"Mark D. Zacharias" wrote in message
t...
Arfa Daily wrote:
"Mark D. Zacharias" wrote in message
. net...
Leonard Caillouet wrote:
"Arfa Daily" wrote in message
...
As I said in the previous post, one notable exception to the "don't
touch it !" rule, is Pioneer players. The laser power pot is a
minuscule little thing located on the laser flexiprint, and is
adjusted as part of the setup procedure. Pioneer provide a set of
testpoints in a single row on their players, and detailed
instructions in their manuals, on how to adjust the entire pot-set,
which is often a total of eight pots, and which includes the power
pot. Interestingly, Pioneer lasers very seldom fail or wear out. I
think in 30 odd years, I have only ever replaced perhaps two of the
original types ( there were several, but all pretty similar looking
) and maybe two or three of the later ones which have a couple of
tiny pots on their PCB. Arfa

This is an interesting point about the Pioneer pickups. Ican't
recall ever changing more than one or two myself. I worked at a
store that sold tons of Pioneer (Elite, mostly) and since then have
not workde on them very much. I can recall cleaning lots of spindle
motors, but rarely, if ever changing pickups, Is this the
experience of others? What would you attribute the difference in
reliability to? Pioneer has always had very good laser products in
terms of performance. Do others percieve the reliability to have
been very good relative to their competitors as I do? Are the
current and lower end products holding up as well?
Leonard

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One reason Pioneer pickups were so reliable is that the pickup was
mounted "upside down" on many models, thus very little dust etc
would settle in on the turning mirror.
Still, even their models which played the disc label-up were very
reliable so far as pickups were concerned. Except of course for
those which had the lens fall off...

Mark Z.

Hi Mark

Have you ever managed to replace a completely missing lens, with one
from a different pickup ? I had quite an argument with someone once,
who said that it just can't be done, but I do it all the time - I
should think at least 4 or 5 a year - did one just 2 weeks ago. I use
a lens from a scrap KSS series pickup. I think that the trick to
getting it to work - or indeed even replacing the 'real' lens when
it's still rolling around in the bottom, is to make sure that //every
last trace// of glue is removed from both the lens
suspension, and the underside of the lens lip, and then to make
certain that the lens is refitted absolutely flat. I then refix it,
by putting a couple of tiny drops of cyanoacrylate superglue onto the
tip of a tiny flat-end jeweller's screwdy, and letting it seep into
the crack by capilliary action. Sometimes, I've found that the focus
bias and offset need to be adjusted slightly to optimise the
performance back to normal, but mostly, I've found that it just works
right off, with no improvement to be gained by adjustment. I'd be
interested to know what others' experiences of dealing with this
problem are.
Arfa

I re-attached a lens just the other day, but have never tried using one
from another brand pickup. If I don't find the original rolling around in
there, I just consider it a lost cause.

BTW I have found that Pioneer lasers which oscillate have the lens coming
loose but hasn't fallen off yet.

I don't use superglue because of the danger of it fogging the lens.

Mark Z.

Point taken on the lens fogging. It actually happened to me on one of the
first that I tried to reattach some years ago. That is why I now only use
the tiniest drop, and let it draw itself into the gap. Fuming and fogging is
then not a problem. Next time you get a missing lens, just give a Sony one a
try. If it's a lost cause already, you've got nothing further to lose !

Arfa