Howdy!
I have had a Sony DVP-S9000ES for a couple of years now. It's really great sounding player for red book discs. Ever since I have owned it, it has had the problem recognizing the SACD layer of hybrid CD/SACD discs. I wasn't terribly bothered since I have so few SACD discs. Fast forward to about a month ago and it started having trouble recognizing red book discs as well.
I tried various things such as cleaning the lens with isopropyl alcohol and running through the calibration menu for both CD and SACD discs. Neither seemed to resolve the problem.
I took the plunge last week and bought a replacement laser from eBay from a US seller called Liberty Electronics. It arrived to me on Monday and I began the process of installing it.
I finally got the unit back together on Tuesday and it's now having some severe troubles. I can't get it to recognize any disc, but one DVD that I tried. No CD or SACD. I tried the calibration procedure again and it failed on every disc I tried.
When I insert the disc, it will spin up and then I hear/see the laser unit moving forward in progressive increments. It gets all the way to the end of the CD and then throws an error that just says "Error". I can clearly see the laser is shining as well.
I removed the anti-static solder blob on the laser before reinstalling so I know that is not the issue. Unless I bungled that somehow, but do not believe I did using my Hakko de-soldering station.
Just curious if anyone has encountered this before and what the problem might be. Damaged laser? Incompatible laser? Incorrect reassembly or possibly something damaged during reassembly?
I've read that the unit might need to be calibrated, but haven't found a ton of info on how to do that just yet. Also read that the laser's gain might need to be adjusted but I haven't found those adjustment points just yet either.
Any help you can provide would be appreciated. I've been spinning my wheels the past few evenings but still not ready to throw in the towel.
I have had a Sony DVP-S9000ES for a couple of years now. It's really great sounding player for red book discs. Ever since I have owned it, it has had the problem recognizing the SACD layer of hybrid CD/SACD discs. I wasn't terribly bothered since I have so few SACD discs. Fast forward to about a month ago and it started having trouble recognizing red book discs as well.
I tried various things such as cleaning the lens with isopropyl alcohol and running through the calibration menu for both CD and SACD discs. Neither seemed to resolve the problem.
I took the plunge last week and bought a replacement laser from eBay from a US seller called Liberty Electronics. It arrived to me on Monday and I began the process of installing it.
I finally got the unit back together on Tuesday and it's now having some severe troubles. I can't get it to recognize any disc, but one DVD that I tried. No CD or SACD. I tried the calibration procedure again and it failed on every disc I tried.
When I insert the disc, it will spin up and then I hear/see the laser unit moving forward in progressive increments. It gets all the way to the end of the CD and then throws an error that just says "Error". I can clearly see the laser is shining as well.
I removed the anti-static solder blob on the laser before reinstalling so I know that is not the issue. Unless I bungled that somehow, but do not believe I did using my Hakko de-soldering station.
Just curious if anyone has encountered this before and what the problem might be. Damaged laser? Incompatible laser? Incorrect reassembly or possibly something damaged during reassembly?
I've read that the unit might need to be calibrated, but haven't found a ton of info on how to do that just yet. Also read that the laser's gain might need to be adjusted but I haven't found those adjustment points just yet either.
Any help you can provide would be appreciated. I've been spinning my wheels the past few evenings but still not ready to throw in the towel.
Maybe the service manual will be of help: SONY DVP-S9000ES SERVICE MANUAL Pdf Download | ManualsLib
Oops, I see you did remove the solder blob.
Next step is to download the service manual and read the “test and adjustment” section. There is a built-in “diagnostic menu” feature which can be used to check and adjust the servo system.
In particular there is an adjustment named “mirror time” which must be set up properly in order for the player to distinguish whether the disc is a DVD or a CD.
Also these players are old enough to develop electrolytic capacitors with high ESD, both in the power supply and on the main logic board.
I recently obtained a totally dead DVP-NS999ES which had a bloated/vented electrolytic capacitor in its main power supply. Recapping got the player to power up. But I also had to replace the optical pickup because it wasn’t recognizing Hybrid SACD/CD discs. Now all is well with it.
Next step is to download the service manual and read the “test and adjustment” section. There is a built-in “diagnostic menu” feature which can be used to check and adjust the servo system.
