Radio/Stereo: CD Changer issues

[stevepcar]

Hello just hoping that someone might have done this before & can help me. I have taken my 6 cd changer apart to clean the laser head, as it does not play the cds. I have seen on the net that it is possible to adjust the "gain" on the laser, as with time they don't work so well and this can boost the reading capability. All the net videos show a screw that can be adjusted, but I cannot identify the correct one on my unit.
Has anybody done this & knows where to point me or describe what the gain adjustment looks like? A photo would be great.
The cd changer is as supplied to a 96 850 T5 its connected to a SC 801 head unit, but I expect they all have similar internal layouts.

[stevepcar]

Further to this after researching deeper I found an instruction on a Merc with a similar Alpine unit. I have identified the potentiometer that needs adjusting. It says you should turn it anti clockwise to increase it. There is a small n at the limit of the adjustment, which I take to be the original factory setting. ie N for normal. Anybody any ideas on that one?

[amazondean]

Please repost if you get this sorted, as it would be of interest to all of us who have these changers

[stevepcar]

Yes will do I need to charge the battery first.

[stevepcar]

I have now cleaned the laser with IPA Cleaner. Isopropanol recommended and adjusted the potentiometer behind the laser 3-times. To no avail. I think the laser has had it. This was the unit that came with the car, so I do not know how long it has not worked. The I have seen this adjustment done on 3-4 videos & it worked every time. I can give a rough idea of how to go about this, but the best video I have seen is for a Merc cd changer which is identical to the Alpine ones fitted to our cars. To get at the potentiometer you need to take the changer out of the car, take out the 8-screws that hold the outer casing & remove it. Take care when doing this as there is ribbon connector to the PCB. Once the outer casing is removed you will need to pull off the 2-rubber floatation devices on each side & release the springs (one on each side. The bottom casing can now be removed , but remember the connecting ribbon is still attached. You can now wind the laser head back to its furthest outer limit & you will be able to access the laser head to clean it with a cotton bud soaked in IPA cleaner, through the slot which has a thin flat springy strip of metal over it. This is only attached at one end, so it is possible to slide a small screwdriver under it to lever it up gently for better access to the head. If you are only going to clean the head, then you can reassemble the casing & try it in the car. A note on the reassembly, the 4-rubber floatation devices are a nightmare to put back. The best method I found was to lubricate the location hole with vaseline or similar then squeeze the body of the floater near the hole and push it on to the mounting spindle. Otherwise like me you will spend hours trying to push them straight on, which does not work as they are very soft & flexible.
If you want to adjust the potentiometer. Wind the laser head back to its original position nearest the cd drive motor. Looking down onto the back of the head assembly, and you should see a small disc with a notch cut in its circumference. A magnifying glass is a must at this point. Using a fine screwdriver in the notch gently turn the disc anti-clockwise ( as recommended on the Merc video), about 30 degrees. I found that this aligned it with a letter N on the body of the unit. Before adjusting it the notch had been at 12 oclock between the 2-points. The first time I did this I turned it 30 deg clockwise, which is as far as it would go, as I reasoned that N stood for Normal and as mine was half way it seemed to make sense that this would increase the gain (which is what you are adjusting). Upon reconnecting to the car it had made no difference, so I tried again with it in the N position, this didn't work either, so I returned it to the 12 oclock pos having cleaned the head again. But still no joy.
I fitted a secondhand changer to the car a few months ago & it worked with 1-video in it, so I thought it was ok. However, getting it to follow on to the next 5-discs after finishing the first was a very lengthy afternoons works, involving manually selecting the next cd with the buttons on the head unit, until it had played all of them in succession. Since then it has worked randomly & has a mind of its own when it comes to choosing which cd it will play. At the moment it starts on cd 1 then skips to cd 4. I think that unit may benefit from cleaning the laser & I will post the results once I have done it.

[Bigfella666]

Which is why when I advertised 2 working and a 3rd not as a job lot I was somewhat surprised to realise very little interest !

Still for sale

[stevepcar]

Originally Posted by Bigfella666

Which is why when I advertised 2 working and a 3rd not as a job lot I was somewhat surprised to realise very little interest !

Still for sale

Hi are they compatible with the wiring on a SC801 unit? If so how much do you want for them please?

[Bigfella666]

£120 for the three plus delivery if I still have it comes with a plastic cover

If I am not mistaken the head unit is irrelevant it is the loom which does - and all the boot CD players for the 850’s are wired the same so they are compatible

[stevepcar]

Originally Posted by Bigfella666

£120 for the three plus delivery if I still have it comes with a plastic cover

If I am not mistaken the head unit is irrelevant it is the loom which does - and all the boot CD players for the 850’s are wired the same so they are compatible

Thanks I only really wanted one as I already have 2, one occasionally working & one not Would you let one go, if so how much please? And have you any idea of the carriage cost to Bristol? Thanks

[Willow place]

Simple ,£120 for one and get 2 Free !!