What's wrong with my CD player?

[Twincam16]

It's been doing this for a while - when the CD's processing, the player makes a weird whistling noise, then when I press play, the whistling gets louder and louder, the first track will play for a few seconds, then start skipping, then stop completely.

It only does it on the first tracks of CDs, and it's doing it more and more often. I can't find anything wrong with the CDs, I've run the cleaner CD through the machine, the troubleshooting manual doesn't list it - WTF's wrong with it?

Any of the PH Massive able to help? It's a Sharp XL-1100 if that helps, hooked up to a Grundig FineArts MD60 Minidisc deck, if that makes any difference.

[notveryflash]

Ah finally someone else who feels my pain!!! My denon system started doing that a few days after i bought it (still been far too er.........busy to return it!) but it is rather bloody annoying! Since it does it with any CD at all, even brand new discs i am just assuming that its a problem with the laser??

[Pigeon]

First thing to try is cleaning the lens. I know you say you've run the cleaning CD through it, but cleaning CDs are shite. They don't work and are suitable only for breaking into sharp fragments and inserting into the anus of the rip-off merchants who con you into buying them. The majority of CD players I fix have failed due to dirty lenses and the majority of people who own them say something like "how come it's a dirty lens when I've been using the cleaning CD?"

You need to dismantle the CD player until the lens is exposed. Because cleaning the lens is the most common service operation required on a CD player, they are all designed so that obtaining access to the lens is unreasonably difficult; you may wish to repeat the anal insertion technique with the entire CD player and its designer. (Or any designer of domestic electrical equipment. They're all scumsucking arsewipes who enjoy designing things to make peoples' life difficult, so it will be deserved, even if there's no direct connection.) Then you need a cotton bud and some isopropyl alcohol (meths will do at a pinch). Soak one end thoroughly in the IPA so it's dripping, and very gently rub it on the lens. Then, also very gently, dry it off with the other end of the cotton bud. Leave it for a few minutes for any spillage to evaporate, then try a CD in it.

The lens, when you get to it, may not look dirty, but the level of contamination required to bugger it up is not always obvious to the eye.

If that doesn't help, there's not a lot more I can suggest without having the thing in front of me. But there's a good chance it will help.

[Bodo]

Pigeon said:

(Or any designer of domestic electrical equipment. They're all scumsucking arsewipes who enjoy designing things to make peoples' life difficult, so it will be deserved, even if there's no direct connection.)

careful. I might victimise a pigeon this afternoon

[dieseljohn]

Sounds like it's broken.

Happy to help.

[Twincam16]

Pigeon said:

First thing to try is cleaning the lens. I know you say you've run the cleaning CD through it, but cleaning CDs are shite. They don't work and are suitable only for breaking into sharp fragments and inserting into the anus of the rip-off merchants who con you into buying them. The majority of CD players I fix have failed due to dirty lenses and the majority of people who own them say something like "how come it's a dirty lens when I've been using the cleaning CD?" You need to dismantle the CD player until the lens is exposed. Because cleaning the lens is the most common service operation required on a CD player, they are all designed so that obtaining access to the lens is unreasonably difficult; you may wish to repeat the anal insertion technique with the entire CD player and its designer. (Or any designer of domestic electrical equipment. They're all scumsucking arsewipes who enjoy designing things to make peoples' life difficult, so it will be deserved, even if there's no direct connection.) Then you need a cotton bud and some isopropyl alcohol (meths will do at a pinch). Soak one end thoroughly in the IPA so it's dripping, and very gently rub it on the lens. Then, also very gently, dry it off with the other end of the cotton bud. Leave it for a few minutes for any spillage to evaporate, then try a CD in it. The lens, when you get to it, may not look dirty, but the level of contamination required to bugger it up is not always obvious to the eye. If that doesn't help, there's not a lot more I can suggest without having the thing in front of me. But there's a good chance it will help.

Actually, the design of the XL-1100 is quite 'open' - the whole perspex top hinges upwards electrically and the laser deck is fully exposed underneath.

I'll go to an electrical shop and see what cleaning products they can recommend as opposed to cleaner CDs.

[parrot of doom]

Is the whistling noise mechanical?

[Twincam16]

parrot of doom said:

Is the whistling noise mechanical?

I think so. It's not coming from the speakers.

[Pigeon]

Bodo said:

Pigeon said: (Or any designer of domestic electrical equipment. They're all scumsucking arsewipes who enjoy designing things to make peoples' life difficult, so it will be deserved, even if there's no direct connection.) careful. I might victimise a pigeon this afternoon

Well, obviously PHers are excluded from my sweeping generalisation

Twincam16 said:

I'll go to an electrical shop and see what cleaning products they can recommend as opposed to cleaner CDs.

The best you'll get is a bottle of IPA diluted with water and priced like the elixir of life... Try Boots instead