Cambridge 340C Laser Pickup

[milanomike]

Hi,

I've got the Cambridge 340C, it looks like the laser pickup is dying or near dead. Thought replacement would be straightforward, but:

- it is not obvious which pickup is used in this unit, thought it was a sony KSS213, but can't tell from looking at the pickup.

- removing it, isn't obvious either, any guidance here.

Thanks.

Mike

 

[stephensank]

According to the list, it's a Sanyo SF-P101.

 

[Mike P]

Are you sure the laser is really the problem? There are lots of other things which can give symptoms like a dying laser. This link has some very helpful tips:
Laserology

 

[milanomike]

Not really sure its the laser, saw something somewhere online indicated it was typically the laser pickup. Will study the link and where is this magic list? Thanks for the info.

Mike

 

[stephensank]

The SF-P101 is a pretty reliable laser, but they do go bad, about as frequently as the common alternative, the Sony KSS213. The earlier Sanyo lasers were the ones that were really damn reliable.

 

[sifis]

The sanyo sf-p101n is a very common laser unit, very easy to find one , realy cheap! Be very carefull: 2 type of sf-101 15pin and 16pin! From my personal experience the 16 pin is much more reliable than the 15 pin!

 

[lduarte1973]

i have both 640c and 740c , bought the laser for the 640c on this ebay store , never had a problem with it:

bh5767 on eBay

 

[milanomike]

Everyone,

Thanks for the super info. I hope to get some time this weekend to check this thing out a bit more. Kind of thinking its the laser pickup, but will roll thru the troubleshooting checklist from earlier. Also, thanks for the tip on where to buy. Mike

 

[milanomike]

OK, concluded that something was amiss with the laser or it's circuit, so ordered a complete new unit from the suggested link above. B&D did not have this one.

One dumb question, I assume there is a solder bridge to open up on this Sanyo unit, correct? And if so, simply heat up with solder iron and use a solder sucker to open it up, not exactly sure where it is though.

Thanks.

Mike

 

[lduarte1973]

i think it comes with instructions , if not let me know and i will open my 640c to find out.

 

[milanomike]

OK, found a photo searching online, its near the big connector. Looks like I just heat it with the soldering iron and suck it up until it's 2 independent solder joints. Thanks, hopefully will have it in later today, and hopefully it will play music....

 

[milanomike]

She Makes Music!

OK, new pickup installed and she makes great music. I got the pick up on the sled with the motor drive, etc., easy install and it works great like 18 bucks.

Seems to sound better than before. Wondering if these things gradually fade away?

Anyhow, thanks for the help on this. Now that my confidence is up, I'm gonna try and replace the Sony pick on my old Adcom GCD 535, be nice to have this unit upstairs.

Thanks.

Mike