In particular there is an adjustment named “mirror time” which must be set up properly in order for the player to distinguish whether the disc is a DVD or a CD.
Also these players are old enough to develop electrolytic capacitors with high ESD, both in the power supply and on the main logic board.
I recently obtained a totally dead DVP-NS999ES which had a bloated/vented electrolytic capacitor in its main power supply. Recapping got the player to power up. But I also had to replace the optical pickup because it wasn’t recognizing Hybrid SACD/CD discs. Now all is well with it.
My technique for obtaining replacement Sony optical pickups:
1)I made a cross reference of models which use exactly the same optical pickup.
For example, the DVP-NS999ES, DVP-NS755V, and DVP-NS715P all use the KHM-270AAA.
2) I found that “used” DVP-NS715P DVD players are widely available on ebay for prices from $1 to $20 (plus shipping, often about $15). Many of these units turned out to be in perfect working order. I’ve also found them at garage sales and resale stores like Goodwill.
3) Over time I built up a supply of more than 10 spare KHM-270AAA optical pickups. At least 5 of them work 100% perfectly when tested in one of my DVP-NS755V units.
Because I haven’t worked as much with Sony models in the older “DVP-S” series I don’t have a list of other models that use the same optical pickup as your DVP-S9000ES. But I expect there are some “low-end” DVD/CD-only models which share the same optical pickup.
To me, the advantage of “harvesting” optical pickups from donor DVD players is that these pickups are 100% “genuine factory originals” which initially passed all of the manufacturer’s QC. In comparison I don’t know where the optical pickups sold by 3rd party vendors came from. In addition, I can often purchase an entire disc player for less $$$ than the price of a 3rd party optical pickup.
Best wishes and good luck with restoration of your disc player!
1)I made a cross reference of models which use exactly the same optical pickup.
For example, the DVP-NS999ES, DVP-NS755V, and DVP-NS715P all use the KHM-270AAA.
2) I found that “used” DVP-NS715P DVD players are widely available on ebay for prices from $1 to $20 (plus shipping, often about $15). Many of these units turned out to be in perfect working order. I’ve also found them at garage sales and resale stores like Goodwill.
3) Over time I built up a supply of more than 10 spare KHM-270AAA optical pickups. At least 5 of them work 100% perfectly when tested in one of my DVP-NS755V units.
Because I haven’t worked as much with Sony models in the older “DVP-S” series I don’t have a list of other models that use the same optical pickup as your DVP-S9000ES. But I expect there are some “low-end” DVD/CD-only models which share the same optical pickup.
To me, the advantage of “harvesting” optical pickups from donor DVD players is that these pickups are 100% “genuine factory originals” which initially passed all of the manufacturer’s QC. In comparison I don’t know where the optical pickups sold by 3rd party vendors came from. In addition, I can often purchase an entire disc player for less $$$ than the price of a 3rd party optical pickup.
Best wishes and good luck with restoration of your disc player!
Do you have any personal experience using this Sony “auto-adjustment” procedure?
I own 1 DVP-NS999ES and several DVP-NS755V units. Note: The DVP-NS755V is a “mid-priced” DVD/SACD/CD player from the same model years as the high-end DVP-NS999ES.
To date I haven’t ever succeeded at getting this “auto-adjustment” procedure to work for either a single-layer or dual-layer DVD. It does work with a standard CD.
I suspect the auto-adjustment for DVD requires special Sony test discs. I haven’t ever been able to obtain these special DVD test discs. Sony refers to them as the HLX-501 through HLX-507. There are separate part numbers for DVD single-layer, DVD dual-layer, and also NTSC vs. PAL video formats. One of my Sony service manuals also shows a test disc for SACD, the HLXA-509.
I have been successful getting all of my disc players to work by performing one specific adjustment known as “mirror time” or “disc check memory.” This adjustment doesn’t require any special discs. It does require one each of a single-layer DVD, a dual-layer DVD, and a CD. Otherwise I leave the servo parameters at their existing values. By doing this “mirror time” adjustment I have been able to move optical pickups from one player to another and end up with everything functioning well.
