Fostex CR300 &c.
I'll confirm that the Fostex CR300 is also the same unit. I picked one up cheap on eBay and like it, though the ability to use any CD media isn't as good as I'd hoped; it won't record on modern 52x media (not usable at 1x speed I guess).
My unit did show a little leakage on the Elna cap but it appears not to have had any effect on the board yet. Of course I removed it ASAP.
On another subject, I sold a PDR-509 to a fellow whose 509 had failed with the familiar symptoms of supercap leakage. If I can get a photo of the board from his old unit, we may have definitive evidence as to the possibility of that failure in the 509.
And perhaps a rhetorical question: why did Pioneer feel the need to use lesser op-amps in the D/A and A/D circuits in the PDR-509? Both are NJM4558's, with a lower bandwidth than the 4556 and 4580 used in the PDR-555RW. I'd replaced both with 4556's and the difference is audible in complex musical passages. And at a minimal cost...
I'll confirm that the Fostex CR300 is also the same unit. I picked one up cheap on eBay and like it, though the ability to use any CD media isn't as good as I'd hoped; it won't record on modern 52x media (not usable at 1x speed I guess).
My unit did show a little leakage on the Elna cap but it appears not to have had any effect on the board yet. Of course I removed it ASAP.
On another subject, I sold a PDR-509 to a fellow whose 509 had failed with the familiar symptoms of supercap leakage. If I can get a photo of the board from his old unit, we may have definitive evidence as to the possibility of that failure in the 509.
And perhaps a rhetorical question: why did Pioneer feel the need to use lesser op-amps in the D/A and A/D circuits in the PDR-509? Both are NJM4558's, with a lower bandwidth than the 4556 and 4580 used in the PDR-555RW. I'd replaced both with 4556's and the difference is audible in complex musical passages. And at a minimal cost...
PDR-555RW giveaways for parts or repair
Is anyone on this thread interested in one or two PDR-555RW's for parts or repair? I've decided I'm not going to put in the time to repair the through-holes on them, and I'd like to pass them on to someone who can do something with them, rather than just taking them to recycle.
Both have the familiar symptoms: won't recognize CD-R media, won't open the tray, eventually give CHECK DISC or CHECK errors or the like. The drive in one has some mechanical defect where the CD rubs on part of each revolution, but the board in that didn't work with a good drive either. The case for that unit is rattier and lacks feet.
I can ship, or pickup may be possible in New York City or Westchester. Please send a PM if you're interested.
Is anyone on this thread interested in one or two PDR-555RW's for parts or repair? I've decided I'm not going to put in the time to repair the through-holes on them, and I'd like to pass them on to someone who can do something with them, rather than just taking them to recycle.
Both have the familiar symptoms: won't recognize CD-R media, won't open the tray, eventually give CHECK DISC or CHECK errors or the like. The drive in one has some mechanical defect where the CD rubs on part of each revolution, but the board in that didn't work with a good drive either. The case for that unit is rattier and lacks feet.
I can ship, or pickup may be possible in New York City or Westchester. Please send a PM if you're interested.
Hi, first reply on this site: I noticed occasional mention of the Pioneer PDR 509. I have recorded for about 12-15 years with various brand names of CR-R. All worked. But this year I started seeing the "repair" and "check" messages. I thought the laser was becoming weak. The 509 uses a different capacitor than the 555. Any suggestions? Most CDs play well, with the occasional "check" on CDs (1%) with no visible scratches or dust. So I bought a Sony second hand with very little use. Pro-finalizing is about 1 minute; Con-is choosy about what CD-R I use to record. The Pioneer transport sounds more solid too, so I use it as a CD player still. So here's the question: What is the main culprit in the 509, is it capacitor leakage also? Is dust on the optical drive an issue? Before I start taking it apart I hope to know what I'm up against. Skill level is definitely beginner.
Hello HopperWyattRatledge,
I didn't see your posting until recently. I did have a PDR-509 at one point but no longer, but I do have some information that may help.
The service manual is available at https://elektrotanya.com/pioneer_pdr-509.pdf/download.html, or a number of other places; the Pioneer document number is RRV2167. The service guide is a separate manual (RRV2055) but this service manual will be more useful for you.
Page 70 here describes the error codes, which you can display by holding the stop button for about 5 seconds when the unit is idle. The first 4 digits show how many hours the laser has been used, up to 5100.
