Are spare parts for the Sony SCD-1 becoming rare?

Sony's standard practice is to begin discontinuing parts availability around seven years from original product introduction. The SCD-1/777ES has reached this horizon. The last I checked in the US the sled motor assembly was unavailable, but other wear items such as the CD spindle motor/bearing housing and laser were still in stock. The main circuit board was unavailable, but this is rarely a problem area.

Some threads in AA point to non-Sony sources for a standalone motor that can be retrofitted to the sled motor bracket. Best to acquire spares now if you plan to hold the unit, and if you're handy, to perform periodic cleaning & lubrication of the transport. This includes most importantly a spray of deoxit inside the sled motor, and also a dab of grease on the spindle bearing, and a light lube of the sled rails & round & straight gears. If you can't do this yourself I suspect Richard Kern could perform the maintenance.

Hey Dgarretson the replacement drive motor you speak of do you know where it can be obtained? Mine still works perfectly after performing the work you mentioned but I would like to have a back up just in case.

Micky_d as mentioned above that is the only part (sled drive board) I have heard of that is difficult (discontinued) to get.

I want to thank everyone for the valuable information.

What kind of grease is recommended for the spindle bearing, and what lube is used for the sled rails?

Rick

Automotive moly grease or white lithium grease on the spindle jewel bearing, a drop of telfon oil into each end of the spindle assembly collar bearing, and a drop of teflon oil on each sled rail. Periodic spray of Deoxit into the sled motor-- which must first be desoldered/removed to expose access holes for spray.

The lithium grease and teflon oil are compatible with existing or do I need to remove?

Rick

Before lube, first clean up all exposed surfaces(including the plastic round gears and straight saw-tooth gears) with contact cleaner. Remove all old brown grease from the jewel spindle bearing. In addition to above lubing, apply white lithium grease very sparingly with a toothpick, to the various plastic gears and their spindles. Prior to returning reassembled transport to the player, run the sled back and forth by hand a several times to spin off any excess grease from gears.

If you're disassembling the sled motor to receive spray of deoxit, burnish the motor brushes after lube by applying a 12V battery to the motor terminals briefly in both polarities. Note the motor's polarity during disassembly, as assembling in reverse will cause it to run backwards.

Don't touch the lasers or lean them against anything while performing maintenance.