An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

Thanks.

Roy

An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Just routine maintenance may be all that's needed. The OP should clean the
lens, clean/lube the slider surfaces, and lube the top bearing of the
spindle motor. Many skipping problems are fixed this way, especially those
that relate to the beginning of the disc.

Mark Z.



--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Tim Padrick" wrote in message
...
One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along
the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was
a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head
into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in
and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at
least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of
lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance
that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Just routine maintenance may be all that's needed. The OP should clean the
lens, clean/lube the slider surfaces, and lube the top bearing of the
spindle motor. Many skipping problems are fixed this way, especially those
that relate to the beginning of the disc.

Mark Z.



--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Tim Padrick" wrote in message
...
One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along
the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was
a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head
into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in
and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at
least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of
lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance
that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Just routine maintenance may be all that's needed. The OP should clean the
lens, clean/lube the slider surfaces, and lube the top bearing of the
spindle motor. Many skipping problems are fixed this way, especially those
that relate to the beginning of the disc.

Mark Z.



--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Tim Padrick" wrote in message
...
One additional possibility: the motor that drives the laser "sled" along
the
rails could have dead spots. (Back in the early to mid nineties this was
a
common problem with once particular high-end model from the UK.) So you
need to find a full replacement assembly, not just a laser head. Once you
have the new assembly in and working properly, swap the old laser head
into
the new assembly and see if it works ok. If so, put the new one back in
and
keep the old one for a spare. (You'll want to use the new one for at
least
a few hours to burn it in and make sure it's ok. I've seen plenty of
lasers
that were fine out of the box, yet after a few hours of use were no longer
within spec. I once had a batch of 20 that yielded only 12 once they were
burnt in. And these were supposed to have been QC'd in the UK.)



"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
An unusal percentage of my CDs now skip new the beginning of the disc.

Could there be a reason for this relating to the CD player, in addition
to
anything with the discs themselves?

I have an older ADCOM 600 CD player.

On a second topic: does the laser ever need cleaning or maintenance
that
can be performed at home? If so, how?

I'd suspect one of three things:

- The "rails" on which the laser/optic assembly slide back and forth
have become dusty/dirty. The sled no longer moves freely, and the
optical system can no longer track the disc.

It may be possible to clean the rails using a Q-tip moistened with
isopropyl alcohol, and then lubricate the rails with a _small_
amount of sewing-machine oil or Tri-flo on another Q-tip.

- The laser's lens system is dusty. You may be able to clean the lens
using a photographer's lens-brush (a very soft-bristle brush
mounted on a rubber air-puffer bulb). Brush gently, puff air
across the lens to blow off the loosened dust.

- The laser diode may be wearing out. After enough hours of
operation, the laser's output decreases - once it falls enough, the
photodiode and tracking system can no longer read the disc
reliably. It's sometimes possible to boost the current to the
diode by tweaking a potentiometer on the board, but this is
strictly a temporary workaround - the increased current causes the
laser to age even faster. Sooner or later it'll burn out, and need
to be replaced (which may not be economical in today's market).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!