[wombatsauce]

Wow - this is great!! I am a Discman junkie and have been since I was a kid. I saved up mowing lawns and bought a D-303 when they came out. Then I got crafty and bought a D-555, another D-303, D-66, D-35, D-311 (IIRC - it was dark grey and VERY thin), the first ESP discman - (don't remember, D-515 or something - had the same LCD remote as the thin one) and a few others. I used to take school trips into Portland, OR and walk from downtown to SonyOnly. What a whacko! Someone stole all but the 303 and the 35 from me when I left school.

Now, the D-35 has the very known skipping issue on the first tracks. Otherwise it's a great player. I don't ever use it anymore, so I put it up on eBay minutes ago. I love my D-303 though and I don't want to get rid of it. I was about to put it up there too, but did one last search that brought me here.

The D-303 also has the same skipping problem, but recently it stopped playing due to me being an idiot. I noticed that the spindle was a little higher than normal, so I pressed down on it. The player worked better than ever and didn't skip! After a while and another disc, it skipped again - so I opened it up and pressed one more time. Something went POP and now the spindle is pressed hard against the motor from what I can tell.

I have looked around for someone to fix this, and no one will touch it - most say it's an old Discman and it's not worth it..... I really like this player for it's build quality, incredible sound output, optical out and etc. This is my second D-303 - I used to use them in parallel on a simple mixing board to DJ school dances. I had a black one and a charcoal one, this is the charcoal unit. Would anyone be willing to take a look at this and charge me a fair price to fix it? I see a lot of you are pretty confident opening a player up. I am like that with my car and computer stuff, but not a Discman! Let me know if someone would want to take a look at it.

Also - if there's any way to find a D-555 let me know. That is an amazing unit and I have missed it for years. I would really like to find one, but I imagine they are spendy by now.

Thanks!!

-Jacob

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onix I also believed the ribbon was getting stuck somehow. Tried to move it a couple of times, and I even think I played a CD with the player open to see if the ribbon was stil stuck. But the problem kept repeating. I can try again. In any case, how do you clean and libe the worm gear?

On a D-11, I'm not sure what you'd use, as I've never had one of those apart (as far as I recall).
But depending on the model, I've used fine paint brushes for use on model kits, soaked with a little rubbing alcohol. I've also used unwaxed dental floss with a little rubbing alcohol. And tweezers are good for pulling off any hair or fuzz wrapped around the worm gear. Once you've got the worm gear sufficiently cleaned, relube it with a small amount of plastic-compatible lightweight grease. I use grease by a company called LaBelle. Go to your nearest hobby shop and ask for it there. Model railroaders, and probably RC vehicle hobbyists use it too. Once you get some grease on the worm gear, load a full (74-80 minute) CD into the player and skip forward to the end of the disc while playing, and then back to the beginning to distribute the grease onto the entire length of the worm gear.
Don't know if this will solve the problem or not. But it certainly won't hurt.

Jeff

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by a12518 I did defeat the shut-off switch and did see a red beam. The laser "eye" would move up and down several times in an attempt to read a CD and then would stop.

Well that doesn't really help with the diagnosis of the problem. If it wasn't putting out ANY red beam, the problem would be more obvious (dead laser, maybe)!
I'm only a "backyard mechanic" (and barely, at that) with these things myself.
Possible causes of pot tweaking not solving the problem:
1) Too ham-fisted and random when adjusting the pots. Mark the original location of each with a fine-point sharpie before starting, so they can be put back to the original position if need be. Work with one pot at a time. Move it until you notice some subtle change in the operation of the player. If the change doesn't seem to help, put the pot back where it was and try the next, and so on. I've got a D-4 that I've had apart no less than three times, and still can't get it to work. On most of the players I've had luck tweaking, it always seemed to be one pot that was the major problem in each (but sometimes a different one in each), as opposed to all of them needing adjustment. When I'd find the one that was the main culprit, and would adjust it to at least get the player somewhat functional, I'd then go back and see if minor adjustments on the others would further fine tune the operation.
In the case of my D-4, and your player for that matter, it may simply be that ALL the pots need to be adjusted, and it's just too difficult to get them all "harmonized" well enough to get the player to function. It's just an uneducated theory I have. Or maybe the problem could be........................

