It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 14:54




 Page 1 of 1 [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 26 Jan 2023, 21:30 
Third post and above
Third post and above
User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023, 21:16
Posts: 5
Location: United States
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 0 time
Yesterday I got ahold of what is now my third Laserdisc player, a Pioneer CLD-D505. The older players ... long story but the one before it to shorter that story. Kitty picked it for a resting place.

Got the machine out of Goodwill for a great price but am completely sure they never tested it other than plugging it in to see if it would power up. Started testing it when I got home.

Movie 1: Just as good a quality as you'd expect for a Laserdisc.
Movie 2: A quarter of the way in it started looking bad and was nearly unwatchable towards the end.
Movie 3: Started into it and for the most part I would say it's picture quality was good.

Unsure if the Movie 2 issue is the disc it's self or the player.

... ... When it comes to older formats ask away at me about CED. Laserdisc is of course a different animal so I don't know answers about it the same as the other format. Can LDs be cleaned like CDs and DVDs? Also is it safe to use a standard DVD/CD/VCD cleaner disc inside a Laserdisc player?
( For those online who say take apart the machine. I don't trust my stills in that department. )
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 26 Jan 2023, 21:59 
Jedi Knight
Jedi Knight
User avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2010, 09:44
Posts: 5968
Location: Ann Arbor
Has thanked: 1273 times
Been thanked: 1089 times
A) Never ever use a “cleaning disc.” In anything.

B) The issue isn’t the lens being dirty.

C) Yes, LDs can be cleaned exactly like CDs and DVDs. If you don’t see stuff on the disc though, it isn’t dirty.

LDs get warped, get overheated, rot, etc. If the player plays two out of three movies I’d suspect the movie that didn’t play.
_________________
All about LD care, inner sleeves, shrink wrap, etc.

https://youtu.be/b3O-vHpHRpM
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 26 Jan 2023, 22:01 
Hardcore fan
Hardcore fan
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2014, 05:59
Posts: 1451
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Has thanked: 415 times
Been thanked: 527 times
Your second disc likely has "laser rot". You can look up the title of the disc in our database and it will tell you if it has a history of rotting.
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 26 Jan 2023, 22:25 
Third post and above
Third post and above
User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023, 21:16
Posts: 5
Location: United States
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 0 time
Thank you guys, those were very helpful answers. :thumbup:

( Starts thinking about using Windex and a non-abrasive cloth. The whole movie collection of LDs had a lack of indoor environmental control between 2018-19. I wonder if that effected them for condition? I know for a fact it shot a rare VHS to s***. )
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 01:35 
Jedi Knight
Jedi Knight
User avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2010, 09:44
Posts: 5968
Location: Ann Arbor
Has thanked: 1273 times
Been thanked: 1089 times
If an LD gets frozen in the winter and cooked in the summer, yeah, that can be bad.
_________________
All about LD care, inner sleeves, shrink wrap, etc.

https://youtu.be/b3O-vHpHRpM
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 02:31 
Third post and above
Third post and above
User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023, 21:16
Posts: 5
Location: United States
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 0 time
signofzeta wrote:
If an LD gets frozen in the winter and cooked in the summer, yeah, that can be bad.


Now I feel the need to run through the whole collection to find out what's been damaged. Fortunately my current collection is just under 30 discs and I tend to binge media while working on the computer.

Couldn't find the list of discs known for laser rot but remember I'm new to this site. That second movie is Starman. Is that one of the ones known to get that defect?
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 02:56 
Hardcore fan
Hardcore fan
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2014, 05:59
Posts: 1451
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Has thanked: 415 times
Been thanked: 527 times
systemcat wrote:
Couldn't find the list of discs known for laser rot but remember I'm new to this site. That second movie is Starman. Is that one of the ones known to get that defect?


If you have this one.....

Starman (1984) [76876]

.... it appears to be a known rotter. It would make sense since it was pressed by DADC.
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 03:45 
Third post and above
Third post and above
User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023, 21:16
Posts: 5
Location: United States
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 0 time
ldfan wrote:
systemcat wrote:
Couldn't find the list of discs known for laser rot but remember I'm new to this site. That second movie is Starman. Is that one of the ones known to get that defect?


If you have this one.....

Starman (1984) [76876]

.... it appears to be a known rotter. It would make sense since it was pressed by DADC.


Bummer but at least now that seems a good explanation. Weather between '18-'19 as another possibility.
This place is a nicely complex site. No wonder I didn't find that list fast. Slight navigating from the link you gave me and I found the master list for discs known to rot.

( Editing in: Ok, list with the top 100 of known roters. )

A quick Google search revealed this player was meant to have a remote. Price doesn't look bad for replacing the missing part although thinking about that remote brings up a different question. I spoke with the parts store over the phone earlier today for Pioneer. The chat at first was over if a laser lens cleaner kit even existed and when the man was saying he didn't believe so, at least nowadays. I asked if the player ever had a remote. During that chat he bought up the player was listed with Pioneer for having come out in 1996. Elsewhere online I read 1997. I'm always curious about numbers for various things so this is going to bug me on guessing which is the real production year of the model.
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 07:02 
Hardcore fan
Hardcore fan
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2014, 05:59
Posts: 1451
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Has thanked: 415 times
Been thanked: 527 times
systemcat wrote:
A quick Google search revealed this player was meant to have a remote.


