Pioneer Laseractive Repair Info

[BlueBMW]

Hello all!  New to this forum, but I've been on many other forums for a while.  I've recently tackled some Laseractive repairs, and I haven't found a good place to share some of my findings.  So here's what I've got!

Pioneer CLD-A100 Repair Info:

The problems I've seen with these units so far have been either jammed tray / laser mechanisms or faulty / damaged laser units. 

Fixing jammed mechanisms is usually a matter of carefully taking the unit apart and freeing / lubricating the jammed mechanisms.  Sometimes parts must be replaced.  Information on sourcing those parts is below.

Laser issues can range from discs not reading at all or not reading properly.  (bad video output, skipping etc)  Fortunately, replacing a laser is a very straight forward process.

A complete factory service manual for the CLD-A100 is found HERE

Replacement parts can be ordered directly from Pioneer still!  The part numbers can be found in the service manual above and searched for directly on Pioneer's replacement parts site.

http://parts.pioneerelectronics.com/

The laser pickup for the CLD-A100 is no longer available from Pioneer... however a compatible replacement IS still available.

Original Laser Pickup (no longer available)
"Compatible" Replacement Pickup

Alternately... used lasers can supposedly be found in the following Pioneer Laserdisc Players...

CLD-E2000
CLD-S201
CLD-S250
CLD-S303
CLD-V111
CLD-V121G
CLD-V2600
CLD-V350
CLD-V370
CLD-V730
CLD-V740
CLD-V750

I can confirm personally that the CLD-S201 has the same laser AND the tray / laser mechanism / disc clamp are also the same!  Some of other LD players may share a lot of parts with the CLD-A100 also.


Laser Replacement Guide:

1. Turn unit on and eject the laserdisc tray.  Turn unit off with tray open



2. Remove outer housing from unit. (5 Philips screws on the back and 4 on the sides)

3. Remove 4 screws holding the top PCB to the unit.  (Red Arrows) and remove the 4 screws holding the disc clamp unit to the case. (Yellow Arrows)



4. Carefully lay the top PCB over the side of the unit.





5. Now we can easily access the laser assembly.  First carefully release the ribbon cable lock tab with a screwdriver.  Then pull out the ribbon cable carefully.




6. Release the screw holding down the laser track rod



7. Now carefully lift the laser with track rod out of the unit.  Note that the rod slides out of the front carrier and also note that the other side of the laser slides along the metal frame of the laser carrier. 



8. Slide the track rod out of the laser mechanism and onto the new laser mechanism.  Before installing however, look closely at the side of the "tilt sensor" which looks like a little black bubble.  There will be a colored mark on the corner of it.  It will be either RED or BLUE or Blank.  Depending on which it is you must set one of the adjustment pots on the main PCB in one of 3 positions.



9. Reassemble laser into unit and locate VR620 on the main PBC.  If your tilt sensor was painted RED, then turn VR620 fully clockwise.  Blank turn it to the middle position, and BLUE turn VR620 fully counter-clockwise.

Refer here for a diagram showing where exactly the POT is and some more information on some of the adjustments.



10. Reassemble the entire unit except maybe the outer shell and test!  Also, while you have everything apart, its not a bad idea to inspect the various gears / mechanisms for anything that looks out of the ordinary.



Laseractive PAC Repairs:

Typically I've seen most faulty PACs are caused by leaking / corroded SMT capacitors.  I recommend replacing the capacitors on ANY Laseractive PAC you've got, simply because they are all at the age now where the capacitors are likely failing and starting to leak.  Left unchecked, they can cause permanent damage to the PAC.

Capacitor replacement charts can be found HERE

UPDATE:
I've seen several units now with a new problem.  If you get a system that will turn on (lights turn on etc) but displays nothing, does nothing, no buttons do anything.... turn it off!!!  What has likely happened is one of the IC protectors (fuses) on the power supply board has popped.  This is usually caused by a shorted PAC (either from capacitor fluid leaks or a botched solder job)  What will happen is either the +5v, -5v, +14v or -14v lines will be cut by the fuse popping.  Typically its the +5v line though.  WARNING, if your system is exhibiting this problem, please turn it off immediately.  Here's why:  When one of the voltage lines is cut, I've noticed that the laser head will peg to a corner (loss of tracking control circuit or something) and it will actually start to heat up and smoke.  I've seen several lasers destroyed / damaged because of this!  Do not leave one of these systems on for more than a few seconds if you can avoid it.  Otherwise you'll likely be needing to replace the laser.

Ok, on to the repair!  The tricky part is that you'll have to remove the power supply board from the system.  Normally its not too difficult, but since the system is basically dead, you wont be able to open the disc tray.  Its not easy, but if you take the rear panel loose and fenagle the connections on the power supply board, you can get it out and then back in.  Just be careful with the three ribbon like connections.

Once the board is out, look on the bottom of the board (the solder side) and locate IC101, IC102, IC201, and IC202.  Check continuity over those pins.  If any of them are open, replace that IC protector.  I believe the 5V line IC protectors are ICP-N50. They're not easy to find, but they can sometimes be salvaged from other electronic's power supply boards.  There are a few suppliers online that have them.  After you've replaced the faulty IC protector, your system should come back alive.  Before you power it on again though, you might want to check continuity from the 5v and 14v circuits to ground.  On the main board of the system (under the top board that folds over the side) there are multiple lines visible that are labelled.  Most likely cause is a faulty PAC from leaked capacitors.

WARNING!!!
When you are operating this PSU board on a bench, be aware that there is LIVE AC VOLTAGE present on the board.  Specifically where the ac plug connects to the board and points before the transformer.  It WILL shock you (I know!)  So please use caution handling a board that is powered up.

If you want to test the power supply board on the bench, here's a chart showing where you can test it.  In order to turn the power supply board on, you will need to jump 5V to pin 6 of the left most connector in this picture.  Additionally, on the far right of the board there is a connector where the power switch plugs into, you will need to bridge that connection also.

Also note in this picture, there is an extra ICP-N50 that has been wired in.  This was done by Pioneer, but is not present on all units I've seen.  The other black wires you see were done by me.  (repaired a cracked board)




That's all the information I have to offer right now.  If I find more I'll update this post accordingly.  If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask!

All this information is offered AS IS!  Use at your own risk!  I'm not responsible for any damage you do to your system by using this information.

[NFG]

This is beautiful stuff.  If I hadn't just lost my system in the flood I'd be fixing the jammed tray.  Every time I loaded an LD I'd have to give the player a smack.  Now...  RIP.  :_;

[BlueBMW]

This is beautiful stuff.  If I hadn't just lost my system in the flood I'd be fixing the jammed tray.  Every time I loaded an LD I'd have to give the player a smack.  Now...  RIP.  :_;

Well the good news is, if you can find a broken unit on the cheap, I'm sure we can repair it.  In fact, if you find a broken one, have it sent my way and I'll fix it for you as best I can and send it to you.

[BlueBMW]

Added some additional information about a new situation involving a system that powers on but does nothing