Disc-changer-based cdplayer repair help

[jonfaquit]

I've got a Sony CMT EP707 cd-player:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=CMTEP707&region_id=1

....which a friend asked if I could fix. The problem was that the tray
was sticking out, and wouldn't go back in using the buttons provided.
So I opened it up, got the tray working again, but I don't know how to
configure the 3-plastic disc 'holders' (and I think they might have
been the reason the tray got stuck). Does anyone have any diagnostic
steps I should take? I've only ever fixed my car cd player (which just
required some superglue under the gears)

I'm greeted with combinations of CD ERR 1 and CD ERR 4. Sometimes the
tray doesn't go back in. Sometimes the round metal thing that locks the
cd in place on top of the laser is in the closed position when it
should be in the open position.

Here's some pictures of the player (taken with my crappy phone, sorry)

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3779/01110704511rh7.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7867/01110704512ac0.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8828/01110704513nu7.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/607/01110704521tj7.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6396/01110704522xd0.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9650/01110704531ne4.jpg

The 'holder'
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6038/01110704541sn5.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1141/01110704542vo5.jpg

So if anyone knows how to fix this particular model or generic
troubleshooting steps with this type of changer, please help!

 

[Meat Plow]

I've got a Sony CMT EP707 cd-player:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=CMTEP707&region_id=1

...which a friend asked if I could fix. The problem was that the tray
was sticking out, and wouldn't go back in using the buttons provided.
So I opened it up, got the tray working again, but I don't know how to
configure the 3-plastic disc 'holders' (and I think they might have
been the reason the tray got stuck). Does anyone have any diagnostic
steps I should take? I've only ever fixed my car cd player (which just
required some superglue under the gears)

I'm greeted with combinations of CD ERR 1 and CD ERR 4. Sometimes the
tray doesn't go back in. Sometimes the round metal thing that locks the
cd in place on top of the laser is in the closed position when it
should be in the open position.

Here's some pictures of the player (taken with my crappy phone, sorry)

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3779/01110704511rh7.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7867/01110704512ac0.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8828/01110704513nu7.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/607/01110704521tj7.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6396/01110704522xd0.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9650/01110704531ne4.jpg

The 'holder'
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6038/01110704541sn5.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1141/01110704542vo5.jpg

So if anyone knows how to fix this particular model or generic
troubleshooting steps with this type of changer, please help!

There is a position switch or two that tells the micro where the mech is.
You'll have to sync the mech up with it/them. Going to be tough to do
unless you have a service manual that illustrates the steps. Go here:
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/
And type CMT EP707 in the search bar. There are a couple pdf documents
there thatr you can download for free, maybe one has the info you'll need.

 

[jonfaquit]

There is a position switch or two that tells the micro where the mech is.
You'll have to sync the mech up with it/them. Going to be tough to do
unless you have a service manual that illustrates the steps. Go here:
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/
And type CMT EP707 in the search bar. There are a couple pdf documents
there thatr you can download for free, maybe one has the info you'll need.

Thanks for the reply....that site was one of the first things I tried.
No exact matches, but it did have a service manual for a CMT-FM3D
(http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/9494/Sony_HCD-F3MD.html)...which
looks kind of similar, except, it's only a single-disc player, unlike
the EP707 which is 3. Isn't a 3-disc changer a common mechanism? It
can't only be used on this player...maybe someone knows the technical
name for this type of changer where there's one tray, and 2 thin
plastic holders in the tray (while the other plastic holder is being
played) that are loaded one at a time?

