Awai NSX-3500: CD player doesn't recognize CD

[[email protected]]

Hi,
Picked up an Awai NSX-3500 at a yard sale for $5.00 because the lady
said CD player doesn't work. So I though, not bad if I can fix it.

After taking it apart and checking on the internet, it seems Awai had
quite a few lawsuits due to their CD player's being faulty and not
working even after being repaired several times.

But I went ahead and got a new laser pickup for it, but that didn't
solve the problem.
Here's what it does:
-Load a CD.
-CD tray spins around to spindle/pickup.
-Laser pickup will move horizontally and laser "eye" moves vertically
trying to adjust or obtain data. During this time, the CD does not
spin even though I've checked the spindle motor and it will run with
voltage applied.
-CD tray will rotate to location 2, repeat above, then go to location
3, repeat and then standby.

Any ideas or should I just throw it in the trash.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

A new pickup has a solder short, that is 2 adjacent solder pads, shorted
together with solder, which must be cleared (unsoldered) before the new
pickup will work.

Mark Z.

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

Picked up an Awai NSX-3500 at a yard sale for $5.00 because the lady

said CD player doesn't work. So I though, not bad if I can fix it.

Not a bad deal if you know what to do to fix it.

And the brand is spelled "Aiwa."

I went ahead and got a new laser pickup for it, but that didn't
solve the problem.
Here's what it does:
-Load a CD.
-CD tray spins around to spindle/pickup.
-Laser pickup will move horizontally and laser "eye" moves vertically
trying to adjust or obtain data. During this time, the CD does not
spin even though I've checked the spindle motor and it will run with
voltage applied.

As suggested by another poster, there is a solder short that is deliberately
applied on the pickup which must be undone to allow the pickup to function.
This solder short is designed to prevent static discharge damage to the pickup
during its time in storage and in transit. Usually, the solder glob is located
within proximity of the laser gain potentiometer. Use a soldering iron and
desoldering braid, usually obtainable at RadioShack.

DO take precautions concerning electrostatic discharge and wear a grounding
strap on your wrist connected to good earthing. The internal components of the
pickup can be destroyed by electrostatic discharge.

ONLY remove the solder. DO NOT adjust anything on the pickup as Aiwa pickups
are usually made by Sony, and Sony calibrates their pickups optimally at the
factory.

BTW, your old pickup might still have been good. The CD reading problems with
3 disc Aiwa shelf systems were usually due to excessive dust accumulation on
the optical parts of the pickup. Cleaning the objective lens and airblasting
the insides of the pickup usually brings the player back into operating
condition, although there are no guarantees that the problem won't happen
again, even with new pickups, as this has been a problem with Aiwa shelf
systems with 3-disc changers. - Reinhart

 

[b]

check ribbon cable linking pickup to board and any
tracking/offset/'kickstart' pots etc. maybe controller chip or
transistor is faulty.
Ben

 

[[email protected]]

I've done a continuity check on the ribbon cables and those checked
out fine.

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[[email protected]]

Removed the short that was soldered on the new cd pickup assembly.
Unfortunately, same ol' story.

Oh well, at least the stereo works on it.

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

I have seen people inadvertantly install the flat cable backwards on these -
that is, with the metal conductor side not matching the conductor side in
the jack.

Mark Z.

 

[[email protected]]

Do you know where I can find schematics for the CD tray/mechanism?
Since the spindle motor doesn't try to spin at all, I'm thinking there
might be something else I need to look at.(motor works when applying
voltage directly)

Thanks.

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

Union Electronics in an Aiwa distributor, and may be able to get you the
service manual. They're relatively expensive. 800-648-6657.

If the laser pickup does not achieve focus, the disc will not spin. This is
almost universal these days. At most an Aiwa will try several times to
"pre-spin" the disc while focus is attempted. When focus fails, it gives up
entirely.


Mark Z.