2) A weak laser. Which would probably take a professional technician to diagnose. Just taking a chance that the problem IS a weak laser, and taking the effort to locate, purchase, and install a replacement may be foolhardy and/or cost prohibitive. Because it may be a problem with.........................

3) Some other area of the internal circuitry entirely, which, short of something obvious, such as a loose wire or a leaking capacitor or 5, would also take a professional tech to diagnose.

So that's my uneducated take on things. Sorry I can offer no concrete solutions. Good luck.

Jeff

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wombatsauce Wow - this is great!! I am a Discman junkie and have been since I was a kid. I saved up mowing lawns and bought a D-303 when they came out. Then I got crafty and bought a D-555, another D-303, D-66, D-35, D-311 (IIRC - it was dark grey and VERY thin), the first ESP discman - (don't remember, D-515 or something - had the same LCD remote as the thin one) and a few others. I used to take school trips into Portland, OR and walk from downtown to SonyOnly. What a whacko! Someone stole all but the 303 and the 35 from me when I left school. Now, the D-35 has the very known skipping issue on the first tracks. Otherwise it's a great player. I don't ever use it anymore, so I put it up on eBay minutes ago. I love my D-303 though and I don't want to get rid of it. I was about to put it up there too, but did one last search that brought me here. The D-303 also has the same skipping problem, but recently it stopped playing due to me being an idiot. I noticed that the spindle was a little higher than normal, so I pressed down on it. The player worked better than ever and didn't skip! After a while and another disc, it skipped again - so I opened it up and pressed one more time. Something went POP and now the spindle is pressed hard against the motor from what I can tell. I have looked around for someone to fix this, and no one will touch it - most say it's an old Discman and it's not worth it..... I really like this player for it's build quality, incredible sound output, optical out and etc. This is my second D-303 - I used to use them in parallel on a simple mixing board to DJ school dances. I had a black one and a charcoal one, this is the charcoal unit. Would anyone be willing to take a look at this and charge me a fair price to fix it? I see a lot of you are pretty confident opening a player up. I am like that with my car and computer stuff, but not a Discman! Let me know if someone would want to take a look at it. Also - if there's any way to find a D-555 let me know. That is an amazing unit and I have missed it for years. I would really like to find one, but I imagine they are spendy by now. Thanks!! -Jacob

Stupid question:
Have you tried pulling UP on the spindle? Sounds like it is just pressed down too far on the shaft...

Jeff

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Meanie On a D-11, I'm not sure what you'd use, as I've never had one of those apart (as far as I recall). But depending on the model, I've used fine paint brushes for use on model kits, soaked with a little rubbing alcohol. I've also used unwaxed dental floss with a little rubbing alcohol. And tweezers are good for pulling off any hair or fuzz wrapped around the worm gear. Once you've got the worm gear sufficiently cleaned, relube it with a small amount of plastic-compatible lightweight grease. I use grease by a company called LaBelle. Go to your nearest hobby shop and ask for it there. Model railroaders, and probably RC vehicle hobbyists use it too. Once you get some grease on the worm gear, load a full (74-80 minute) CD into the player and skip forward to the end of the disc while playing, and then back to the beginning to distribute the grease onto the entire length of the worm gear. Don't know if this will solve the problem or not. But it certainly won't hurt. Jeff

Thanks Jeff, I'll try that and let's see what happens.

 

[wombatsauce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Meanie Stupid question: Have you tried pulling UP on the spindle? Sounds like it is just pressed down too far on the shaft... Jeff

That's not a stupid question at all. I tried, but I feel like I am going to break the piece. I tried pulling evenly with a putty knife on both sides, and nada - I really don't want to make it worse than it is. Looks like my D-35 isn't really a hot seller on eBay as well. Oh well. Haha..

