Reparing a PC Engine CD-ROM: games never load, rubbing noise

So I've finished refurbishing my PC Engine CD-ROM, replaced the broken middle gear with the replica and hooray! Disks spin now! But they don't load, the console just keeps saying "wait a moment". I think the laser is OK, as I've seen it both move back and fourth as well as up and down. I've also given the lens a clean too.

I'm not sure if the issue might be the spindle as when I put a music CD in (to try and test if maybe the game I was using was too scratched to read) I can hear the CD rubbing on something. The game does that too, but not as often. The console also pops up a read error with the music CD, it doesn't keep trying to load it like it does for the game.

I've tried to Google my issue, I've checked that the two ribbon cables are inserted in the right way (big cable's contacts are pointing out and the little cable's contacts are pointing in) so I don't think the ribbon cables are the problem. As I said, I suspect the spindle, but I'm not sure how to adjust it. I've noticed if you rotate the spindle to a certain position, you can see two screws though two holes, maybe they're used for that?

 

Does the disc spin?

I sold on a PC Engine CD-ROM before as I figured it was broken but apparently the PSU that comes with a regular PCE isn't sufficient to power the CD-ROM too in the briefcase setup.

So maybe try a beefier power supply.

 

The disk does spin, that's the cause of the rubbing noise. PSU is the original NEC interface unit PSU.

I used a bit of tape to lift the disk away from the drive a bit more. It spins freely now (regular music CD still rubs though) but it still keeps on reading and reading and not loading.

 

While they aren't working right now, try here: http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/

It's the best PC-Engine forum I've seen. Someone there may have ideas on what is wrong and how to fix it.

 

I've signed up for that forum twice, they never respond to my request to have my account approved :\

 

Aaron must be too kinda busy atm..lol. Try it again. usually we get all kind of n00bs every few days.

Regarding your problem, I guess the laser is dead. They can be replaced easily, and some folks over there also have replacement parts in stock

 

OK, I'll try again.

*EDIT* Can't my email address and username are already in use. Tell him to get the lead out as a favor to a fellow Aaron

I suspect you're right, as when I tried to look for the red laser as it tried to read the disk, I didn't see one. At the same time, it seems to know when there's a disk in there, how can it know that if the laser is dead? I have another CD-ROM unit, I'll try swapping the laser unit over, they're all compatible with each others parts, right?

Also, do you know how to raise the spindle up so disks stop rubbing on the unit?

 

CD-ROMs are compatible, but not CD-ROMs to DUOs f.e.

Never had or heard of the disk rubbing problem. better make some pics and post them into the mod/repair section, after your account finally has been approved.

account problems -> http://pcenginefx.com/main/contact.html

 

I had this cd rubbing issue with an x-eye and a duo, basically the spindle is too far from the tray so when you close it, it doesn't lock magnetically to the spindle, that's why you hear the rubbing noise, your spindle spins but the cd is not locked onto it. Make sure the screws of the lens block (where the spindle sits) aren't too tight, loosen them a little until the spindle attaches to the tray. Et voila, should work, let me know if that makes sense.

 

"screws of the lens block"? Where abouts is that?

 

The ones that you put into the rubbers that I can see on the picture. They hold the block in the chassis, make sure that they are holding the block in place but not too tight, they need to be even as well. In some machines if they aren't even/leveled then you could scratch CDs on the chassis.

Another thing I notice is that there isn't any metal on the spindle? Here is a picture of another white cdrom, you can see the spindle has metal on it, which is key to hold the CD in place:



I don't have a white cdrom unit (yet) but on my SuperCDrom², the spindle's base is made of metal.

 

Oh, I've been tightening those screws as tight as they can go. But I can't get them fully tight, since they just eventually start spinning freely in place.

Metal on the spindle? The entire spindle is made of metal if that's what you mean.

 

Plastic does that after a few year, ie loose screws. Ok it's good that the spindle is made of metal, it wasn't apparent on the picture, it looked like plastic.

Look under the CD door if the magnet that's supposed to stick onto the spindle is not blocked and move freely in its compartment, take a picture if you can to see how it looks like. Your CD rubs because it's not being held in place locked properly.

Is it a replacement CD block or the original one?

 

Yep, the magnet can move freely around, here's a photo:

It's an original CD assembly.

 

OK that's good. Take it off as I can see there are some screws, put a CD in and put the magnet directly onto the CD to see if it's still sticking to the spindle and try to read the CD. You have to trick the unit into thinking it is closed as well.

 

I'll finish swapping over the lasers and give that a try. Gonna need some new screwdrivers with a bit more grip, since I can't undo the screws holding the motor in order to get the laser out (you need to move the spindle out of the way in order to get and the screw holding the laser rail)

 

Keep me posted, happy to help further to get this bad boy running!!!

 

I had/have the same problem,
when you started it up before you refurbished the gears, dit it only say PC on the cdrom unit for a breef second or too?
I still need to replace my gears, but i wanna know if i'm going to have the same problem.

 

Okay, I've been fiddling with the unit and I think I've found that the rubbing noise is coming from the disk rubbing on the body of the unit, not the spindle spinning freely under the disk because it hasn't attached to the magnet. I say this because I get the rubbing noise when I spin the disk by hand with the magnet attached and no amount of tightening and loosening those screws seems to fix it. The only fix I've found is to raise the disk a bit higher with some tape, like I did before (though as I said, the game still won't load, it just stops making the rubbing noise)

Mine said "PC" for the entire time I think. Open up your CDROM and check the gear, chances are pretty good it's turned to cheddar cheese.

 

I see 2 issues here:

- The rubbing slows down the rotation of the disc;
- Raisins the disc, makes farther from the laser;

Both IMHO resulting in making the disc unreadable. I had the same sort of issues with an X'eye. Either the lens block and/or the case is deformed somehow

Can you either put the lens block on a flat surface and try reading a disc that way or remove the parts of the case so nothing comes in the way of the disc? This way you could check if the lens block is definitely the issue here. Check also if the spindle isn't deformed.