Old Sony Compact Disc Player skips a lot

Poor tracking is often due to a deteriorating laser. The pots might help, but don't adjust them without knowing what you're doing.

general

old

CD

Assuming the skips do not occur at the same mechanical point of all CDs and so gear/rack problem

If you do adjust any pots , measure ohms of each to 3 figures before fiddling, and measure each way just in case a difference. And only a minimal amount of change each time. Find a CD and specific track that at the moment gives a consistent amount of seconds of skip, to monitor against

One pot adjusts the laser intensity which could compensate for aging but it probably would just hasten the inevitable complete failure of the laser block.

The laser assembly in older Sony units is usually a KSS150A or KSS210A (number visible on assembly panel). These tend to fail, I used to replace these often in even then new CD units. You may even find one knocking around as a lot of the budget brands also used this pick-up. Failing that this particular optical unit is cheap to buy, have a look on eBay.

To me it does sound like laser failure. As far as the pots are concerned, I've never had much luck altering these, you really need a laser power meter, and you have to be very careful as the laser diode is easily damaged.

STOP. Don't go adjusting anything except as a last resort. Clean the laser lens, lubricate the spindle motor shaft where it enters the motor body. Do the same for the sled motor and re-grease the gears and lubricate the slide rail and over on the other side of the pickup where it slides along the pickup base. You have described a KSS 240 or 240A pickup. The flat cable they used to connect the pickup to the board may have developed stress cracks from flexing. This was a common problem and may require the cable be replaced. The pickup itself is probably OK, but you never know; the 240's would occasionally be intermittent.

Mark Z.

When CD players were still a new thing, I bought a middle of the line Sony unit, along with a complete AV system. Things led to other things, and everything went into storage before I ever got to use it. Two years later, I got it out of storage, hooked everything up. It all worked, but the CD player... no love there. I could see a very dim and diffuse red light coming from the laser head, but no 'beam'. I opened it up to see what was up, and found spider eggs of all things inside. I removed the spider eggs, but never could get the laser back in alignment.... I ended up ordering a new head assembly.

Lots of fun.... NOT.

If the laser has 3 pots on it, then it will be a KSS240A. The pots will be sealed with white paint, and must not be changed from their sealed factory settings. '240A's regularly wear out in the way described. It is an easy laser to replace, but one word of warning. You will not get away with replacing it with a second source clone or an NKS240A. It must be a genuine Sony *original* part, preferably sourced from Sony themselves. Although clone '240A's seem to work fine in other manufacturers' players, Sony players are *exceptionally* critical of having a genuine one fitted, and if you put a cheapo in, it may perform little better than the one you are taking out. I have even known them to refuse to work at all in a Sony. Other Sony lasers such as KSS213's in all flavours, seem to be fine with clones. Just the 240 which is a problem.

Arfa

When it runs, I see no light at all. Shouldit be red or bue? There are infrared style lasers that run around 1.1 microns wavelength (visible is 1/2 micron).

So what do I look for to buy a replacement? and if I get one, how do I install it?

If it is vsible light, it shoud be quite evident.

Another thing, this sensor appears to position its lens right up against the CD disk... If it's spaced away, it an't be more than a millimeter or so.

I mic'd the disk thicknesses. They are all 41 to 42 mils thick, about

Ange