-EB
I own 1 DVP-NS999ES and several DVP-NS755V units. Note: The DVP-NS755V is a “mid-priced” DVD/SACD/CD player from the same model years as the high-end DVP-NS999ES.
To date I haven’t ever succeeded at getting this “auto-adjustment” procedure to work for either a single-layer or dual-layer DVD. It does work with a standard CD.
I suspect the auto-adjustment for DVD requires special Sony test discs. I haven’t ever been able to obtain these special DVD test discs. Sony refers to them as the HLX-501 through HLX-507. There are separate part numbers for DVD single-layer, DVD dual-layer, and also NTSC vs. PAL video formats. One of my Sony service manuals also shows a test disc for SACD, the HLXA-509.
I have been successful getting all of my disc players to work by performing one specific adjustment known as “mirror time” or “disc check memory.” This adjustment doesn’t require any special discs. It does require one each of a single-layer DVD, a dual-layer DVD, and a CD. Otherwise I leave the servo parameters at their existing values. By doing this “mirror time” adjustment I have been able to move optical pickups from one player to another and end up with everything functioning well.
-EB
I’ve tested the laser diode current (known as Iop) on all the optical pickups I have. These are mostly the KHM-270AAA. All of them measure about the same. They all measure <54 mA which is said to be “within spec.”
Yet some of my optical pickups barely work at all. Others work 100% perfectly, including being able to play hybrid SACD/CD discs.
Optical pickups are rather complex devices both electronically and mechanically. I suspect there are a number of failure causes ***other*** than a “weak laser diode.”
Over a number of years I’ve obtained and repaired several DVP-NS755V units. I’ve also obtained a bunch of DVP-NS715P units because they are easy to find and cheap. The DVP-NS715P model does ***not*** play SACD, but otherwise it is nearly identical to the DVP-NS755V. Both models contain exactly the same optical pickup, the KHM-270AAA.
I recently got my first DVP-NS999ES. It also uses the KHM-270AAA.
I hope to learn more about the root causes of these optical pickup failures.
-EB
Yet some of my optical pickups barely work at all. Others work 100% perfectly, including being able to play hybrid SACD/CD discs.
Optical pickups are rather complex devices both electronically and mechanically. I suspect there are a number of failure causes ***other*** than a “weak laser diode.”
Over a number of years I’ve obtained and repaired several DVP-NS755V units. I’ve also obtained a bunch of DVP-NS715P units because they are easy to find and cheap. The DVP-NS715P model does ***not*** play SACD, but otherwise it is nearly identical to the DVP-NS755V. Both models contain exactly the same optical pickup, the KHM-270AAA.
I recently got my first DVP-NS999ES. It also uses the KHM-270AAA.
I hope to learn more about the root causes of these optical pickup failures.
-EB
I spent some time last night running through the various calibration settings mentioned by electricboyo. After running through these it definitely seems to have an easier time reading DVDs but still not able to read CD or SACD. What's interesting is that it can clearly differentiate between a DVD, CD and SACD using the disc type auto check. Also doing the disc check memory / mirror time procedure the values I get back for DVD and CD seem to be within range. 20 for DVD and 40 for CD.
I previously tried the auto-calibration for CDs and SACD with the previous laser and never had any issues, but it still refused to read discs. Now I can get through the auto calibration phase for a single layer DVD, but not CD, SACD or dual laser DVD. It always crashes at the Sled ON adjustment for those types of discs. I'm not sure if the crash is occurring at that step or just before the next step which is Check CLV ON.
I have gone out and looked for sony units that use the KHM-220AAA laser assembly and it does seem there are indeed many bargains to be had from eBay.
Two questions:
1) is it safe to assume that the sled assembly (hopefully using the correct term here) would be identical across all models that use this part?
2) I'm assuming that even though many of these units do not play SACD, as long as the laser is the same it will function as it should in the DVP-S9000ES.
Thanks all.
I previously tried the auto-calibration for CDs and SACD with the previous laser and never had any issues, but it still refused to read discs. Now I can get through the auto calibration phase for a single layer DVD, but not CD, SACD or dual laser DVD. It always crashes at the Sled ON adjustment for those types of discs. I'm not sure if the crash is occurring at that step or just before the next step which is Check CLV ON.
