Good day!
I've been tinkering for a while with a few Sony and Philips PCDPs in the last months. I came across a Sony D-11 in very good cosmetic shape. The player works albeit only on batteries (with an AC adapter, it fails to detect a CD). When working on batteries, there is some skipping, and the tracking seems to go bananas (the laser seems to oscillate back and forth matching the frequency of the spindle rotation). So, knowing that the device was working only on batteries, I assumed that perhaps a few of the caps on the power supply were damaged.
So, I opened the Discman and checked for leaked caps, but there was no apparent damage. I then checked the service manual and identified four caps in the power supply that could be the reason for the problems described above: C403, C450, C406 and C414 (schematic attached with highlighted caps).
The caps were then replaced. I also checked the laser mechanic and the spindle, and everything seemed alright. I cleaned the laser with IPA and a cotton swab. I removed the protective cover from the laser assembly to check if the tracking and focus coils were dirty.
I then adjusted the 5,3V and 3,5V as per the service manual. The 5,3V test point was quite low (4,8V) so I adjusted the corresponding potentiometer. I also checked the laser current (following the procedure in the service manual), and the current was within spec.
I then reassembled and tested. The device turned on, both on batteries and on AC adapter. But now no CD was being recognized. Neither on batteries or AC adapter. I opened the discman again and checked all the caps I replaced and their polarity. I also checked all the flat cables, specially those for the tracking and focus. I also checked all the wires to discard that I pinched one during assembly. I found no apparent problem. I even installed back the only capacitor which was a little different than the original: C403. The device requires a 150 µF/16V cap, but I had only a 35V one. AFAIK, the higher voltage shouldn't be a problem. Using the old cap didn't solved the issue.
So here I am! I am almost positive that I did not accidentally turned any of the dreaded Sony Potentiometers. But I have no clue what could be the issue. Unfortunately, I do not have an oscilloscope to perform the rest of the electrical adjustments, but given that I only modified 4 caps on the power stage, I see no reason why the laser related potentiometers would require adjustments.
Any help is deeply appreciated!
I've been tinkering for a while with a few Sony and Philips PCDPs in the last months. I came across a Sony D-11 in very good cosmetic shape. The player works albeit only on batteries (with an AC adapter, it fails to detect a CD). When working on batteries, there is some skipping, and the tracking seems to go bananas (the laser seems to oscillate back and forth matching the frequency of the spindle rotation). So, knowing that the device was working only on batteries, I assumed that perhaps a few of the caps on the power supply were damaged.
So, I opened the Discman and checked for leaked caps, but there was no apparent damage. I then checked the service manual and identified four caps in the power supply that could be the reason for the problems described above: C403, C450, C406 and C414 (schematic attached with highlighted caps).
The caps were then replaced. I also checked the laser mechanic and the spindle, and everything seemed alright. I cleaned the laser with IPA and a cotton swab. I removed the protective cover from the laser assembly to check if the tracking and focus coils were dirty.
I then adjusted the 5,3V and 3,5V as per the service manual. The 5,3V test point was quite low (4,8V) so I adjusted the corresponding potentiometer. I also checked the laser current (following the procedure in the service manual), and the current was within spec.
I then reassembled and tested. The device turned on, both on batteries and on AC adapter. But now no CD was being recognized. Neither on batteries or AC adapter. I opened the discman again and checked all the caps I replaced and their polarity. I also checked all the flat cables, specially those for the tracking and focus. I also checked all the wires to discard that I pinched one during assembly. I found no apparent problem. I even installed back the only capacitor which was a little different than the original: C403. The device requires a 150 µF/16V cap, but I had only a 35V one. AFAIK, the higher voltage shouldn't be a problem. Using the old cap didn't solved the issue.
So here I am! I am almost positive that I did not accidentally turned any of the dreaded Sony Potentiometers. But I have no clue what could be the issue. Unfortunately, I do not have an oscilloscope to perform the rest of the electrical adjustments, but given that I only modified 4 caps on the power stage, I see no reason why the laser related potentiometers would require adjustments.
Any help is deeply appreciated!
