Broken Arcam Alpha 8 Trichord

[klunk]

HI,

I am new here, this is my first post.

I have an Arcam Alpha 8 cd player with a trichord research mod.

Recently the player started to skip alot and it found difficulty in reading alot of my discs.

The day before yesterday it simply stopped working.

I have done some digging (which led me here) and i believe it may be the laser / mech that has gone.

I am told by Arcam this is a sony CDM-14 laser.

They quote 225 pounds for the work!!!

I love this player i am really happy with my system, is there any info on where i can get such a laser and how i may fit it??

alternatively could it be someting else wrong with it??

Many thanks

klunk

[JonHarrison]

Klunk,

Before suggesting anything what test equipment do you have access to ?

Cheers,

Jon

[klunk]

none i'm afraid.



very new to this, is there anything i can buy cheaply that will help??

do you think i'm better off paying the 225?

klunk

[JonHarrison]

Klunk,

It's going to be difficult for you without the ability to make any measurements.

I am told by Arcam this is a sony CDM-14 laser.

That's what the service manual says. I assume the CDM14 is the complete assembly (laser and tray). Are there any markings on the sled itself? Sony assemblies of that era are KSS...

The day before yesterday it simply stopped working.

Can you elaborate on that.

Have you checked the connections inside and tried cleaning the laser and regreasing the mechanism ?

Are you able to take any photos of the insides ...

Cheers,

Jon

[klunk]

hi, thanks for the reply.

i opened it today it has printed on the laser kss-240a which are readily available.

looks nice and clean.

thing is the disk won't even spin, doesn't sound to me like the laser if the disk won't actually spin?

ifit is the whole assembly can i syill get one of those??

i have found the kss-240a which appears to be a genuine sony part for £19

klunk

[JonHarrison]

Klunk,

thing is the disk won't even spin, doesn't sound to me like the laser if the disk won't actually spin?

No it doesn't sound like the laser to me either.

When you switch the player on (no CD in) does the sled move in and out or the laser try and focus ? Be careful not to look directly at the laser.

I have an Arcam Alpha One which I think also uses the KSS240. Is the laser assembly pivotted from the rear and raised under the CD when the tray is brought fully in ?

The problem with my player was that the raising gear at the front needed cleaning and regreasing, the assembly was sticking and wasn't being lifted fully up to meet the CD and as a result it wasn't spinning it.

Try opening the tray, put a CD in and close it again and then when the tray is fully back in if the CD doesn't start to spin see if you can gently lift the pivotted assembly up from the sides so that the spindle motor engages with the clamping magnet above the CD - it should start to spin then.

Cheers,

Jon

[klunk]

well, i opened it up again and gave the sled a little nudge, it started to move and the laser tried to focus like you said.

put a cd in and hey presto it works!!

still struggles with a couple of cd's tho.

i assume it need a good clean and maybe a little lube??

how would i go about this and what lube should i use??

thanks for your suggestions

klunk

[JonHarrison]

Klunk,

well, i opened it up again and gave the sled a little nudge, it started to move and the laser tried to focus like you said.

Jolly good. I didn't want to deprive Arcam of course you understand but £225 was a bit steep to the diyer.

still struggles with a couple of cd's tho.

It could be that the sled rails needs regreasing. The grease on my Alpha One had completely dried out, I can best describe what was left as a pasty white gunk.

i assume it need a good clean and maybe a little lube??

Quite. I use a silicon grease. Some people use a white lithium grease but I think this makes the plastic brittle. If you search on the 'net you will find stories of Philips going through a phase of using the 'wrong grease' on their mechanisms. You could use a very light oil (perhaps sewing machine oil or similar) on the rails but I normally just use the grease there too. Strip it all down and clean out all of the old stuff first and then be sparing. I wouldn't touch the laser itself, the lens is easily scratched and the raising/lowering assembly is delicate. Lubricate the gears for the mechanism, the tray and the rails for the sled and be careful to avoid getting any on the rubber band as you don't want it to start slipping round the pulleys !

Cheers,

Jon

[klunk]

john,

i have been looking round for silicon grease and have found loads of different looking products.

Can you recommend a perticular type?

also what would i need to buy in order to effectively clean off the old grease?

thanks

klunk

[JonHarrison]

Klunk,

i have been looking round for silicon grease and have found loads of different looking products. Can you recommend a perticular type?

The grease I used came in a yellow toothpaste style tube from RS, but I've just checked and they don't sell it like that any more. Why don't you post what you've found ? Make sure it's silicon grease and not heatsink compound.

also what would i need to buy in order to effectively clean off the old grease?

I can't remember exactly what I used but probably a cloth - and a tooth pick for the hard to reach places. I don't think I'd have used any solvent for risk of leaving a residue on the assembly.

Jon