I have gone out and looked for sony units that use the KHM-220AAA laser assembly and it does seem there are indeed many bargains to be had from eBay.
Two questions:
1) is it safe to assume that the sled assembly (hopefully using the correct term here) would be identical across all models that use this part?
2) I'm assuming that even though many of these units do not play SACD, as long as the laser is the same it will function as it should in the DVP-S9000ES.
Thanks all.
Yes, every KHM-220AAA optical pickup should be interchangeable.
For the high-end “ES” models the disc tray itself may be considerably more elaborate than consumer grade basic DVD players. Typically there are 3 or 4 special screws which attach the optical pickup to the tray assembly. Look for the green or blue silicone rubber “shock-mount” grommets. That’s how the optical pickup attaches. The connecting cables may be longer in high-end units. But since there are plug-in connectors on the optical pickup itself, just unplug the cables from the old optical pickup and plug them into the replacement optical pickup.
Does the DVP-S9000ES service/diagnostic menu have an item which tells how many hours are on it?
In later models this item appears on the “emergency history” page of the service menu. It shows total hours/minutes of both CD playing time & DVD playing time. Low-end DVD players which contain the KHM-220AAA are likely to have the same menu.
An optical pickup with very low hours (<1,000) is likely to work better than an optical pickup with 12,000 hours of playing time.
Among the “for parts or repair only” units I’ve obtained, I had a Sony DVP-NS975V DVD/CD/SACD player which “worked” but it had a very noisy spindle motor (I could hear it whirring from across the room) and also it sometimes failed to initialize hybrid SACD/CD discs. I had another Sony DVP-NS975V with a logic PC board fault which prevented it from playing discs. Oddly it’s service menu was still accessible and showed its “Laser Hours” were only 240 hours (DVD) & 40 hours (CD). So I transplanted this “low hours” optical pickup & spindle motor into my other DVP-NS975V. Now this unit plays every one of my hybrid SACD/CD discs perfectly. And the spindle motor is completely silent.
-EB
Yes. This is correct.
SACD playback capability is entirely determined by the hardware & firmware located on the main digital logic PC board.
There’s nothing different at all about the optical pickup.
An “SACD only” disc is technically a single-layer DVD. A “hybrid” disc has both the DVD layer and also a CD layer.
-EB
The problem of buying optical pickups from the web (China) is, there is no quality control.
I've had to buy three KSS240 for two identical players.
There are cheaper (generic) units in which the photodiode has less legs. Say 6 opposed to 12.
The ones I've bought had the same pin number and were double the price.
First worked fine
Second was skipping badly
Third worked fine
I've had to buy three KSS240 for two identical players.
There are cheaper (generic) units in which the photodiode has less legs. Say 6 opposed to 12.
The ones I've bought had the same pin number and were double the price.
First worked fine
Second was skipping badly
Third worked fine
Thanks all! I found a cheap donor unit for $20 shipped on eBay. The seller said it had been rarely used in a spare bedroom so I rolled the dice. If this doesn't work for me this will be the end of my trying to repair this unit. Such a shame because they are such nice players plagued by crappy lasers. I will report back with my results after I do the transplant surgery. I'm not overly optimistic that I will get SACD playback, but hopeful I can at least restore reliable red book playback.
Good luck! I expect you will succeed. Obtaining “parts donor units” to use as a source of Sony optical pickups has worked very well for me.
At this point my restored Sony DVP-NS999ES can play every disc in my collection.
I also successfully restored 3 units of Sony DVP-NS755V. The DVP-NS755V is a “mid-priced” DVD/CD/SACD player with 5.1 channels of analog audio outputs. It is quite similar in functionality to the DVP-NS999ES, but lacks elaborate analog audio output circuitry.
Is there a big difference in sonics between the DVP-NS999ES vs. the DVP-NS755V? Well, I don’t have an opinion yet because I haven’t had the DVP-NS999ES for long enough.
I will state that I’m very satisfied with the Sony DVP-NS755V model. That’s why I obtained several of them. I wanted to be able to play my SACD discs in several different rooms of my house. I began buying “used” disc players with SACD capability 10 years ago when it appeared many disc player manufacturers were dropping SACD playback capability from newer models.