 

[Meat Plow]

Thanks for the reply....that site was one of the first things I tried.
No exact matches, but it did have a service manual for a CMT-FM3D
(http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/9494/Sony_HCD-F3MD.html)...which
looks kind of similar, except, it's only a single-disc player, unlike
the EP707 which is 3. Isn't a 3-disc changer a common mechanism? It
can't only be used on this player...maybe someone knows the technical
name for this type of changer where there's one tray, and 2 thin
plastic holders in the tray (while the other plastic holder is being
played) that are loaded one at a time?

www.manualsparadise.com

Products for Sony CMT-EP707
Service (repair) manual [1] Digital (Acrobat .PDF) English US $19.00

 

[Arfa Daily]

I've got a Sony CMT EP707 cd-player:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=CMTEP707&region_id=1

...which a friend asked if I could fix. The problem was that the tray
was sticking out, and wouldn't go back in using the buttons provided.
So I opened it up, got the tray working again, but I don't know how to
configure the 3-plastic disc 'holders' (and I think they might have
been the reason the tray got stuck). Does anyone have any diagnostic
steps I should take? I've only ever fixed my car cd player (which just
required some superglue under the gears)

I'm greeted with combinations of CD ERR 1 and CD ERR 4. Sometimes the
tray doesn't go back in. Sometimes the round metal thing that locks the
cd in place on top of the laser is in the closed position when it
should be in the open position.

Here's some pictures of the player (taken with my crappy phone, sorry)

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3779/01110704511rh7.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7867/01110704512ac0.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8828/01110704513nu7.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/607/01110704521tj7.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6396/01110704522xd0.jpg
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9650/01110704531ne4.jpg

The 'holder'
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6038/01110704541sn5.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1141/01110704542vo5.jpg

So if anyone knows how to fix this particular model or generic
troubleshooting steps with this type of changer, please help!

Your pictures show a Sanyo mech that is fitted to many different makes with
slight variations to the laser which is fitted, and correspondingly, the
shape of the cutout in each tray leaf, but I was not aware that Sony had
ever used it. You can find alignment instructions as a video tutorial on my
son's website at http://hosted.filefront.com/erykgecko and look for
sanyo3cdchanger.zip. Let me know on or off group if you need any further
help with it. It's quite a straightforward mech to align, providing you do
your work carefully. Also, check the half tooth at the front of each tray
very carefully for damage, distortion or missing.

Arfa

 

[jonfaquit]

Wow...that video is a true lifesaver! Never would I have expected to
find a video detailing exactly what I need to do! Definitely going to
try it. I guess my main problem was that I didn't want to take the CD
mechanism out...guess I'll have to (and hopefully not screw something
up!)

I also went ahead and bought the service manual...nodevice.com...$4.95
for unlimited service manuals for 24 hours. So, even though I found the
one I need, I'm downloading all manuals for any device I can
recognize...except I don't recognize that many of 'em. $5 wasn't too
bad though.

If anyone has any manual requests, let me know and I'll see if
nodevice.com has it!!! 23 hours left!

 

[jonfaquit]

Arfa, I took a crack at (hopefully not literally) and the problem I'm
having is that when trying to align the leaf trays, when turning the
gear (like shown in the video around 6:25) to make the tray come all
the way to the front, it stops halfway and there is tension which
prohibits it from going any further? Does this mean the gear aren't
aligned correctly? I couldn't tell in the video whether the gears had
to be aligned a certain way, I just thought they had to be aligned with
each other. Also, should the teeth always move when you turn the black
gears? Thanks.

 

[Arfa Daily]

Arfa, I took a crack at (hopefully not literally) and the problem I'm
having is that when trying to align the leaf trays, when turning the
gear (like shown in the video around 6:25) to make the tray come all
the way to the front, it stops halfway and there is tension which
prohibits it from going any further? Does this mean the gear aren't
aligned correctly? I couldn't tell in the video whether the gears had
to be aligned a certain way, I just thought they had to be aligned with
each other. Also, should the teeth always move when you turn the black
gears? Thanks.

