CD-ROM DaFixer!

[Tom Maneiro]

I have two spare CD drives: a Cyberdrive 24X (model TW240D), and a Samsung 52X (CD-Master SC-152E). Both drives are defective, but i managed to fix one of these. Here is the story:

-Cyberdrive: It has problems with the tray mechanism (it did not complete the open/close cycle). With the help of this CD repair FAQ, i've traced the problem: a loose belt. After replacing it, tray worked again perfect. The other problem is that it sucks reading CD-Rs, but this may be firmware-related. Now that drive is inside my 386 box, mainly for audio-CD playback.

-Samsung: I got this drive from a friend, a CD went boom inside, leaving the drive useless. It cannot read any disc. After reading that FAQ, it recognizes that there are a CD in the drive, then activates the spindle motor, and then, NOTHING! CD cannot be read. Any suggestion? I've cleaned the lens, but no luck... I don't want to trash it. I believe that it can be repaired, but i have no experience on this, and that CD repair FAQ has some tech sutff that i do not understand.

Anyone here have experience repairing CD drives?

[oompa loompa]

shiiiieee i dunno
the only repairs i've done with cd readers is blowing out the dust, and spraying some WD-40 =P

[GiGaBiTe]

i have repaired numerous CD-ROM drives, but none of which had a CD explode in it.

CD-ROM drives have alot of very small wires leading to and from the servo motors, gear motors and the laser that reads the CD. if one of those was severed, chances are the drive is history.

the shrapnel from the cd also could have ripped or cracked an IC chip somewhere on the PC board, in which case the drive is definitely dead.

if you have the drive open while its on, make sure you dont shoot yourself in the eye (i did once, and never recovered) because it really messes your vision up bad.