The DVP-NS999ES and the DVP-NS755V both use exactly the same optical pickup: KHM-270AAA. I obtained several cheap DVP-NS715P donor units to provide a supply of spare KHM-270AAA optical pickups.
I also succeeded at fixing a Sony DVP-NS500V by installing an optical pickup harvested from a DVP-NS700P. In this case the optical pickup is the KHM-240AAA. I got the DVP-NS500V for free because it was “totally dead.” The donor player cost me $5. It turns out that the DVP-NS500V can play DVD/CD/SACD and (with a good optical pickup in it) it is also able to play every hybrid SACD/CD disc in my collection. In fact the DVP-NS500V is in my living room audio system right now. Not bad for a $5 investment.
Yesterday I repaired a Sony DVP-NS975V by installing an optical pickup taken from another DVP-NS975V which had a faulty digital logic PC board. This model uses the KHM-310BAA optical pickup.
Again, best wishes with getting your DVP-S9000ES into perfect operating condition!
-EB
At this point my restored Sony DVP-NS999ES can play every disc in my collection.
I also successfully restored 3 units of Sony DVP-NS755V. The DVP-NS755V is a “mid-priced” DVD/CD/SACD player with 5.1 channels of analog audio outputs. It is quite similar in functionality to the DVP-NS999ES, but lacks elaborate analog audio output circuitry.
Is there a big difference in sonics between the DVP-NS999ES vs. the DVP-NS755V? Well, I don’t have an opinion yet because I haven’t had the DVP-NS999ES for long enough.
I will state that I’m very satisfied with the Sony DVP-NS755V model. That’s why I obtained several of them. I wanted to be able to play my SACD discs in several different rooms of my house. I began buying “used” disc players with SACD capability 10 years ago when it appeared many disc player manufacturers were dropping SACD playback capability from newer models.
The DVP-NS999ES and the DVP-NS755V both use exactly the same optical pickup: KHM-270AAA. I obtained several cheap DVP-NS715P donor units to provide a supply of spare KHM-270AAA optical pickups.
I also succeeded at fixing a Sony DVP-NS500V by installing an optical pickup harvested from a DVP-NS700P. In this case the optical pickup is the KHM-240AAA. I got the DVP-NS500V for free because it was “totally dead.” The donor player cost me $5. It turns out that the DVP-NS500V can play DVD/CD/SACD and (with a good optical pickup in it) it is also able to play every hybrid SACD/CD disc in my collection. In fact the DVP-NS500V is in my living room audio system right now. Not bad for a $5 investment.
Yesterday I repaired a Sony DVP-NS975V by installing an optical pickup taken from another DVP-NS975V which had a faulty digital logic PC board. This model uses the KHM-310BAA optical pickup.
Again, best wishes with getting your DVP-S9000ES into perfect operating condition!
-EB
Surgery has been performed. It will now consistently play red book CDs but still no luck on SACD. It will go through the auto calibration process on SACD. It will read a disc as SACD, but then gives an error when it starts to play. I think I've spent enough time and money on this thing. It's going to pull duty as a garage player until it dies for good. Was definitely an interesting process and enjoyed working and learning. Thanks to everyone for your help on this.
Don’t give up yet. You may be within 30 minutes of getting the unit to work perfectly with every type of disc.
Will it play an actual DVD?
Please note there are two distinct types of DVD:
Single layer
Dual layer
Sony’s calibration and adjustment processes requires one disc of each DVD type. They also require one standard audio CD disc.
Most movies come on “dual layer” DVD in order to handle the large amount of data needed for a movie (2 1/2 to 3 hours) plus the “bonus” material which is often included.
I rarely use any of Sony’s “auto adjustment” procedures. I haven’t yet found a Sony DVD player which will get all the way through either the “single layer” or “dual layer” DVD auto adjustment process without throwing an error part way through and stopping. Yet these same players are fully functional in every other way. They play both single and dual layer DVD, CD, and they play both “SACD-only” discs and they reliably play my “hybrid” SACD/CD discs in both the SACD and the CD modes. I suspect that Sony’s “auto adjustment” feature requires special test discs. But I haven’t yet been able to obtain any of these special discs.
That said, I’ve had great success adjusting my Sony DVD/CD/SACD players using selected parts of the “manual adjustment” sections of the on-screen service menu.
