Fixed my Sony CDP-X559ES (KSS272A pickup)

Groundloops · 2009-08-08 12:47 pm

I have a nice Sony CDP-X559ES on shelf for years since it stopped reading more than the first 5 - 10 tracks on any disc. I always thought that behavior was due to worn out laser diode on the unobtainable KSS272A unit. Today I opened it again and examined the CD clamping mechanism. Mounted on the motor spindle is a metal disc forming the lower CD clamp part, the hight of it is adjusted by a vertical spring and fixed with a tiny horizontal set screw in the disk sleeve. I just loosened the set screw, lowered the clamp disc a bit and tightened the srew again. Now any CD is read flawlessly, I can hardly believe ... Seems it was an focusing issue.

Maybe you find this helpful and possibly it helps fixing other CD players using the KSS272A like CDP-777ES, CDP-555ES, CDP-333ES, CDP-X779ES CDP-X339ES, CDP-777ESJ, CDP-555ESJ, CDP-333ESJ, CDP-X707ES CDP-X303ES and CDP-X33ES.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

tubeboob · 2010-08-11 6:29 am

I had a similar issue with my X339ES unit not reading CD's and saying "NO DISC", and I also thought it was a Laser issue.

I only had to lube the slide rails for the laser mechanism, and the unit works like a dream once again.

Lets not always blame the laser unit.

rabbitz · 2010-08-11 8:38 am

Could you be kind enough to post a larger image as I can't see the detail. Thanks.

Cableguy · 2010-12-30 1:03 pm

Hello Tubeboob I'm new here

, may I ask what lubricant you used for the slide rails please? it's for a Sony CDP-3100 After 5 minutes warm-up it works perfectly but at the beginning it has always problems, no disk or it just stop working. It is not the laser I think.

Many Thanks!

tubeboob · 2011-01-25 6:05 pm

Sorry so long to respond.

I used a teflon based electronic oil that I picked up in an electronics supply store, about $5.00 or $6.00.

I will look for the name when I get home and advise later.

The Lasers on these units are quite robust, and they get a bad rap from techs who immediately point to the laser when anything goes wrong.

Cheers

tiefbassuebertr · 2011-01-25 11:35 pm

tubeboob said:
Sorry so long to respond.

I used a teflon based electronic oil that I picked up in an electronics supply store, about $5.00 or $6.00.
I will look for the name when I get home and advise later.
The Lasers on these units are quite robust, and they get a bad rap from techs who immediately point to the laser when anything goes wrong. Cheers

bebo60 · 2011-08-25 2:24 pm

Around the KSS272a many things are said, but at the end can it be fixed or not ? new diod, clening, I have a CDPx 505es stuck for this problem, after opening it to check inside it worked for a week, no problem at all, after stay 3 weeks off I got the same problem, it always read the TOC then it strats and it does not, and when the electronic get warmer it does!!

tubeboob · 2011-08-26 3:29 am

The simple fact is that if the player gets stuck after a few weeks, it is likely a lubrication problem.

When I cleaned and lubed the rails, it took a few weeks for the lube to work itself over the rails uniformly so that the mechanism could work properly.

I would suggest cleaning the rails and lubing them once again. It is important to remove all the old dried up gunk of what used to be lube 19 to 20 years ago.

Have a try, you've got nothing to lose.

Cheers

bebo60 · 2011-08-26 7:13 am

the bridge where the optical lens is fited moves on a magnetic rail field... when the machine is off it moves up and down just with a breath of air!!!

tubeboob said:
The simple fact is that if the player gets stuck after a few weeks, it is likely a lubrication problem.

When I cleaned and lubed the rails, it took a few weeks for the lube to work itself over the rails uniformly so that the mechanism could work properly.

I would suggest cleaning the rails and lubing them once again. It is important to remove all the old dried up gunk of what used to be lube 19 to 20 years ago.

Have a try, you've got nothing to lose.

Cheers

opteron · 2013-12-19 12:23 pm

The KSS271a is compatible with KSS272a? It looks very similiar or... identical.
Thanks!

dizmayed · 2014-03-13 6:30 pm

CDP-X555es CD tracking problem and solution

I've had one of these since new. Began to skip horribly, failed to read Table of Contents, etc. Finally, wouldn't play any disk.

I read the comments re lubrication, etc, tried w/o success. I had nothing to lose, so I considered the focus/tracking gain trimmers on the servo board. Authoritative sounding advice on another forum warned against random fiddling with these adjustments. The Service Manual said "do not perform this adjustment." But I had nothing to lose.

RV202 is the "track and gain" adjustment. RV201 is the "focus gain" adjustment. With a disk loaded and spinning (but still not reading properly) I slowly turned RV202. No help. Then I turned RV201. I don't know for sure what it does, but at one extreme a slight scraping noise began. Is the laser rising enough to strike the disk? In a jiffy I found a setting that read the disk, TOC, etc.

The player has worked very well for several months. If you have one of these mis-behaving beautiful boat anchors, and have nothing to lose, give this fix a try and report back.

Mooly · 2014-03-13 8:05 pm

No, its not the lens scraping the disc. What you are hearing is the servo (the coils in the pickup emit the sound).

Focus gain is a critical adjustment and an experienced tech can actually get a player 98% correct just by listening. You want to set the pot at the point where white noise/hash coming from the pickup just becomes audible and then back it off a degree or two. Tracking gain is pretty uncritical and has a wider margin. To low and the player will skip at the slightest movement, to high and the servo is unstable.

The adjustments in all players work the same way and follow the same principle.

The scope pictures in this thread shows the effect of alignment adjustments,
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/226288-sony-cdp790-kss240-restoration-project.html

dizmayed · 2014-03-14 5:16 pm

Thanks Mooly for that. There are <so many> posts here and everywhere re this general problem, I never read yours.

"The adjustments in all players work the same way and follow the same principle, " you wrote. That unlocks a lot of possibilities for judicious tweaking when such problems can't be otherwise resolved.

Mooly · 2014-03-14 5:57 pm

Your welcome

therapy_fan · 2015-06-16 6:54 am

I got a cdp-x303es for 50eur at a yard sale, it reads the TOC but skipped like crazy.
I thought it is probably the laser that is bad but i re-lubricated everything and things got
a little bit better but it skipped on all tracks after track 10. So then i poked around and i found the problem. The flat-flex cable connector on the BD board was corroded. Cleaned out the connector with PRF 6-68 contact cleaner and put everything back together and now the unit plays like a dream

No skipping whatsoever

hope this helps

Fixed my Sony CDP-X559ES (KSS272A pickup)

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