Sega CD1 won't load discs, not sure what to try next

[Scooter]

I recently bought a non-working SCD1 from a member here with the hope of getting it working and maybe sell it back for a few bucks or keep it or resell it if he wasn't interested in the end.

Anyway, when I got it it was a brick. Of course the fuse was blown. By bypassing the fuse it would power up but the CD tray wouldn't budge. I tried a known-to-be-working CD drive and it didn't work either. I tore down the drive, found no real issues but did repair a hinge pivot that was broken. I put it back together and got the tray to function but it wouldn't spin a CD. I cleaned all the contacts and ribbon cables and bolted it all back together and it will boot, open and close the tray, it will now spin the CD but it doesn't seem to initialize the software or fails to read the disc. I tried numerous discs and it won't read them but at least it is spinning the disc. It appears that the laser is moving, at least I hear the motor go but not sure if it's moving back and forth (kind of hard to see with a disc in).

What's the next step? The laser shuttle does move freely by hand but could it use some adjustment? Would reseating the small ribbon cable from the laser shuttle to the CD board likely help? Could it just be a dirty lens? It looks perfectly clean.

Any suggestions would be appreciated since at this point it's just a nice looking brick with a few blinking lights.

[corn619]

Sounds like the laser is weak. But who knows, the model 1 isn't exactly known for reliability in many areas.

[Scooter]

Sounds like the laser is weak. But who knows, the model 1 isn't exactly known for reliability in many areas.

Any idea what can be done about a weak laser?

[aw93053]

Either the motor is dead or the timing gear is defect. The motors tend to go out after several years of heavy use, the gear only if you pull/push on the disc tray.

See here:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125849

If the laser is broken you can get a new one here:

http://www.chsinteractive.co.uk/search. ... a-5S+Laser

but it's probably cheaper to just get another SegaCD . To test the laser you'll have to take the console apart and tape down the switch that tells the system the lid/tray is open/closed. Put a small mirror where the laser is and turn the machine on. If the laser beam shines without blinking every few seconds then the laser is okay.