After restoring and evaluating 10 different Sony disc players during the past 2 months I’ve arrived at a simplified adjustment method of my own.
I often observe that ***no*** adjustments are necessary after moving an optical pickup from one disc player to another.
However, there is one specific adjustment which is sometimes needed in order to get all disc varieties to initialize quickly. Sony refers to this adjustment as “mirror time” and the associated service-menu item is often called “Disc check memory.”
I’ll put the details into my next post.
-EB
Will it play an actual DVD?
Please note there are two distinct types of DVD:
Single layer
Dual layer
Sony’s calibration and adjustment processes requires one disc of each DVD type. They also require one standard audio CD disc.
Most movies come on “dual layer” DVD in order to handle the large amount of data needed for a movie (2 1/2 to 3 hours) plus the “bonus” material which is often included.
I rarely use any of Sony’s “auto adjustment” procedures. I haven’t yet found a Sony DVD player which will get all the way through either the “single layer” or “dual layer” DVD auto adjustment process without throwing an error part way through and stopping. Yet these same players are fully functional in every other way. They play both single and dual layer DVD, CD, and they play both “SACD-only” discs and they reliably play my “hybrid” SACD/CD discs in both the SACD and the CD modes. I suspect that Sony’s “auto adjustment” feature requires special test discs. But I haven’t yet been able to obtain any of these special discs.
That said, I’ve had great success adjusting my Sony DVD/CD/SACD players using selected parts of the “manual adjustment” sections of the on-screen service menu.
After restoring and evaluating 10 different Sony disc players during the past 2 months I’ve arrived at a simplified adjustment method of my own.
I often observe that ***no*** adjustments are necessary after moving an optical pickup from one disc player to another.
However, there is one specific adjustment which is sometimes needed in order to get all disc varieties to initialize quickly. Sony refers to this adjustment as “mirror time” and the associated service-menu item is often called “Disc check memory.”
I’ll put the details into my next post.
-EB
To clarify one thing I learned about Sony DVD players:
The adjustment process, whether automatic or manual, must be performed in the following order:
1) Put a “known to be good” single-layer DVD into the player. Check “mirror time” for single-layer DVD (service menu shorthand is “DVD SL”) and adjust if needed. Check that this single-layer DVD is able to be played after adjusting.
2) Put a “known to be good” standard CD disc into the player. Check and adjust “mirror time” for CD.
3) Optional: Some Sony models also have a “mirror time” item for dual-layer DVD. If so, put a known-to-be-good dual layer DVD into the player and check/adjust mirror time (aka “disc check memory”) for “DVD DL.”
Note that if you wish to use any of the “automatic adjustment” procedures, then they should be performed “one disc at a time” by first adjusting for single-layer DVD (aka DVD SL), then for standard CD, and finally for dual-layer DVD (DVD DL).
Later model Sony disc players, starting with the DVP-NS series, have no specific service menu items for SACD. This may differ for earlier models such as the DVP-S9000ES. I’ll take a look at the DVP-S9000ES service manual before making my next post.
-EB
The adjustment process, whether automatic or manual, must be performed in the following order:
1) Put a “known to be good” single-layer DVD into the player. Check “mirror time” for single-layer DVD (service menu shorthand is “DVD SL”) and adjust if needed. Check that this single-layer DVD is able to be played after adjusting.
2) Put a “known to be good” standard CD disc into the player. Check and adjust “mirror time” for CD.
3) Optional: Some Sony models also have a “mirror time” item for dual-layer DVD. If so, put a known-to-be-good dual layer DVD into the player and check/adjust mirror time (aka “disc check memory”) for “DVD DL.”
Note that if you wish to use any of the “automatic adjustment” procedures, then they should be performed “one disc at a time” by first adjusting for single-layer DVD (aka DVD SL), then for standard CD, and finally for dual-layer DVD (DVD DL).
Later model Sony disc players, starting with the DVP-NS series, have no specific service menu items for SACD. This may differ for earlier models such as the DVP-S9000ES. I’ll take a look at the DVP-S9000ES service manual before making my next post.
