PC Engine CD drive requires warm up

[BlueBMW]

Ok, after numerous tests I believe chop5 and I have narrowed this issue down to a few components.

I'll do a complete write up of the whole investigation later.  I still have a few more tests to do to try and narrow it down to one single component.  I need volunteers who have an issue exhibiting warm up symtoms!  I have a hypothesis that I need more data on to confirm.

I believe that the warm up issue originates in either the laser sled motor seizing up, or the middle gear becoming slightly damaged / deformed causing the sled gear train to lock up.  Or it could be both of these issues.  I have pretty much 100% confirmed this is NOT a motherboard issue though!

Anyone who wants to help out and has a warm up troubled unit, do me a favor... when it turns on but doesn't spin... pop it open and just touch the gear on the end of the laser sled motor to turn it just a bit (break it free perhaps)  and then try running the unit again and see if it fires right up or not.

[Duo_R]

Can u guys run it with the lid open? That might help alot.

[BlueBMW]

Can u guys run it with the lid open? That might help alot.

To access the gear, one would have to remove the bottom shell and the one screw that secures the mainboard to the top shell.  Then you can carefully move the motherboard down a bit to access the internals.  These tests would have to be done with the unit outside an IFU and connected to a power supply by itself.

[BlackandBlue]

I have been adjusting the laser on mine and it isn't looking to good for testing purposes.  I am not too sure about the sled gear theory though, since the cd would not spin with that happening.  I have a white unit that has that problem and I just need to free it up before using when it sits for a while.  Easiest way to see if that is occurring is the cd tries to spin, but doesn't actually move.  You can see it twitch through the window.

[BlueBMW]

It seemed like the unit does this sequence..

Move sled to inner stop. 
Activate laser to detect presence of disc.
When disc is found, start spindle
Move sled to read toc

I don't know if this is for sure but its just what I think is happening.

[BlackandBlue]

Ok, my problem was the laser...  The diode still looks good and it focuses, but I had repaired the ribbon cable on it and think that is the issue.  I put an old "bad" laser back in and after adjusting it, got it working.  Sorry I wont be able to help with the the problem here, as I guess I dont have the warm up issue.

[Official Ninja]

Ok, after numerous tests I believe chop5 and I have narrowed this issue down to a few components.

I'll do a complete write up of the whole investigation later.  I still have a few more tests to do to try and narrow it down to one single component.  I need volunteers who have an issue exhibiting warm up symtoms!  I have a hypothesis that I need more data on to confirm.

I believe that the warm up issue originates in either the laser sled motor seizing up, or the middle gear becoming slightly damaged / deformed causing the sled gear train to lock up.  Or it could be both of these issues.  I have pretty much 100% confirmed this is NOT a motherboard issue though!

Anyone who wants to help out and has a warm up troubled unit, do me a favor... when it turns on but doesn't spin... pop it open and just touch the gear on the end of the laser sled motor to turn it just a bit (break it free perhaps)  and then try running the unit again and see if it fires right up or not.

I hope its not the middle gear. My unit did not run with the middle gear you sent me in it. Thats the gear we are trying to mold right now, so i hope thats not it.

[BlueBMW]

Hmmm.... the unit that gear came from exibited warm up trouble...  but worked perfect with another good gear.

[chriscomputers]

My warm up issue is definitely not the CD gear being stuck.

[Official Ninja]

Hmmm.... the unit that gear came from exibited warm up trouble...  but worked perfect with another good gear.

Well then we will try to copy this gear and if it works out, maybe you can send that good gear once we know we can copy it.

[SignOfZeta]

I can't imagine there being anything wrong with the gear that you couldn't detect by just looking at it. It is just a gear after all.

[chriscomputers]

I just repaired a Turbo duo that was having this issue by replacing some caps. Not sure if this would apply to a stand alone PC engine CD player or not.

[BlueBMW]

I have tried a complete cap replacement on a motherboard with this warm up issue.... sadly no change.  The only thing that has made a difference is tapping on the sled motor and putting a different middle gear in...

[Ace]

Ok, after numerous tests I believe chop5 and I have narrowed this issue down to a few components.

I'll do a complete write up of the whole investigation later.  I still have a few more tests to do to try and narrow it down to one single component.  I need volunteers who have an issue exhibiting warm up symtoms!  I have a hypothesis that I need more data on to confirm.

I believe that the warm up issue originates in either the laser sled motor seizing up, or the middle gear becoming slightly damaged / deformed causing the sled gear train to lock up.  Or it could be both of these issues.  I have pretty much 100% confirmed this is NOT a motherboard issue though!

Anyone who wants to help out and has a warm up troubled unit, do me a favor... when it turns on but doesn't spin... pop it open and just touch the gear on the end of the laser sled motor to turn it just a bit (break it free perhaps)  and then try running the unit again and see if it fires right up or not.

Hmm... sounds a lot like what happens with my TurboGrafx CD.  I have to fight with it for several minutes before it decides to move the laser.  The cause: the f***ing middle gear.  That little pile of crappy plastic gets stuck on my TurboGrafx CD and only starts moving after I move the laser back and forth several times for 15 minutes or more.

[BlueBMW]

Sounds like we need replacement gears awful bad   Official Ninja is working on some, and I have a backup plan in case that plan fails.