Super CDROM2 Clicking noise

[famiac]

Hey guys

My SCDROM2 was working just fine before i left the state. Now that i'm back home, i tried loading a backup CD-R, and the game fails to load/takes an incredibly long time. The drive keeps making a clicking sound. I could upload a video if this is an uncommon problem.

I was wondering if anybody has experienced this before and/or knows what is going on.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Vimtoman]

If it hasn't had a recap, recap it and clean the pcb prior to putting the new ones on.

[famiac]

Both of those things have been done

[schweaty]

I'm guessing the clicking is the laser moving.  It probably needs pot adjustment

[BlueBMW]

Has it played CDRs ok in the past?

[Keith Courage]

4 possibilities.

1. the lens needs adjustment.
2. the main drive gear for the cd drive has gone bad. Yes this can happen on super cd rom 2 drives as well.
3. you are possibly using cd-r media that the CD Drive does not like. what brand are they?
4. the image that you made your burn from was bad.

[SegaSonic91]

I would recommend only using high quality Taiyou Yuden brand CD-R's, that is all I use for my back-ups, now.  The PCE family of CD-ROM2 systems are not as picky as my JP MCD1 systems, but I notice no difference between originals and said back-ups, unlike cheap CD-Rs I used in the past.  I had problems getting TDK and Verbatim discs to load on the MCD systems, but TY discs play perfectly.

In regards to the SCD, is it wise to invest in a gear for it?  I have seen them for sale but had no idea if they are a big problem like the CD-ROM2's Middle gear.

[Keith Courage]

Not as common of a problem as the CD-roms2 middle gear but I've still come across some with broken teeth.

[famiac]

I'm using Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs burned at 4x speed with a plexwriter drive.

What's the best way to check for gear damage?

[Keith Courage]

unfortunately you have to open up the system to see if the gear has any teeth missing. however, if you can play regular CD game without any issues then I'm sure the gear itself is still fine.

just for the sake of trying go ahead and burn a disk using some type of more cheap generic media.

I've come across a few PC Engine duo systems now that really dislike expensive cd-r discs. What ends up working on those systems is cheaper Sony, TDK, and verbatim discs. Should be able to purchase these at any Best Buy.

[SegaSonic91]

Heh, that's so weird that you've had DUO's that do not like the good CD-R quality.  Is that only the DUO?  Or R and RX, too?  If only the DUO, is it US and JP models or only one of the two?  Sorry for all the questions, I will keep this in mind once I test out the DUO I have at the moment.

[thesteve]

if its any duo, then its all of them as they use the same drive
i have had some very picky lasers in duo but replacing them solves it

[famiac]

Hm ok. I'll try using a different cd. I'm just using imgburn to burn at 4x speed. Do you recommend a different program?

[Keith Courage]

Imgburn should be fine. Personally I like using Alcohol 120%.

if using a different type of media yields the same results than either you may need a new lens or your current lens might need some potentiometer adjustment.

[lukemccreanor]

My super cd rom does exactly the same thing with cd-r but plays originals fine. mine hasn't been re capped or had a laser swap\pot adjustment as i cant find anyone in the uk who could do either. I did find by accident that if i turn my system upside down it will play any backup burnt on any brand of media i throw at it. it'd be interesting to know if yours works upside down.