Page 60 shows how to access the "CD-R CORE ASSEMBLY", which is underneath the CD drive and is where the capacitor is -- it's the larger flat battery-like item on the board in the photo in the middle of the right-hand column. You might need to see the bottom of the board to see if there is any leakage if it's not visible on the top. If there is leakage that's damaged the board, it's probably not repairable as I understand this is a four-layer board and would be hard to fix.
I haven't got enough information to say what the common failures are on the PDR-509, but I suspect it does in fact have a capacitor leakage problem, though less than the PDR-555RW. The drive (or laser) could also be bad. I've run into some drive failures myself on the PDR-555RW and I think this uses the same mechanism.
If you're looking to replace it, and you use analog input or output, the PDR-555RW sounds better, as per my side note a couple of postings above.
I hope this helps!
I didn't see your posting until recently. I did have a PDR-509 at one point but no longer, but I do have some information that may help.
The service manual is available at https://elektrotanya.com/pioneer_pdr-509.pdf/download.html, or a number of other places; the Pioneer document number is RRV2167. The service guide is a separate manual (RRV2055) but this service manual will be more useful for you.
Page 70 here describes the error codes, which you can display by holding the stop button for about 5 seconds when the unit is idle. The first 4 digits show how many hours the laser has been used, up to 5100.
Page 60 shows how to access the "CD-R CORE ASSEMBLY", which is underneath the CD drive and is where the capacitor is -- it's the larger flat battery-like item on the board in the photo in the middle of the right-hand column. You might need to see the bottom of the board to see if there is any leakage if it's not visible on the top. If there is leakage that's damaged the board, it's probably not repairable as I understand this is a four-layer board and would be hard to fix.
I haven't got enough information to say what the common failures are on the PDR-509, but I suspect it does in fact have a capacitor leakage problem, though less than the PDR-555RW. The drive (or laser) could also be bad. I've run into some drive failures myself on the PDR-555RW and I think this uses the same mechanism.
If you're looking to replace it, and you use analog input or output, the PDR-555RW sounds better, as per my side note a couple of postings above.
I hope this helps!
Glad I found this thread! Now it's my turn. My trusty PDR-555RW has worked great for 20 years. Last night, after finalizing a CD-RW, it started flashing "CHECK". And it makes a funny noise like the laser sled isn't moving quite right. I found the service manual on HiFiEngine and get error codes "0255 E2" (suggesting defective slider, pickup not returning", and full error code "82 19 00 00" (suggesting a problem with tray open/close and seek track 0).
I'll crack it open today and check that nasty Elna cap.
If anyone here thinks those error codes indicate something else, I welcome your insights! Thanks!
I'll crack it open today and check that nasty Elna cap.
If anyone here thinks those error codes indicate something else, I welcome your insights! Thanks!
Follow up ....
No evidence of any leakage from the supercap, so I guess that's good news. It seemed that the laser diode sled was stuck at the outermost position. I slowly turned the main gear that moves the sled to reposition the sled to the innermost position, which is where it starts when trying to read a disc. That seems to have fixed it! I spread the sled grease around a bit and reseated the connectors to the disk tray, too. As a test I played a CD all the way to the end to see if the sled would get stuck again. No problem. And I'm now reformatting (Erase ALL) a CDRW disc to ensure that it's actually working. Finally, I do plan to remove that supercap as a safety precaution.
I took some video and photos of my troubleshooting and plan to post a video on YouTube. Stay tuned.
No evidence of any leakage from the supercap, so I guess that's good news. It seemed that the laser diode sled was stuck at the outermost position. I slowly turned the main gear that moves the sled to reposition the sled to the innermost position, which is where it starts when trying to read a disc. That seems to have fixed it! I spread the sled grease around a bit and reseated the connectors to the disk tray, too. As a test I played a CD all the way to the end to see if the sled would get stuck again. No problem. And I'm now reformatting (Erase ALL) a CDRW disc to ensure that it's actually working. Finally, I do plan to remove that supercap as a safety precaution.
I took some video and photos of my troubleshooting and plan to post a video on YouTube. Stay tuned.
Another follow up ....
Well, it's not fixed
I dubbed another album to CD-RW this evening and the error occurred again when it finished Finalizing the CDRW TOC. I guess that process pushes the laser sled all the way to the outer edge of the disc, and it got stuck there again. Any ideas why it would do that? Is there an adjustment for that? Thanks for any help!
