Help with skipping Marantz CC-52

[griff]

Hey guys, im having some serious problems recently with this player, it is super sensitive to scratches and it wasnt until recently. I checked the laser and the lens appears to be fairly clean.

Any ideas?

[jean-paul]

Bad laser ( used a lot ? ) or not optimally adjusted ( if it isn't auto-adjusting i.e. no pots available for adjustment ).

[ALW]

Is the unit skipping at the same place on each disc, or is it definitely sensitivity to scratches?

If the former, the mechanism (laser sled) is likely to require servicing (lubrication, cleaning & ensuring there is no debris in the gears that drive the sled).

If the latter it's likely to be the laser, they are usually cheap these days (about 30ukp).

A.

[peranders]

What sort of scratches are the worst?

If scratches in the tangent are the worst, maybe you have bad bearing of the "platter", the CD "wobbles". I had this problem with my old Denon DCD-1500. I have motor no 3 now!

I had also problems with the DCD-1520 (at home) with bad reading. The problem was weak laser. Note that the CD at home has gone rather little and the CD at work has gone 8-10 hours a day since 1989 and the laser is still fit!

[jean-paul]

Good quality eh Denon ? Together with Philips CDM 12 probably the most failing mechanisms money can buy.

[griff]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I will try and service the gears, re-lub etc. What else needs to be done? Would it be worth replacing them altogether?

"What scratches are the worst?"
They are all pretty bad, ever incredibly light ones seem to skip.

Its definately a sensitivity to scratches, a brand new cd has no troubles what-so-ever.

I suppose it could also be a bad laser as Jean Paul said, as it has been used plenty in its life.

[jean-paul]

Griff, you said the lens appears to be clean. Please clean the lens anyway with a soft cloth or cotton and very little water with a bit of soap. If you use too much water it can come into the coils.
Don't press too hard on the lens. Make circles while cleaning it.

Never use alcohol on the lens as it will damage the protective coating on the lens. In most cases the skipping will become less although the lens appeared to be clean at first.
Especially if you smoke the lens will have a yellowish nicotine shine on it that causes skipping. This kind of dirt is rather difficult to remove !