OK, you may have a problem with the gear assembly on the right hand side of
the tray, with it the right way up,and looking from the front - it's not
uncommon. Passing across the underside of the tray, is a thin metal rod with
a small gear on either end. If you gently flex the rod, you can lift it out,
which leaves the two sides independant of one another. Now, with no trays
fitted, try rotating the three-piece gear set on each side rail. Both should
rotate equally easily in both directions, and the only *slight* resistance
to rotation, should be as each of the little planet wheels set in the
central gear, alternately turn. I guess that this is part of your question.
No, they should not turn all the time. They turn alternately, and
intermittently. If there is any tendency for the central gear to stick or
tighten up in either direction of rotation, then there is a problem with
that gear set. Don't bother to try to disassemble it - it is broken inside,
and even if you have made a mistake, and it's not broken, you will struggle
to get it back together, and lined up. It is available from Sanyo as a
pre-assembled sub unit - or at least it used to be, I haven't ordered one
for some time.

Assuming that there is not a problem, and both sides do turn freely, then
you need to refit the cross rod, and re-establish the correct positional
relationship between the two sides. Look in the windows on the top of the
two outer gears, and rotate both sides until the timing lines on the gear
tops, are on top, and aligned with the plastic tray edge that is level with
the centre of the rear gear's window. When the rear gear has its line at
this point, the front one should be exactly in the centre of its own window.
Now fine-adjust the position of the gear set on the other side, such that
its lines are in the identical places. Now carefully re-insert the rod,
trying to mesh the teeth on its gears, with those on the side-rail gears,
such that nothing moves ( a bit fiddly, but totally do-able ). It is *very*
important that the two sides are *exactly* aligned with respect to one
another. If either side does move and goes out by as little as a single
tooth, you must disconnect one end again, re-correct the position of the
side gear train, and refit the rod gear again. When it is correctly back
together, you should be able to rotate the gear train on one side, which
will rotate the gear train on the other side via the cross rod, and go all
the way around in both directions, smoothly. Each time, all four lines on
the outer gears, should come around to the top exactly together. Lines at
the top, centres of windows, is also the starting point for the subsequent
reassembly, which is probably the other part to your question. This starting
point is important.

Although the alignment procedure is quite simple in principle, as you will
have seen from the video, in practice it is - how shall we say - tricky? My
son can usually get it bang on first go. I can 90% of the time, but just
occasionally, it can take me a couple of goes, and I've been working with
this mech ever since it first appeared ... Be very careful not to lose that
little bevel gear on the side rail - it falls off when you're not looking !
Also, when rotating the gears to pull the trays in - the bit where you are
apparently having trouble - rotate them using a thumb on one of the central
gears, but make sure that you are only touching the bit that does actually
rotate - its very easy to be trying to turn the stationary bit as well
without realising it, which can give the impression that it has all got
stuck.

The reason that we did the video was that I gave out some instructions on
here several years back, on how to align the mech, and also made available
the manufacturer's training notes for it, which to be honest are actually
quite hard to follow, as they were originally fax'd to me, and are of pretty
poor quality. Some web-based news servers archive just about every post that
there's ever been, so when people start Googling on this mech, they come up
with my post, so immediately e-mail me for advice and a copy of the notes.
It got to the point where I was getting a couple of enquiries a month from
the four corners of the globe, so I said to my son that next time we had one
in - we probably get 50 or more a year - he should make one of his video
tutorials on it. This seems to have been quite successful. By all means,
feel free to include a link to it from your own web space, if you want. If
you start getting very deep in on this, and need more advice, probably
better to e-mail either me or my son direct off group, rather than turning
this into a long saga - unless other readers would prefer to see it continue
on here.

Arfa

 

[Meat Plow]

Wow...that video is a true lifesaver! Never would I have expected to
find a video detailing exactly what I need to do! Definitely going to
try it. I guess my main problem was that I didn't want to take the CD
mechanism out...guess I'll have to (and hopefully not screw something
up!)

I also went ahead and bought the service manual...nodevice.com...$4.95
for unlimited service manuals for 24 hours. So, even though I found the
one I need, I'm downloading all manuals for any device I can
recognize...except I don't recognize that many of 'em. $5 wasn't too
bad though.

If anyone has any manual requests, let me know and I'll see if
nodevice.com has it!!! 23 hours left!

Don't need any but thanks for the offer and the link.