Commodore CDTV with clicking CD drive

[snuci]

This is a "new to me" CDTV so I could use some help.  Sorry for the silly questions but I could not find an FAQ anywhere.

My Commodore CDTV boots up to the CDTV screen properly but does not play CDs.  I've tried cleaning the CD laser lens with no luck.  When a CD is put into the drive, the drive spins slightly and the lens bangs up and down trying to focus (I assume) but fails after a short time.  Does this mean the laser mechanism needs to be replaced?  I tried to put in an ordinary music CD but that wouldn't work either. Same symptoms.

One other question that may/may not be related but something I noticed while exploring.  I found some information about JP15 and if I remove the jumper, the CDTV boots up into a Workbench 1.3 boot screen.  Does this mean the ROMs were messed with or is this normal behavior?

It is an awesome device but it does not look easy to take part.  Does someone know of a guide or video on doing this?

Any help is much appreciated.

[BinoX]

I'll give you a couple of things to try...

My Commodore CDTV boots up to the CDTV screen properly but does not play CDs.  I've tried cleaning the CD laser lens with no luck.  When a CD is put into the drive, the drive spins slightly and the lens bangs up and down trying to focus (I assume) but fails after a short time.  Does this mean the laser mechanism needs to be replaced?  I tried to put in an ordinary music CD but that wouldn't work either. Same symptoms.

I've come across two issues that might cause that, other than just the laser unit.

1) I've had a cd caddy before that didn't actually open the flap when it was used, even though the mechanism seemed to be working fine. Try a different caddy...

2) Replace the cable that attached the cd unit to the motherboard. I had a defective one once.

If those suggestions don't help, then it probably will be new laser time.

One other question that may/may not be related but something I noticed while exploring.  I found some information about JP15 and if I remove the jumper, the CDTV boots up into a Workbench 1.3 boot screen.  Does this mean the ROMs were messed with or is this normal behavior?

That's normal. JP15 enables/disables the custom roms. When disabled you will just get a kickstart screen. The custom ROM can cause issues if you're playing some old A500 games, but it's quite rare (in my experience)

It is an awesome device but it does not look easy to take part.  Does someone know of a guide or video on doing this?

It's not as bad as you think, but it is probably one of the harder Amiga systems to take apart. I haven't done it for quite a while though, it's a little time consuming. Just take note of what goes where as you remove it. As Haynes manuals say "Installation is the reverse of removal"

[mechy]

You might also make sure the eject mechanism is going completely down, i had issues with this on a cd drive once.

[snuci]

Thanks for the replies.

1) I've had a cd caddy before that didn't actually open the flap when it was used, even though the mechanism seemed to be working fine. Try a different caddy...

I thought about this and actually taped the metal door open to make sure it opened.  No luck.

2) Replace the cable that attached the cd unit to the motherboard. I had a defective one once.

I do need to open it up and check it over properly so I'll take a shot at it this weekend.  

You might also make sure the eject mechanism is going completely down, i had issues with this on a cd drive once.    

I removed the face plate to check this.  I can slightly press in the eject button and let go and the drive will try to spin again. The CD sins about 1/10 of a rotation and then the lens bangs away.  It almost seems like a similar issue to an Amiga CD32.

[F0LLETT]

Thanks for the replies.


I thought about this and actually taped the metal door open to make sure it opened.  No luck.



I do need to open it up and check it over properly so I'll take a shot at it this weekend.  



I removed the face plate to check this.  I can slightly press in the eject button and let go and the drive will try to spin again. The CD sins about 1/10 of a rotation and then the lens bangs away.  It almost seems like a similar issue to an Amiga CD32.

If I recall the CDTV uses a quality Philips laser mech. I love these mechs, as they are awesome. They have direct drive motors for the sled.
How did you clean the lens, as what your decribing is classic low emission laser.

[snuci]

I took apart my CDTV on Sunday.  It actually wasn't too bad and each time I tried it, I had to practically put it together again, then take it apart to try something else.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fix it, unfortunately.

Here are some pics.  The CD drive unit is a Matsu%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!a CR-511-B.  It uses an SF87 laser lens unit but if you view the cable ends on the laser unit, they are not standard with the same unit you can find on eBay.  That is the kicker.

There is adjustments that can be made to the laser unit as shown below but I don't know what these mean.  Are they similar to the CD32 unit?  

I cleaned the laser lens with alcohol but no dice.  I blew compressed air into the motor as I have read about an issue with dirt in the motor not allowing the motor to spin properly but that didn't work either.  Similar symptoms were fixed because of this.

Any ideas are appreciated.

[Steady]

If it's clicking, it's probably just trying to fit in with the floppy drives.

[Ral-Clan]

Just a quick word of caution when servicing laser devices like CD drives while the power is on (i.e. to see when the drive head moves, etc.):

The laser is invisible and can cause eye damage if you look into it (which is something you can do if you take off the top cover of the drive and expose the lens.

I really don't know how much damage a DVD or CD laser could do, but I've seen drives with safey warnings on them. Normally, I believe that technicians who service these use special glasses as a safety precaution.  I guess you could just make sure you're not peeking into the lens while the drive is powered up.

[F0LLETT]

I took apart my CDTV on Sunday.  It actually wasn't too bad and each time I tried it, I had to practically put it together again, then take it apart to try something else.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fix it, unfortunately.

Here are some pics.  The CD drive unit is a Matsu%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!%&$#?@!a CR-511-B.  It uses an SF87 laser lens unit but if you view the cable ends on the laser unit, they are not standard with the same unit you can find on eBay.  That is the kicker.

There is adjustments that can be made to the laser unit as shown below but I don't know what these mean.  Are they similar to the CD32 unit?  

I cleaned the laser lens with alcohol but no dice.  I blew compressed air into the motor as I have read about an issue with dirt in the motor not allowing the motor to spin properly but that didn't work either.  Similar symptoms were fixed because of this.

Any ideas are appreciated.

DO NOT alter those adjustments. They are factory setup and never need to be touched.
Same on the CD32. The only pot that should ever be adjusted is the one on the side of the laser. This adjusts the the power of the laser.

Your mech is not the same as the ones I have seen. Mine is Philips, with a magnetic sled motor. This one is obviously a Panasonic drive with what appears to be a Sanyo laser.

[snuci]

DO NOT alter those adjustments. They are factory setup and never need to be touched.
Same on the CD32. The only pot that should ever be adjusted is the one on the side of the laser. This adjusts the the power of the laser.

Your mech is not the same as the ones I have seen. Mine is Philips, with a magnetic sled motor. This one is obviously a Panasonic drive with what appears to be a Sanyo laser.

It looks like there was a label over those adjustments that has been removed so the previous owner may have tried to adjust.  I may just have to look for a new CD mechanism.

I appreciate the warning about the laser above but I don't ever power it up without it being mostly assembled.   If there was a way to do it, I haven't figured it out but I wouldn't ever run it without the top cover of the CD unit being there.  

I think I might just have to put this away until I find a CD unit.