Fitting a new laser?

[phoenixpete]

Nothing wrong with my CD player but as it is getting on a bit I thought I might buy a new laser for it just in case, or as a spare anyway.
Question is, can these be fitted without the need for any special alignment or measuring equipment? Do they just un screw and replace or what?

No problem using a soldering iron or doing fiddly work just not sure if these are just undo and replace or if there is more to it than that.

My CD player is a Sony XB930E UK edition.
There is a replacement laser on ebay supposedly for these at £9.99.
The number on the ebay one is KSS-213B is this the correct one?

Thanks for any help. :cool:

[Macca]

It is a but fiddilly and ideally you need to do it in a Clean Room with one of those anti-static tags attached to your wrist. Not something you really want to tackle on the kitchen table.

[Reid Malenfant]

Yes that is the correct laser, if you want to check yourself, type lampizator into google, scroll down until you see a link to laser maintanance & then scroll down again until you see another link to a russian site listing all the lasers used in players :)

Looks like it's plug & play to me, no soldering needed :D

[DSJR]

What about setting offsets, gain and focus? No two mechs are quite the same due to differences in platter heights from mech to mech. I appreciate the Sony in question is a little different with a moving platter, but it's not like replacing a stylus, old for new..

[Dingdong]

It should be easy to swap.

You will need to take anti-static precautions though.

There should be a little solder link on it that needs de-soldering before you can use it. Details of it should be in the documentation with the laser.

Don't try adjusting the little pot on the side of it. You are likely to screw it up.

The laser mech should just slide onto the rod that the old one is mounted on and the connector should just plug in. There is normally a little clip on the connector that clamps on the cable.

[Yomanze]

What about setting offsets, gain and focus? No two mechs are quite the same due to differences in platter heights from mech to mech. I appreciate the Sony in question is a little different with a moving platter, but it's not like replacing a stylus, old for new..

Yes vintage players do suffer from this, which is why I moved from the Pioneer PD-S505 as replacing the laser means a test disc and a scope!

Newer players do not suffer from this and use auto-alignment techniques, more modular design & other things to make them more plug and play.

[phoenixpete]

Thanks for the replies. :)
Maybe not quite as easy as I had hoped but probably worth getting one anyway.
I could always get it replaced by someone that knows what they are doing I guess.

Seems like a good price at £9.99.

[Yomanze]

Thanks for the replies. :)
Maybe not quite as easy as I had hoped but probably worth getting one anyway.
I could always get it replaced by someone that knows what they are doing I guess.

Seems like a good price at £9.99.

Sonys are good at plug 'n play. ;)

You got the service manual? Should be online.

[AlfaGTV]

You probably could find the whole drive unit instead, making the task still fiddly, but quite manageable.
I changed the drive unit in my Micromega T-DRIVE 2 a couple of months back, and that went well. The drive unit consist of the motor to spin the record, the spindle, a laser unit in rails and the whole thing is already calibrated.

I had tosolder the wires as the connector were not quite the same.
Bought the unit from Dönsberg electronics, Ireland

/Mike

[phoenixpete]

You probably could find the whole drive unit instead, making the task still fiddly, but quite manageable.
I changed the drive unit in my Micromega T-DRIVE 2 a couple of months back, and that went well. The drive unit consist of the motor to spin the record, the spindle, a laser unit in rails and the whole thing is already calibrated.

I had tosolder the wires as the connector were not quite the same.
Bought the unit from Dönsberg electronics, Ireland

/Mike

That sounds like the best option, at least a lot less likely to end in failure.

[steveledzep]

Not something you really want to tackle on the kitchen table.

I agree, that's why I did mine on the dining table ! I used an anti static wristband and as dingdong says, you'll find a "bridge" that needs unsoldering. I did it successfully despite never having done it before.

I recorded every minute step of the dismantling progress with a photo, this was invaluable when it came to reassembly.

Good luck, just needs a wee bit of patience and most of all confidence.

[Dingdong]

I agree, that's why I did mine on the dining table ! I used an anti static wristband and as dingdong says, you'll find a "bridge" that needs unsoldering. I did it successfully despite never having done it before.

I recorded every minute step of the dismantling progress with a photo, this was invaluable when it came to reassembly.

Good luck, just needs a wee bit of patience and most of all confidence.

All working now then? Cool.

[steveledzep]

A successful transplant thank you Mark. Photos are invaluable for a first attempt though.