I have a Classe Audio CDP.3 CD Player that I picked up at a thrift store. It uses a Sanyo SF-P1 transport. It came with a number of issues. Most notably, there was no power making it to the transport and the display. Upon inspection, it looked like the transport board was the victim of a failed recap attempt. I found a deep scratch that had severed a number of the traces. I installed jumper wires to reconnect the severed traces. There is now power to the transport and display.
When I power up the unit, the CD drawer opens and closes as it should. When I load a CD, the lens moves into position, and the disk spins. However, the unit does not recognize or read the disc. There is no "disc error" message on the display (not sure if there is supposed to be with this unit). The display just reads zeroes. Sometimes, if you push the play button, you will see "Track 1" and the play arrow on the display for a second or two, but then the display goes back to zeroes.
This seems like a laser/lens issue. However, I am not sure how to test or confirm that. I do not see an obvious way to adjust or align the lens (i.e., there is no obvious adjustment/alignment screw). Also, given the problems with the transport board, I am not sure if there could be an issue there that I have not yet spotted that is leading to this problem.
What are your thoughts for troubleshooting? How do I test the lens function? Is there a particular connection from the board and/or component(s) on the board that controls this function and could cause this problem if the connection is severed or the component(s) is bad? I could simply look for a new lens unit (not sure if they are still available). However, I am concerned that the problem might lie somewhere else.
I appreciate your thoughts. Let me know what questions I can answer or info I can provide to help with the analysis.
When I power up the unit, the CD drawer opens and closes as it should. When I load a CD, the lens moves into position, and the disk spins. However, the unit does not recognize or read the disc. There is no "disc error" message on the display (not sure if there is supposed to be with this unit). The display just reads zeroes. Sometimes, if you push the play button, you will see "Track 1" and the play arrow on the display for a second or two, but then the display goes back to zeroes.
This seems like a laser/lens issue. However, I am not sure how to test or confirm that. I do not see an obvious way to adjust or align the lens (i.e., there is no obvious adjustment/alignment screw). Also, given the problems with the transport board, I am not sure if there could be an issue there that I have not yet spotted that is leading to this problem.
What are your thoughts for troubleshooting? How do I test the lens function? Is there a particular connection from the board and/or component(s) on the board that controls this function and could cause this problem if the connection is severed or the component(s) is bad? I could simply look for a new lens unit (not sure if they are still available). However, I am concerned that the problem might lie somewhere else.
I appreciate your thoughts. Let me know what questions I can answer or info I can provide to help with the analysis.
A few more pieces of info. I checked for continuity in the cables that run from the transport to the board. All test good.
The laser assembly moves into position, and the laser lens moves up and down when the disc drawer closes. I cannot tell if the laser is actually lighting. It is hard to see in there. I am not sure how obvious it should be. I am not sure when it is supposed to light, e.g., as soon as the assembly starts moving into position, once it gets into position and the disk starts spinning, etc.
I am not sure which pins on the board control which functions on the transport. One is marked "laser," but I don't know what aspect of the laser it controls. Maybe just power. I do not have a schematic for the board, so I am not sure how to test the various pins.
When loading a disk, the disk spins for about 10 seconds, then stops. I have seen reference to this, as compared to the disk stopping after 2-3 seconds as the laser reads the table of contents. However, I have not found an explanation of what it means in terms of troubleshooting.
The laser assembly moves into position, and the laser lens moves up and down when the disc drawer closes. I cannot tell if the laser is actually lighting. It is hard to see in there. I am not sure how obvious it should be. I am not sure when it is supposed to light, e.g., as soon as the assembly starts moving into position, once it gets into position and the disk starts spinning, etc.
I am not sure which pins on the board control which functions on the transport. One is marked "laser," but I don't know what aspect of the laser it controls. Maybe just power. I do not have a schematic for the board, so I am not sure how to test the various pins.
When loading a disk, the disk spins for about 10 seconds, then stops. I have seen reference to this, as compared to the disk stopping after 2-3 seconds as the laser reads the table of contents. However, I have not found an explanation of what it means in terms of troubleshooting.
SOLVED! I took out the magnifying glass and spent more time looking at the transport board. I found another broken trace, installed another jumper, and all is well.
Great job! I like to hear about success when methodically searching for CD Player problems and finding the real root cause(s). Many always assume it's the laser assembly that failed and it usually is not.
Agreed.
Now that the Classe is sorted I have been able to put it through its paces in my system. Specifically, I have been able to use it as a transport only with the signal running through the coax out to my Hegel DAC, and listen to its onboard DAC through the balanced outs. The sound through the Hegel is more crisp/defined/refined. The high ends especially are more clear and pronounced. However, the Classe has a warmer/fuller quality that is not present in the Hegel. I consider it a legitimate option depending on the music. It is good to have choices.
Now that the Classe is sorted I have been able to put it through its paces in my system. Specifically, I have been able to use it as a transport only with the signal running through the coax out to my Hegel DAC, and listen to its onboard DAC through the balanced outs. The sound through the Hegel is more crisp/defined/refined. The high ends especially are more clear and pronounced. However, the Classe has a warmer/fuller quality that is not present in the Hegel. I consider it a legitimate option depending on the music. It is good to have choices.