-EB
I took a close look at the DVP-S9000ES service manual. Some details of its "Test Mode" (section 6) differ in comparison to the later DVP-NS series. That said, many items are still quite similar.
In particular, the single most important adjustment is "Disc Check Memory."
The details for adjusting it are given on page 6-8 of the service manual. This procedure adjusts the stored EEPROM data for a parameter known as "mirror time."
What is "mirror time?"
To get back to fixing this DVP-NS9000ES, its "mirror time" may not be correct after changing the optical pickup.
(paraphrasing numerous Sony DVD service & technical manuals I've read):
My experience is that none of the other adjustments are anywhere near as important. In some cases a different optical pickup will work without adjusting the mirror time, but not always. I always check and adjust the mirror time after putting a different optical pickup into a disc player.
Also, because the "auto-adjustment" procedures rarely work, the adjustment data currently stored in the EEPROM may be inaccurate. I've attempted to run those "auto- adjustment" procedures on many of my Sony DVD players. I have yet to see it succeed all the way to the end, where it writes the updated data into the EEPROM. In most cases the player locks up with the disc spinning rapidly and must be powered off to recover. Although I cannot prove it yet, I suspect "auto-adjustment" requires using the special Sony test discs (HLX-504 & HLX-505 for NTSC units, HLX-506 & HLX-507 for PAL).
So, here is the detailed procedure:
You must have 3 "known-to-be-good" discs in order to perform this step:
Get into the "test mode" and select "2. Drive Manual Operation."
Next select "0. Disc Check Memory."
Now put a single-layer DVD into the tray. (The open/close button remains functional at this time).
Then select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "1. SL Disc Check."
At this time a 2-digit hex number may appear on the screen. This is the measured mirror time for the DVD-SL disc.
Then eject the disc and put in a standard audio CD
Again select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "2. CD Disc Check."
Again a 2-digit hex number should appear on the screen and be about 2x the value of the DVD-SL value
Eject the CD and put in a dual-layer DVD.
Again select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "3. DL Disc Check."
The 2-digit hex number should be roughly similar to the number for the single-layer DVD.
That's it. Switch off the player and turn it back on in normal operation mode.
-EB
In particular, the single most important adjustment is "Disc Check Memory."
The details for adjusting it are given on page 6-8 of the service manual. This procedure adjusts the stored EEPROM data for a parameter known as "mirror time."
What is "mirror time?"
Answer:
When an unknown disc is put into the tray the player first does a "focus search" by switching on the laser and then gradually raising the lens from the resting position.
When a data layer on the disc comes into sharp focus there is a large peak in the detected RF signal.
The elapsed time measured between the start of the focus search and the time when the RF signal peak occurs is known as "mirror time."
I believe the word "mirror" is used because the metallic data layer of the disc is highly reflective in the same sense as a mirror.
DVD discs are a sandwich of multiple layers with one or more metallic data layers embedded in the middle, so-to-speak.
The data layer for a single-layer DVD (DVD-SL) comes into focus first. If it is a dual-layer DVD (DVD-DL), then the second data layer comes into focus almost immediately after the first.
If the disc is a standard audio CD, then there is a much longer time delay before the CD layer comes into focus.
The "mirror time" data value for a CD is a much larger number than the data value for a DVD.
My observation is that mirror times for both DVD-SL and DVD-DL are nearly identical, but the mirror time data value for a CD is typically about twice as big (2x) as the DVD values.
When an unknown disc is put into the tray the player first does a "focus search" by switching on the laser and then gradually raising the lens from the resting position.
When a data layer on the disc comes into sharp focus there is a large peak in the detected RF signal.
The elapsed time measured between the start of the focus search and the time when the RF signal peak occurs is known as "mirror time."
I believe the word "mirror" is used because the metallic data layer of the disc is highly reflective in the same sense as a mirror.
DVD discs are a sandwich of multiple layers with one or more metallic data layers embedded in the middle, so-to-speak.
The data layer for a single-layer DVD (DVD-SL) comes into focus first. If it is a dual-layer DVD (DVD-DL), then the second data layer comes into focus almost immediately after the first.
If the disc is a standard audio CD, then there is a much longer time delay before the CD layer comes into focus.
The "mirror time" data value for a CD is a much larger number than the data value for a DVD.
