No Disc Error In Rotel CD Player Model RCD-971 Solved
This was brought by a recently added regular customer, with the complaint that it showed ‘No disc’ after trying it with almost all CDs which were being played before in this. I opened it and found that the inside was very clean. I downloaded the circuit diagram and studied the block diagram. I cleaned the eye unit using IPA and a cotton bud.
Then I tried the CDs available with me one by one. It worked with one and then I knew that it had life and the eye unit was good enough. But no audio output was coming. So, I requested the customer to bring a few CDs that were playing well in the player, which he brought. When I tried a few, one was found working and the output was intermittently coming, which was a clear indication of sluggish movement of the sliding motor. Since ‘No disc’ is a very difficult problem to solve as it can be due to multifarious reasons such as (1) Bad or dirty Eye Unit (2) Sluggish capstan motor (3) Sluggish sliding motor (4) the tray in/out sensors are defective (5) Defect of the FFC cable etc. But lucky that turned out to be, the intermittent working of the CD exposed that the defect indeed was in the sliding motor.
I cleaned and lubricated the rod in which it moves back and forth. Then switched off the power and moved the eye unit to the extreme end and switched on. I did it repeatedly until the silicon grease that applied spread well and made the movement smooth. Then I loaded a CD and did the open/close a few times. This was to make the loading cleared of any dust settled in the tracks which can affect correct placement of the eye unit to track the starting point. Then it started playing very well. I played almost all the CDs brought by the customer and allowed it to run fully, which took a few hours of testing. It worked very well with clear output.
What looked like a problem that could give prolonged headache, got solved so easily! Mission accomplished with satisfaction getting added to the collection. This is a very sturdy Player and might cost a fortune to own one! The design and finish looked like German!
By the way, how many of you are familiar with this brand?
This article was prepared for you by Parasuraman Subramanian from India. He is 74 years old and has more than 30 years’ experience in handling antique equipment like Valve Radio, Amps, Reel Tape Recorders and currently studying latest tech-classes conducted by Kerala State Electronics Technicians’ Association. He has done graduation in BBA degree, private diploma in Radio Engineering and retired as MD of a USA company. Presently working as Consultant to Hospital and other institutions.
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albert van bemmelen
March 1, 2025 at 6:06 pm
Nice detailed article with clear photos with good explanation of this Rotel cd player fix.
I do not think that anyone of my friends or family ever had bought this brand or model at home.
Your previous article about the Kenwood-kx-880d cassette deck was a much more known manufacturer of which the interesting service manual easily could be found. And is a brand of which I also own a 2-channel 40 MHz cs3140 oscilloscope with read-out function.
Parasuraman S
March 1, 2025 at 8:42 pm
Many thanks for your encouraging expert comments, which are always considered very valuable, dear Albert! Thanks also for sharing other inputs!
Waleed Rishmawi
March 1, 2025 at 7:01 pm
yes I can relate to that issue as well but sad to say these cd players are no longer seen in my shop for repair. they are not being sold any more in the shops. since everyone has a mobile phone, they can download movies, songs whatever they can watch then connect it to TV and watch on larger screen. good job on the repair and have a blessed day
Parasuraman S
March 1, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Thanks for your comments and feedback, dear friend!
YOGESH PANCHAL
March 1, 2025 at 11:02 pm
Good job! Sir
Routine maintenance Oiling/ Greasing is must for the mechanism, at lease once in a year to keep the unit running.
Parasuraman S
March 2, 2025 at 7:36 am
Main problem with the users (customers) is that the initial enthusiasm to keep it running wears off and the set get neglected and lie in one corner collecting dust. Many thanks for your comments!
Menahem Yachad
March 2, 2025 at 3:59 am
Nice repair. I have worked on many Rotel hifi units. It is a very high-quality Japanese brand, also very old. I remember first working on Rotel units in the 1970's, and my most recent one (this year) was the top-quality RT-990BX Tuner, which had a failed Voltage regulator.
Parasuraman S
March 2, 2025 at 7:37 am
Oh! So, the brand is indeed popular at-least in some parts of the world! Many thanks for your comments and inputs!
Hind
March 7, 2025 at 2:43 am
Good deed, simpel solution for proplem we
think it is so complicated.
Parasuraman S
March 7, 2025 at 9:48 pm
Many thanks for your comments, dear Hind!
Mark J
March 2, 2025 at 4:46 am
Parasuraman you are right "the no disc error" can be difficult problem to solve. Thankfully your are a good problem solver and technician. Thank you for sharing.
Parasuraman S
March 2, 2025 at 7:40 am
I feel that our expertise through practical experience should combine with the luck of the customers too for a fruitful result. The quest for getting it back in working condition from the customer's side too contribute for a successful repair, I think! Many thanks for your comments, dear Mark!
Mark J
March 3, 2025 at 1:06 am
You are welcome Parasuraman. like I said before I aspire to be as good as a technician as you. I always look forward to your repair articles.
Parasuraman S
March 4, 2025 at 10:54 am
Thanks for your support, dear Mark!
Imoudu
March 3, 2025 at 5:51 am
I suppose applying grease can give room to collection of dust on rod, so I am always scared to use it.Thanks sir.
Parasuraman S
March 4, 2025 at 10:56 am
Yes, of-course. The set comes from the factory itself with grease applied there and collects abrasive dust, which we need to clean thoroughly and re-apply. Smooth movement of the eye unit on the rod is a must. Thanks for your comments and inputs, dear Imoudu!
Mike
March 3, 2025 at 11:21 am
Quite common in the UK during the 1970s.
Parasuraman S
March 4, 2025 at 10:57 am
Glad to know! I am happy that the sets that come to me for repair in a small municipal town are those which hold world reputation and popularity! Many thanks, dear Mike!
MUYKIT
March 3, 2025 at 2:33 pm
Its never too late to learn. In the case of CD player repair your article lesson input is well worth grasping, Engineer Parasuraman. We electronics technicians never know when a fauly DVD/CD player will land on our repair table. The DVDCD players dominance a couple of years ago may be fading away in some regions due to the prevalence of woofers that offer the convenience of a high sound output, have radio and have provision for use of flash disc/sick and of course at a comparatively lower purchase price. Though woofers mostly fall short of video output, unlike CD players. Also woofers fail ever so frequently. My personal preferance for CD players is they last long. I have some song thats good for a particular model thats of course made in Korea that served me well for nine concecutive years. Unluckily some regions suffer for lack of quality electronics from say, Japan, that I too, greatly miss.
Parasuraman S
March 4, 2025 at 11:00 am
Many thanks for your elaborative comments and sharing your experience and giving inputs! Yes, due to uneconomical production costs, getting sets exclusively made in Japan is very, very difficult. They have even restrictions in selling Class Amplifiers outside Japan! Same is true in certain electronic home appliances too!
Adam S
March 3, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Nice repair, Parasuraman. I find often people will often instantly blame the lasers on CD players for a failure to read the discs, but very often the problem is elsewhere - one just has to look for it!
Rotel are a well-known name here in the UK, and this was a well-regarded model. Its main selling point was that it could play HDCDs (High Definition Compatible Digital - a proprietary encoding system claimed to extend dynamic range) which was touted briefly as a big 'new thing' before disappearing into obscurity!
Parasuraman S
March 4, 2025 at 11:02 am
Vow! That is news to me! Thanks for sharing very valuable info about CD players, dear Adam S and your comments!