Check all the connections on the ribbon to the display. Sometimes the tracks fracture close to the connector and sometimes they actually fold back on themselves as you plug the ribbon into the socket.
Back to these laser problems. I have read quite a bit on various threads including this one. The thing I find most annoying is that it now seems to be a lucky dip when purchasing the VAM1202. I believe they are now all made in China. I have paid anything from £6 for just the laser and ribbon to over £30 for the whole assembly. (some with wiring, some without) Some are in the Philips beige box, some are in white boxes and some are just in a polythene jacket. But no one supplier can send 4 lasers without at least 2 being faulty. It is getting worse. A few years ago it wasn't a problem. I would like to know what others think?
I've done the power supply and opamp mods on my CD53. I've also disables the headphone and muting circuits. I'm about to order some parts, so I might add those for the next upgrade as well. Which other mods will result in the most noticable difference in sound quality?
Output filter?
Can I use regular ceramic caps and regular resistors instead of those recommended? The types and brands recommended come down to more than €20 which is a bit much.
DAC?
Is it okay to do the mods and leave out the ferrites?
HF-amp/decoder/SERVO/Drivers/uController?
Same question: can I do all the mods and leave out the ferrites?
Which of these mods are the most effective?
Output filter?
Can I use regular ceramic caps and regular resistors instead of those recommended? The types and brands recommended come down to more than €20 which is a bit much.
DAC?
Is it okay to do the mods and leave out the ferrites?
HF-amp/decoder/SERVO/Drivers/uController?
Same question: can I do all the mods and leave out the ferrites?
Which of these mods are the most effective?
Hi Barry,
i had one from a guy i china guy called kamkam 0770 his as you say came with no wiring for the motors but the ribbon for the laser,
it was the complete transport worked fine.
many thanks alan
I don't have any trouble with my lasers now. I bought a large batch from Holland and everyone is spot on. 25+ changed in the last 6 months too (no not on the same player 
).
Also if anyone is interested our Micro clock is now available with 8.46Mhz and 16.9Mhz oscillators on the same board
Brent
).Also if anyone is interested our Micro clock is now available with 8.46Mhz and 16.9Mhz oscillators on the same board
Brent
Slightly off topic, except for the words CDP Marantz. I ran into a "like new" 94Mk11 for sale on another forum (horrors!). I have no reason to distrust the seller and although the price is very reasonable, I suspect modding it will be a major fiddle and very pricey. Having just sent off my 67' to Brent for another round of up-grading, i have no business even looking at this but as we know....curiosity gets the better of me. This is the one with two S1 crown chips and other gubbins of interest like the original Blackgates. Anyone have any experience? Brent? Ray? Simon?
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Brent how much are the clocks!I don't have any trouble with my lasers now. I bought a large batch from Holland and everyone is spot on. 25+ changed in the last 6 months too (no not on the same player
Also if anyone is interested our Micro clock is now available with 8.46Mhz and 16.9Mhz oscillators on the same board
Brent
cheers alan
ps 16mhz the dac and 8mhz the servo
even the cheapo ones cant normally be sorted with a little tweek! I think I posted further back!
Beautiful machine! I've not heard the MKII but based on the amount of work I did to get mine to where it is, I'd not want to double up all the costs on PSU etc. Also, there is additional logic in the I2S bus to feed both dacs and additional opamps in the output stage to sum ( I think) also unless the 2 dacs are very close,in tolerance, there may be timing issues too. Having said that, twin S1's cant be a bad thing. Awesome build quality and heavy weight transport......Very nice
I know the one you are on about and I think it is a little over priced but tbh the MKII are pretty rare. The MKI's are rare enough. You'd definitely need a few bits and pieces done before you get towards the clarity of the 63 but the 1541's are sooo warm and analouge sounding that when you tease the detail forward they are unbeleiveable
You are joking right!!!
They are perfectly identical except for the following:-
CD40
Plastic chassis
plastic CDM4 mech
3 or 4 78/79 std regs for the whole player derrived from 2 +/- rails
Low value std PSU caps
inferior PCB
tiny transformer VA
entry level components
std TDA1541a
designed as entry level machine
CD94
Metal cast chassis providing massive amount of resonance control
Die Cast CDM1 mech poss one of the most respected laser/transports ever built
Large VA transformer
separate fully discrete +/- ve regulated PSU with 6800uF per rail Elna for audio Caps for the output stage and cerefine local decoupling
+/-ve PSU for servo and transport
+ve PSU for logic and digital
High quality caps throughout as std
Fully discrete Servo section
(94MKII) twin TDA1541a S1
High end machine (top of the commercial Marantz machines at the time)
TBH its like comparing an old fiat 127 to a Mclaren F1
I would have thought you'd have been able to tell the difference.
By taking the opamp output direct to the new RCA's, you bypass the hdam, DC blocking caps (the 4 brown silmics) and the muting transistors. No need to remove or short the caps now
Have you changed the opamps or decoupling caps yet?
Are Silver Mica caps a good alternative in this case?
Sounds interesting. What kind of regulators should I use and where exactly would I put them? The same position as the ferrite beads would normally go?
Well, I'm not using a high-end speaker system (Tascam 6" monitors) so I'm not sure if I would even notice the mods on my monitors. Actually, I think it sounds awesome already with the few mods I've done so far.
I would like a bit less noise though. Which of these mods will reduce noise the most?
Also, I used dual opamps for the opamp replacement. Are single opamps recommended? I noticed the sound coming out is quite loud.