Typical read problems with a CD player fall in four general areas.
1. Lubrication of the rails that guide the laser mechanism as it rides back and forth over the spinning CD and cleaning the laser lens.
2. Aging of the laser itself which requires replacement.
3. Alignment of the laser. This depends on the CD player involved and is usually an electrical calibration. Some players may do this automatically while others require special test equipment.
4. A failure or deterioration in the read circuitry. This would require replacing the circuit board.
Most problems are some combination of, or a variation on these.
If it were my machine I think the next step would be to run down a service manual to see what might be involved along the above lines.
Unfortunately many electronic pieces are not serviced the same as they were in the past. With tech labor rates often $75 or $100 an hour and the short life cycle for digital type parts before they are replaced by a new generation, keeping an old CD player running can range from costly to impossible.
We may whine about this, but this rapid pace of development is what has given us $400 laptops that are more powerful than the most expensive mainframes of not too many years ago. Obsolescence is the price of the rapid pace of progress.
Finally, you could simply replace it with another CD player and sell this one on eBay for parts use. You wouldn't likely get a whole lot, but you'd be doing something more than just tossing it in the trash.
1. Lubrication of the rails that guide the laser mechanism as it rides back and forth over the spinning CD and cleaning the laser lens.
2. Aging of the laser itself which requires replacement.
3. Alignment of the laser. This depends on the CD player involved and is usually an electrical calibration. Some players may do this automatically while others require special test equipment.
4. A failure or deterioration in the read circuitry. This would require replacing the circuit board.
Most problems are some combination of, or a variation on these.
If it were my machine I think the next step would be to run down a service manual to see what might be involved along the above lines.
Unfortunately many electronic pieces are not serviced the same as they were in the past. With tech labor rates often $75 or $100 an hour and the short life cycle for digital type parts before they are replaced by a new generation, keeping an old CD player running can range from costly to impossible.
We may whine about this, but this rapid pace of development is what has given us $400 laptops that are more powerful than the most expensive mainframes of not too many years ago. Obsolescence is the price of the rapid pace of progress.
Finally, you could simply replace it with another CD player and sell this one on eBay for parts use. You wouldn't likely get a whole lot, but you'd be doing something more than just tossing it in the trash.