[drarthurwells]

For some time I have been doing E5 repair of transport/laser problems with free parts supplied to me by www.cattylink.com

Owners of units under warranty are not charged for parts and my labor is free.

I receive no pay or other compensation from Cattylink other than reimbursement for tranportation costs. I pay the same price as everyone else for all the things I buy from Cattylink except when I get a break on transportation in ordering multiple units (which I have done - up to six units).

Many E5 units are now out of warranty. The failure of the laser is the problem in nearly every case of E5 failure, and this is infrequent. The fantastic reliability of the E5 is one reason I am willing to do free work on it - the other reason is my great satisfaction with the E5 (used in my home speaker system) and my satisfaction with all the many other products I have purchased from Cattylink.

For out of warranty units, you can get a rebuilt transport with a new laser for $50 USD and then get a refund of $10 USD if you return your old defective transport to me. You pay the $50 to cattylink by paypal to Cattylink and they will later credit you $10 when you return the defective transport to me.

Transportation is extra which you pay to me directly, with paypal.

If you want to send me your E5 and let me do the transport replacement than you pay transportation both ways, at the same prices above.

I have many enemies who believe my enthusiasm for products sold by Cattylink is evidenced that I have a trade or business association with them, and that I am touting their products. I have gotten some very nasty private messages about this. I have no trade or business relationship whatsover with Cattylink, but no good deed goes unpunished.

Art

 

[swt61]

There will always be those looking for ulterior motives in any good deed, but your time and effort have definitely not gone unnoticed Art. Many of us find you to be a very generous Head-Fier. Keep the faith, and good deeds hold their own rewards.

 

[guzziguy]

Being an E5 owner, this is very reassuring. Hopefully I'll never have to contact you about a problem with it, but it's nice to know you are there.

 

[mtan002]

Art, please keep up the good work. I really appreciated your help last time.

 

[webbie64]

Art,

I don't have an E5 but have considered it in its various guises at times (I'm settled with my sources for the moment but the E5 is always a consideration when I discuss sources with/for others).

In researching it I have noted your support for all our fellow Head-Fi-ers and add my appreciation for all of the efforts you have made for others.

It is unfortinate that the few who verbally make themselves known as being antagonistic towards you can easily focus your attention when there are no doubt multitudes of us out here who admire and support the work good people like yourself do for others in the community.

Keep your chin up, Art. You are very much appreciated.

 

[ken36]

Folks that live in glass houses................

 

[Mher6]

Hopefully nothing happens to my E5, but thanks so much for your generosity.

On a side note, is replacing the transport difficult? I do not have any experience with DIY, but do have comprehensive experience with computers (if that helps any).

 

[drarthurwells]

The transport is replaced by taking out three screws and then unplugging three plug-in connectors - no soldering.

This must be done by instructions that I will email them to anyone who provides me their email address.

If you have any reading problem let me know by email - many times the problem is resolved without any transport repair.

For those who want to replace just the laser nested inside the tranport, I give instructions for this also. The laser is Philips part CDM 12.6 and can be purchased world-wide from many electronic supply vendors. You can buy one for maybe $20 or so and put it in yourself.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt61 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There will always be those looking for ulterior motives in any good deed, but your time and effort have definitely not gone unnoticed Art. Many of us find you to be a very generous Head-Fier. Keep the faith, and good deeds hold their own rewards.

X2. Most generous man on Head fi. I respect him greatly.

 

[bhd812]

I don't have a e5 or any Cattylinky product but You D-wells would be the reason why i would (if i would) buy anything in regards to an e5. i think its smart for catty to work with you on repairs cause for someone in the usa it makes things so much easier.

can some one buy a transport separate just for back up?

 

[Borat]

I'm counting down the days until I will need your help, Art. My E5 is acting up right now (skips a lot when reading cds) and I fear that the inevitable "No Disc" readings will soon come upon me.

 

[drarthurwells]

To: bhd812

These are transports from E5 buyers that used them briefly and had early failure from defective lasers (that were initially good - maybe damaged in shipping), and were taken in by me and replaced with brand new transports under warranty . Rather than ship the defective ones back to China at great shipping costs, I replaced the laser (and sometimes other parts) with a new one, to rebuild them to like new condition. You pay Cattylink (not me) for the rebuilt transports. Please wait until you need one because of limited supply. I will be around for years to help anyone who needs it. If the supply runs out I could always rebuild your old transport for free if you buy the laser (CDM 12.6 available inexpensively from part vendors) and send it to me, with your old transport, for me to rebuild. You pay shipping both ways.


To: Borat

CD reading problems can be caused by different things - dirty laser lens, sticking tray face plate that doesn't allow the tray to fully close (even a slight failure for the tray to fully seat can cause a reading failure), and a bad laser.

First clean the laser, as that can sometimes correct tracking problems.

Unplug power to the E5. Remove the top cover with a 2.5 mm hex wrench. It fits tight but slides up and out.

Push end of CD tray inside the E5 to bring the tray out some - looking down you can see the tiny green laser lens exposed as you slide the tray about halfway out. Clean top surface of this laser lens with a dry cotton Q tip (use of alcohol or other fluid on tip is not recommended as any liquid touching the laser might seep down around the edge of the laser and could cause problems ).

Then put top cover back on - it can be hard to push in as it fits tight - may need to file the sides of the cover to smooth them for insertion.

A sticking faceplate can prevent the tray from fully seating and this can cause a "no read" problem. As the tray goes into the CDP, gently push the tray in all the way until it seats. If the CDP now reads then you need to adjust the tray - contact me.

 

[philodox]

I had some transport issues with my second CD-E5 [had zero issues with my first unit] and after talking to Snowy at Cattylink, Art sent me a replacement drive. With the instructions we were able to find here on head-fi [some were Arts, but there was a very nice pictoral someone else did] it was a very simple job replacing it.

Thanks again Art.

 

[rmplane]

Art,
I have a CD-E5 that has suffered an early life laser failure. My usual audio repair guy Alex (The Analog Store) has tested the unit and confirmed it has failed. He claims it is not repairable since the part is no longer available. I bought this unit after reading the complete thread here and am desperate to have the unit back on line (nothing else comes close). Can you help?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Borat]

You can buy the laser with the wagon here:

Original Philips Optical Pickup | Distributed By MCM | VAM1202

You need to remove the old laser wagon from the E5 and put this in its place. There is a small board that connects to the ribbon that you need to transfer to the new one. Also the replacement will not come with the wiring so you have to solder the old wires onto the replacement. You can do this yourself if you have an iron, but if you don't, a TV/VCR repair technician should be able to take care of you.