My observation is that mirror times for both DVD-SL and DVD-DL are nearly identical, but the mirror time data value for a CD is typically about twice as big (2x) as the DVD values.
To get back to fixing this DVP-NS9000ES, its "mirror time" may not be correct after changing the optical pickup.
(paraphrasing numerous Sony DVD service & technical manuals I've read):
"mirror time must be adjusted after changing the optical pickup."
My experience is that none of the other adjustments are anywhere near as important. In some cases a different optical pickup will work without adjusting the mirror time, but not always. I always check and adjust the mirror time after putting a different optical pickup into a disc player.
Also, because the "auto-adjustment" procedures rarely work, the adjustment data currently stored in the EEPROM may be inaccurate. I've attempted to run those "auto- adjustment" procedures on many of my Sony DVD players. I have yet to see it succeed all the way to the end, where it writes the updated data into the EEPROM. In most cases the player locks up with the disc spinning rapidly and must be powered off to recover. Although I cannot prove it yet, I suspect "auto-adjustment" requires using the special Sony test discs (HLX-504 & HLX-505 for NTSC units, HLX-506 & HLX-507 for PAL).
So, here is the detailed procedure:
You must have 3 "known-to-be-good" discs in order to perform this step:
1) Single-layer DVD
2) Standard CD
3) Dual-layer DVD
2) Standard CD
3) Dual-layer DVD
Get into the "test mode" and select "2. Drive Manual Operation."
Next select "0. Disc Check Memory."
Now put a single-layer DVD into the tray. (The open/close button remains functional at this time).
Then select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "1. SL Disc Check."
At this time a 2-digit hex number may appear on the screen. This is the measured mirror time for the DVD-SL disc.
Then eject the disc and put in a standard audio CD
Again select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "2. CD Disc Check."
Again a 2-digit hex number should appear on the screen and be about 2x the value of the DVD-SL value
Eject the CD and put in a dual-layer DVD.
Again select "0. Reset SLED TILT" followed by "3. DL Disc Check."
The 2-digit hex number should be roughly similar to the number for the single-layer DVD.
That's it. Switch off the player and turn it back on in normal operation mode.
-EB
The DVP-S9000ES has two other "Test Mode" screens which I am familiar with because they are present on nearly all Sony DVD models made between 2000 and 2006. These screens provide useful information about the disc player and about the servo calibration data stored in the EEPROM.
The first of these is "4. Emergency History."
To conclude, it would be helpful if you could look at these screens and either write down and post the data, or (this is how I do it), photograph each screen with your smartphone. Then post the photos.
-EB
The first of these is "4. Emergency History."
Selecting this brings up a screen showing "Laser Hours." There are 2 values because the optical pickup in the DVP-S9000ES contains two different laser diodes: A visible red laser to play DVD and SACD, and a conventional IR laser to play CD. The displayed values are the total number of elapsed "playing" hours for each laser.
The error messages (numbered 1 though 0) are also of some use, but Sony only explains the meaning of the first byte of each error message. For the DVP-S9000ES this explanation appears on page 6-10 of the service manual.
There are several pages of error messages. Error numbers 3-9 can be viewed by pressing the UP/DOWN or digit (1-9) buttons on the remote control
The other useful screen is part of the "Drive Manual Operation" sub-menu. This is known as "6. Memory Check."The error messages (numbered 1 though 0) are also of some use, but Sony only explains the meaning of the first byte of each error message. For the DVP-S9000ES this explanation appears on page 6-10 of the service manual.
There are several pages of error messages. Error numbers 3-9 can be viewed by pressing the UP/DOWN or digit (1-9) buttons on the remote control
There are 5 columns of data, CD, SACD, followed by DVD SL, L0, and L1. Note that L0 and L1 refer to the two "data layers" of a dual-layer DVD disc. Typically the stored data is relatively similar for all 3 of the DVD sub-types. The data for CD may be considerably different. I cannot say much about "SACD" column because the later model players I'm most familiar with don't label this column as "SACD." Rather they call it "LCD" and often the data values are blank.
To conclude, it would be helpful if you could look at these screens and either write down and post the data, or (this is how I do it), photograph each screen with your smartphone. Then post the photos.
-EB