Hi, I bought this to replace the laser in my Samsung SDG-605 drive. The laser model is SOH-DX1. When I got it I desoldered the solder point and popped it in the drive. However the new laser is just as bad as the old laser on reading discs. CDs, DVDs or original games. Do I have to perform a pot-tweak on a new laser? Thanks,
If it isn't reading games as good you might need to. You triple checked your solder job was good? I have tuned potentiometers many times over the years, and sometimes they just need a slight tweak, and other times they are just so far gone. Did you check it with an ohmmeter?
I have only been able to read a music CD one time, but no go with DVD or original game. I checked the solder job by using a multimeter on the two points that was previously connected by the solder blob and they were no longer bridged - so I think that's good. I'll check the pot-meter with a multimeter, thanks. I havent heard about new lasers needing pot-tweaks though, is that normal?
There are many things that can go bad in an optical disc drive. Besides the laser diode, it can be alignment issues, spindle height or some electrical problem. Since your new laser behaves like the old one, I'd rather check for these issues first.
The laser seems to be a tiny bit better than the old one, as I've now managed to read a CD and a DVD. All though it takes a while to read. @Anthony817 I measured the pot-meter to 644 Ohm. For a new laser, isnt that a bit low? @rama Do you have any suggestions on how to check the possible issues your are mentioning? Is an alignment issue related to the rails the laser is mounted on? Thanks!
I will admit I mostly done this on Dreamcast and Playstation consoles, so not sure on the correct ohms for your new laser, but looking it up I found this info below. Hope this helps. PHILLIPS 6035\21 No less then 500 ohms PHILLIPS 6011\21 No less then 500 ohms THOMPSON No less then 800 ohms http://web.archive.org/web/20140615...ow-to-repair-xbox-dvd-by-pot-tweaking.495512/
Thanks I also found that page via Archive.org Would have been nice to find some default values for the Samsung drives though.
I can't say I've ever needed to pot tweak a laser fresh out of the box. My guess is it's a faulty laser or there's something else going on in your drive.
@GoTeamScotch Yeah, I've contacted the seller to try to get a refund or a replacement laser. They wanted video-proof though, so hopefully a video of the Xbox not reading discs is sufficient... I have only been able to track down laser-related repairs for the original Xbox DVD-drives. It seems to me that people are repairing their drives by doing laser replacements, laser pot-tweaks or general cleaning of the lens and/or inside of the DVD-drive itself (which I've done already). The most common "repair" seems to get a new new drive all together. Do you have any suggestions (or links) on how to check alignment or spindle height?
