Laseractive appears to be dead

Hi there. Bit of a serial lurker here and finally got around to registering. I would appreciate any help with my aparantly dead system :crying:

A while ago I bought an NEC clone version of the Laseractive from a reputable seller in japan and got it shipped over to where I live in the UK. According to everywhere I read, japanese appliances work at US voltage but to avoid things that produce lots of heat like hair dryers and straightners and the extra heat could reduce its lifespan etc. So I bought a voltage converter from maplin for up to 100w: http://www.maplin.co.uk/100w-uk-to-usa-voltageconvertor-31899?c=so&u=strat15

I hooked it up and pressed the power button and nothing happened. Like, absolutely nothing, no lights, no noise, no smoke or smell, etc. I guess the easiest thing would be to test another stepdown transformer.

Other than that, what kind of options do I have? Thanks in advance.

 

On the box it says the maximum load is 100 watts.

 

That is usually a spike load rather than a continuous load. I'd definitely try a second stepdown converter with a higher wattage rating for steady output rather than just "maximum" or "peak" output. Could also be a blown fuse if you weren't the first person to try using the thing.

Worst case is that the entire power supply circuitry has been fried hopefully not taking the rest of the system with it. If the psu is dead it can probably be repaired. The Laseractive is a beast in terms of internal bits but nothing that a capable electrical engineer can't fix. Looks pretty easy honestly.

Standby as in plugged into the wall but turned off? Or standby as in turned in but not doing anything beyond looking pretty?

40w is an insane amount for the former but perfectly normal for the latter. I believe my Pioneer CLD-1580K draws something around 35w when turned on but not playing anything with a bit of a spike when powering on. The two are comparable in size and electrical demand from what I know.

 

Thanks for the reply. A bit expensive and never heard of the store but I was looking at this: http://www.airlinktransformers.com/transformer/ja0300-300va-japanese-transformer.asp

The info on the back of the laseractive is: 100v, 40w.
When I plugged everything in and it didn't work I went on the internet looking for answers and forgot to unplug it, the convertor got quite hot.

 

I would have to assume the 40w rating is standby and while playing a disc in which case your stepdown converter should have worked by all means.

If you are brave enough you could open the Laseractive up and check the power supply board for any blown fuses. They're pretty obvious if you know what you're looking for and very easily replaced. Hell if you could provide a high resolution picture of the board I'd be happy to look over it.

Some information on taking the thing apart:
http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/l...eer_cld-a100/pioneer_cld-a100_ac3_upgrade.htm

It's mainly intended for those who want to add in ac3 output but it has some steps for partial dissassembly. It doesn't cover where the power supply board is or how to take it out though. Be extremely careful, even now with it dead people such as myself would still buy it. But if you open it and break something it'll probably be worthless to anyone who doesn't need a replacement Laseractive tray.

 

Unfortunately it appears it has picked up damage during transit.



You can't see it properly because my camera blurred, but in the bottom corner of the main board where it is screwed in has snapped off. I can't see the full extent of the damage but this has disconnected a connection from the board and the bit which has snapped off, I think a single transistor.

 

Easily replaced as long as the text on the transistor is legible and a replacement located. Even if the PCB is damaged trace repair might be possible.

 

How embarrasing, I can't even seem to figure out how to disassemble the unit. By the looks of it if the only problem is that part of the board it should be fixable. Maybe I'll just take the cover off and and put it on a pioneer version :redface:

 

You do have to be a bit careful when dismantling the LaserActive.

If you have no joy and need someone to take a look at it, give me a shout.

 

I once repaired a Sony portable TV that had been dropped, and one corner of the mainboard had snapped away. I managed to repair it by sanding away the PCB to reveal the copper tracks, and then bridging the gaps with solder and wire links.
You can probably do a similar thing here if you're handy with a soldering iron.

One thing I wouldn't recommend is using glue in the PSU areas. The glue can often break down and become slightly conductive over a period of time, giving all sorts of weird problems.