Well, it's not fixed
I dubbed another album to CD-RW this evening and the error occurred again when it finished Finalizing the CDRW TOC. I guess that process pushes the laser sled all the way to the outer edge of the disc, and it got stuck there again. Any ideas why it would do that? Is there an adjustment for that? Thanks for any help!
And another follow up ....
Looks like maybe it's a flaky TOC Switch (S601). I cleaned it with a bit of Deoxit and exercised it manually several times, and now I can't duplicate the problem. I burned two test CD-RWs -- one 20 minutes long and one 30 minutes, with a bunch of tracks -- and then Finalized them. Problem did not happen.
This evening I'll try dubbing another album and keep my fingers crossed.
I plan on documenting this on YouTube and will post the link here when it's done.
Looks like maybe it's a flaky TOC Switch (S601). I cleaned it with a bit of Deoxit and exercised it manually several times, and now I can't duplicate the problem. I burned two test CD-RWs -- one 20 minutes long and one 30 minutes, with a bunch of tracks -- and then Finalized them. Problem did not happen.
This evening I'll try dubbing another album and keep my fingers crossed.
I plan on documenting this on YouTube and will post the link here when it's done.
So is this bad to fix
Pull the hated capacitor, bottom side I have broken traces. Is it as simple of using a wire to connect around it, or is it toast?
Thanks for any help in advanced.
Pull the hated capacitor, bottom side I have broken traces. Is it as simple of using a wire to connect around it, or is it toast?
Thanks for any help in advanced.
Attachments
Hi all! New here. Picked up one of these PDR-555RW's for $5. Symptoms were it wouldn't eject. You can manually eject by twisting the gear with your finger. It will close under its own power, so its not the motor. It will only occasionally play a CD. It will sometimes say CHECK DISC. I removed the leaking super cap. I'm NOT a repair tech, but I can do simple things. I used my multimeter and although some traces have black sections, there is still continuity where traces have black sections. The biggest issue I have is the the corrosion ate away capacitor C207 at the base of the super cap. From the schematic, the part # is CKSQYF103Z50. Internet search led to "CAPACITOR CDXM100". Anyone know the value and can I replace with an electrolytic? I don't have SMD solder skills. Thanks!
Attachments
So I thought of a super easy and quick way to get through the holes.
Take a standard resisitor. Clips both wire leads to about 1/2". I put an angle on the cuts. Insert the body of the resistor into you drill's chuck and tighten. I use it on the slowest dremel speed setting. You may have to tweak the tip slightly if it isn't perfectly centered. It works incredibly fast. Don't press too hard or you'll bend the lead. If it does bend, flip the resistor around in the chuck and use the other lead.
I can now just use clipped rsisitor leads to stick in the holes to solder in place. They should fit the holes perfectly since I used a lead to make the holes.
Take a standard resisitor. Clips both wire leads to about 1/2". I put an angle on the cuts. Insert the body of the resistor into you drill's chuck and tighten. I use it on the slowest dremel speed setting. You may have to tweak the tip slightly if it isn't perfectly centered. It works incredibly fast. Don't press too hard or you'll bend the lead. If it does bend, flip the resistor around in the chuck and use the other lead.
I can now just use clipped rsisitor leads to stick in the holes to solder in place. They should fit the holes perfectly since I used a lead to make the holes.
I realize it's a long shot, but do you still have the units? I need the inner level input knob. Thanks!
Hi
As it seems this thread will never go out of fashion. Owner of a PDR-555RW here. I had it sitting for years since 2-3 tech guys I took it fpr check, mentioned it needs a lot of money without clarifying what the issue was. Anyway 2 - 3 weeks ago I had an urge to open it up again to remember what the problem was. Right after powering it up and pressing the eject button the door remained opened (good sign) but after closing it, it re-opened again. Started searching on net for possible solutions and brought it here.
Opened the case and noticed that supercap seemed probably ok (didnt remove it yet) but the area around was not exactly oxidized but something like ash from cigarette. By the look of it, it was like it had punched holes from top to button. See pics below
I cleaned all that surface with isopropyl alcohol and seemed that everything went away. Dried it well and opened it. To my surprise it played a cd (afterwards tried a second one and a cd-r).
What I m dealing with right now is the tray. It started with staying open all the time and the screen flashing check.
pressing stop button showed error code -> 0004 L1 and (only 4 hours? Hardly think so. Except this reading is because of the last tech guy changed / reset something and didn t mention).
pressing SKIP PLAY+DISPLAY OFF showed -> 00910000? (which i don t know what that might be.)