-Jacob

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wombatsauce That's not a stupid question at all. I tried, but I feel like I am going to break the piece. I tried pulling evenly with a putty knife on both sides, and nada - I really don't want to make it worse than it is. Looks like my D-35 isn't really a hot seller on eBay as well. Oh well. Haha.. -Jacob

Well, if it's not working at all now due to the problem, it seems to me that it can't get much worse. I'd volunteer to take a look at it for you, but I've never dealt with a D-303 before. I've had plenty of other Sony models apart though...

Jeff

 

[jbritz22]

I got a problem too. My discman doesnt work normally, I have to turn it at a 90 degree angle, otherwise it wont work. I think its the little ball bearings that hold the disc in place. Here is a picture:

Any ideas on how to fix it, I really want it fixed...

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbritz22 I got a problem too. My discman doesnt work normally, I have to turn it at a 90 degree angle, otherwise it wont work. I think its the little ball bearings that hold the disc in place. Here is a picture: Any ideas on how to fix it, I really want it fixed...

Why do you suspect the ball bearings are the problem? Your picture only shows one of the three, which means the picture isn't any help in diagnosing a problem. What brand and model is your player? I have an old Sony D-350 that would only play correctly if held in a vertical position. If I recall correctly (it was long ago), I opened up the case and adjusted a couple of the pots, and it has played perfectly ever since.

 

[jbritz22]

Its an RCA RP2502.

http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/Culture...oductID=RP2502

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbritz22 Its an RCA RP2502. http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/Culture...oductID=RP2502

OK, that answers HALF of my questions. You still haven't explained why you suspect that the disc clamping mechanism is the culprit. I could be wrong, but I don't recall ANYONE having posted anything here about repairing one of those. My advice? Go here:
http://search-desc.ebay.com/RP2502_C...Z1QQsofocusZbs

Spend the 10 bucks for one that is "like new", pay the 8 bucks for shipping, and you're all set for $18. IMO, that player isn't worth taking it apart in an effort to fix it, when replacements are available so cheaply.

Jeff

 

[mrdon]

I recently scored this legendary unit. It is in good condition and I would like to keep it that way. Two questions to throw out there for advice and guidance:

1. I googled around for mods to this unit and I found that it is imperative that the motor IC is heatsinked as this is the weakest link and prone to failure! Has anyone done this procedure and can anyone send me pictures as a reference?

2. When the unit is playing I hear a "swishing" sound as the disc spins. (BTW, it does not appear to be the lid scraping the top of the spinning cd.) Is this a concern and if so, how do I unswish it?

Thanks a head of time!

 

[utada_exodus]

hey guys,
i want to do some repairs of inside of my discman

but my discman has a label:
"class 1 laser product:
invisible laser radiation when open and interlocks defeated. avoid exposure to beam."

would it be okay to open up my discman? like unscrew the screws and open it up.. i just need to do one quick repair.

thanks!

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utada_exodus hey guys, i want to do some repairs of inside of my discman but my discman has a label: "class 1 laser product: invisible laser radiation when open and interlocks defeated. avoid exposure to beam." would it be okay to open up my discman? like unscrew the screws and open it up.. i just need to do one quick repair. thanks!

ALL discmen have that label. My guess would be that you'll have the player turned off when opening it up. This would make it very difficult to to be exposed to "invisible laser radiation", don't you think? : ) But seriously, if you end up having the player operating while taking it apart, just avoid shining the beam from the laser assembly into your eyes. This would be the only major concern.

Jeff

 

[utada_exodus]

^thanks a lot! i took out the batteries and successfully fixed it without mutating my face with lasers

although most of the time i end up breaking things more by trying to fix em, so not that i'd run around recommending it to everyone lol