Troubleshooting

You can count on the CD Pro in your hifi audio player or transport (or your collectible jukebox) to provide years of reliable service. However, just as the needle on a turntable occasionally needs replacing, the CD Pro player module in your hifi playback system may need a new optical pick-up unit (OPU) at some point in its life. You may even need to replace the entire player module.

Self Service Instructions

**What’s wrong with my CD Pro player?**

The laser light pen in a CD player is similar to a butane lighter. Just as a lighter has a finite amount of fuel in it, a CD Pro player module has a finite amount of laser life. Also like a lighter, the CD Pro doesn’t burn out overnight; it shows symptoms of reaching the end of its life before it craps out entirely.

If your CD playback gear is exhibiting the symptoms described here, or if your high-end CD player or transport simply will not play a disc, it’s quite likely that your CD Pro player module needs service, or a replacement CD Pro player module.

Remember: The CD Pro 2 is drop-in compatible with most high-end CD gear currently loaded with a CDM-12 Industrial, CD Pro, or CD Pro 2. This includes CD transports and players designed by some of the most respected names in hifi and jukebox. Please note that CD Pro 2 is not drop-in compatible with gear designed around early Philips modules, such as CDM-4, CDM-3, CDM-1 Mk II, & CDM-9.

When making your diagnosis: Make sure that your gear is plugged in and powering up properly. Also, make sure that it responds when you select a track. If your gear appears to be functioning normally, see if you observe any of the following symptoms:

Skipping

The player executes normal track play, but the music drops out or skips ahead or backwards, or gets otherwise garbled, during play. You might hear some clicks as the CD Pro attempts to track properly. This type of tracking problem is usually referred to as “skipping,” and may indicate that the CD Pro’s laser current is diminished or that its receptor diodes are failing. It will have particular difficulty reading low-reflectivity discs (e.g. CD recordable and rewritable discs) and discs that may not conform to Red Book specification (e.g. pirated discs or non-major label discs).

Spins Backwards

Instead of spinning up and playing the track, the CD Pro spins backwards, sometimes at high speed. This may indicate that there is a problem with CD Pro’s motor. However, this symptom can also be caused by a failed optical pick-up unit (OPU).

Starts Then Stops or Half Spin

The disc only does a couple of half-turns and won’t play a track. This indicates that the CD Pro is having trouble finding focus and reading the table of contents on the disc. The player will pulse the motor in an effort to find a spot on the disc on which it can focus. The OPU in your CD Pro has either failed or is failing.

No Response

The disc sits on the turntable and nothing happens. In a jukebox, the machine will eventually retrieve the disc and put it back in the changer rack. This would suggest that the CD Pro player needs to be replaced. The OPU could be burned out, the circuit board might be bad, or the motor may have failed. As long as your gear functions normally in other ways, it’s a good bet that the CD Pro needs to be serviced or replaced.

This is a simple observation test. These are some of the most common symptoms that you will observe if the CD drive module in your gear has failed.

We encourage you to email us or give us a call to discuss your CD Pro problem further. A diagnosis over the phone is often sufficient. If you’re not sure if your CD Pro needs service or replacement, please call first before you order.