If you are struggling with getting something fixed, your dealer quoted you an outrageous price and the Workshop forum leaves you wondering whether you really should be picking up that soldering iron, then why not drop me a line and see if I can help out.

Based in the South East of England, free quotations and sensible rates.

Neil

Hi Neil:

Just out of interest can you repair/service laserdisc players - I have two and I love using them with my B&O yet they are getting a bit creaky.

Thanks

Graham

Hi Graham,

Can you be a bit more explicit?  Creakey in what sense?

Regards, Neil

Hi Neil:

Sorry, to be honest I thought the answer was likely to be 'no' so I didn't go into specifics.

I have two laserdisc players - one American unit with a built in DVD drive (I can get the model number later), it is not the elite version with the weird cherry wood paneling around the sides and nor is it the latest gold one that was sold in the UK. 

I also have a much chealer unit without DVD drive. Both of which are Pioneers.

Since I got both of these they have difficulty accepting laserdiscs straight away - first time you put them in instead of spinning up and playing there is a loud straining noise from the motor which goes on for about ten seconds before it times out and ejects the disc.

I have found that the only way to remedy this is to put the disc in and as it starts grinding in the way described above, elvevate the front of the machine about an inch before dropping it suddenly. This then cures the problem - for that session.

THis seems to be more of a mechanical fault than anything else as when the laser moves to read the other side of the disc this does not happen.

Thanks

Graham

PS Any help you could give would be greatly apreciated. However, I do not hold out much hope as the last person I spoke to about this was talking Osiloscopes, manuals from Pioneer which don't exist anymore etc.