I have the service manual so I read that L* codes are for
Symptom: The unit stops during the tray open/close operation. (CHECK display)
Contents of Error: Improper loading (...but it plays the cd. I have to notice better though if it skips for milliseconds)
Possible Cause: • Defective tray position sensor
• Defective loading motor
• Improper soldering
• Pattern short
• Improper power supply
Checkpoints: IC352 (BA5932) for PDR-509, IC451 (M56788)
Also, if I close the tray without a cd, it makes a weird noise for a few seconds (mechanical noise not electronic).
I don t have the knowledge or the tools to do this, so I might have to take it again for repair. My questions are the following
-Are you pretty sure that removal of the elac cap wont affect anything on the way the unit operates?
After all each component has to do something. They don t add stuff inside just for the
effect. Small or big each costs something to the manufacturer.
-What would be the code (after pressing the stop button) for normal operation? None mentioned that anywhere.
-Does someone have the part number of the laser kit in order to check if the previous guy took it apart put inside a oem one and kept the original?
-Any possible solutions I could try ?
Thank you.
As it seems this thread will never go out of fashion. Owner of a PDR-555RW here. I had it sitting for years since 2-3 tech guys I took it fpr check, mentioned it needs a lot of money without clarifying what the issue was. Anyway 2 - 3 weeks ago I had an urge to open it up again to remember what the problem was. Right after powering it up and pressing the eject button the door remained opened (good sign) but after closing it, it re-opened again. Started searching on net for possible solutions and brought it here.
Opened the case and noticed that supercap seemed probably ok (didnt remove it yet) but the area around was not exactly oxidized but something like ash from cigarette. By the look of it, it was like it had punched holes from top to button. See pics below
I cleaned all that surface with isopropyl alcohol and seemed that everything went away. Dried it well and opened it. To my surprise it played a cd (afterwards tried a second one and a cd-r).
What I m dealing with right now is the tray. It started with staying open all the time and the screen flashing check.
pressing stop button showed error code -> 0004 L1 and (only 4 hours? Hardly think so. Except this reading is because of the last tech guy changed / reset something and didn t mention).
pressing SKIP PLAY+DISPLAY OFF showed -> 00910000? (which i don t know what that might be.)
I have the service manual so I read that L* codes are for
Symptom: The unit stops during the tray open/close operation. (CHECK display)
Contents of Error: Improper loading (...but it plays the cd. I have to notice better though if it skips for milliseconds)
Possible Cause: • Defective tray position sensor
• Defective loading motor
• Improper soldering
• Pattern short
• Improper power supply
Checkpoints: IC352 (BA5932) for PDR-509, IC451 (M56788)
Also, if I close the tray without a cd, it makes a weird noise for a few seconds (mechanical noise not electronic).
I don t have the knowledge or the tools to do this, so I might have to take it again for repair. My questions are the following
-Are you pretty sure that removal of the elac cap wont affect anything on the way the unit operates?
After all each component has to do something. They don t add stuff inside just for the
effect. Small or big each costs something to the manufacturer.
-What would be the code (after pressing the stop button) for normal operation? None mentioned that anywhere.
-Does someone have the part number of the laser kit in order to check if the previous guy took it apart put inside a oem one and kept the original?
-Any possible solutions I could try ?
Thank you.
Hi all, I own a PDR-555RW slightly used. Great condition. It seems as new. i checked the elna cap and is not leaking. and inside board looks as new, cd tray opens and close perfectly, no error shown upon power on(display shows: "00 00:00"), but it does not recognize any CD 😒🤔
I checked laser LED position through its wheel and it is seems in factory setting.
I tried error code procedure and display shows the following code:
"0255 00"
Is it an error state?
What does it mean the above code shown?
Thanks in advance.
I checked laser LED position through its wheel and it is seems in factory setting.
I tried error code procedure and display shows the following code:
"0255 00"
Is it an error state?
What does it mean the above code shown?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks, let me know , maybe it can help me.
In addition to my above message, i want to add that i do not receive the "CHECK" display message but the "NO DISC" message if i try to play any CD inserted.
However cd spins (i see motor spinning). I have tried several CD and tried to clean laser lens, but with same result(NO DISC).
In addition to my above message, i want to add that i do not receive the "CHECK" display message but the "NO DISC" message if i try to play any CD inserted.
However cd spins (i see motor spinning). I have tried several CD and tried to clean laser lens, but with same result(NO DISC).
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