All laserdisc players even dating back to the top loaders have always had a remote control. The remote for a CLD-D505 is the CU-CLD135. They seem to go for about $15 - $25 when they are available on eBay. I would keep a search open on eBay so you get alerted for one. You will definitely need the remote to access certain features not available on the front panel (which is quite a number since most later players removed a lot of buttons). If you can't wait to find this exact remote, pretty much any Pioneer remote will work. I would search for CU-CLD112 (from CLD-D504), CU-CLD039 (from CLD-2090), CU-CLD069 (from CLD-D501), etc. as these are the most similar to the functions on a 505.

systemcat wrote:
The chat at first was over if a laser lens cleaner kit even existed and when the man was saying he didn't believe so...


All you really need is water and a swab to wipe any dust from a laser lens (never use anything w/ chemicals since the lense is made from plastic and you can accidentally fog it up). However, I would just leave it alone. Most lenses never get that dirty since the speed of the disc creates enough air current to keep dust at bay.


systemcat wrote:
During that chat he bought up the player was listed with Pioneer for having come out in 1996. Elsewhere online I read 1997. I'm always curious about numbers for various things so this is going to bug me on guessing which is the real production year of the model.


The player is from 1996. If you look behind the player on the left side, there should be a sticker stating the manufacturing month and year.
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 27 Jan 2023, 22:34 
Third post and above
Third post and above
User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2023, 21:16
Posts: 5
Location: United States
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 0 time
ldfan wrote:
systemcat wrote:
A quick Google search revealed this player was meant to have a remote.


All laserdisc players even dating back to the top loaders have always had a remote control. The remote for a CLD-D505 is the CU-CLD135. They seem to go for about $15 - $25 when they are available on eBay. I would keep a search open on eBay so you get alerted for one. You will definitely need the remote to access certain features not available on the front panel (which is quite a number since most later players removed a lot of buttons). If you can't wait to find this exact remote, pretty much any Pioneer remote will work. I would search for CU-CLD112 (from CLD-D504), CU-CLD039 (from CLD-2090), CU-CLD069 (from CLD-D501), etc. as these are the most similar to the functions on a 505.

systemcat wrote:
The chat at first was over if a laser lens cleaner kit even existed and when the man was saying he didn't believe so...


All you really need is water and a swab to wipe any dust from a laser lens (never use anything w/ chemicals since the lense is made from plastic and you can accidentally fog it up). However, I would just leave it alone. Most lenses never get that dirty since the speed of the disc creates enough air current to keep dust at bay.


systemcat wrote:
During that chat he bought up the player was listed with Pioneer for having come out in 1996. Elsewhere online I read 1997. I'm always curious about numbers for various things so this is going to bug me on guessing which is the real production year of the model.


The player is from 1996. If you look behind the player on the left side, there should be a sticker stating the manufacturing month and year.


Sounds like sound advice about cleaning the lens and considering I'm too fearful I'll damage the machine if I take out it's strews. Could this be the laser lens? I simply have the tray open in this photo and am showing what I suspect could be it without digging in.

All of them having remotes ... Not knowing that before. Yeah, I blame the fact all my Laserdisc players have always come from thrift stores :problem: . All things not included to electronics is almost a standard for buying a donation. I think once when I was small ( 80's ) my father rented an LD player but I don't remember ever seeing it ... and the remote factor. Why I say he might have rented a machine is a big deal to him about wanting to watch Dune .. er, can't go into that here. Also I'm very sure a player was briefly in my family home in the 90's but again no memory of a remote. Only for the first time ever seeing a movie with a play menu, Maverick.

So far I've looked at one eBay listing for a remote but it was from outside the US. I'm sure there are other listings inside the US but buying it will have to wait a little. When I was in Goodwill, I jumped on buying the player but only after I had checked the balance in my bank account. I was sure I had the money but simply wanted to know where that money stood. In a couple days likely I'm going to get my final utility bill for the month and when that has happened, I'll feel better about buying a replacement remote.

As for the production date really being 1996 and not 1997. D*** - Darn you Reddit for false information! Thank you Idfan :thumbup: .
Image
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Clean Laser Lens?
PostPosted: 28 Jan 2023, 02:54 
Hardcore fan
Hardcore fan
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2014, 05:59
Posts: 1451
Location: San Francisco, CA USA
Has thanked: 415 times
Been thanked: 527 times
systemcat wrote:
Sounds like sound advice about cleaning the lens and considering I'm too fearful I'll damage the machine if I take out it's strews. Could this be the laser lens? I simply have the tray open in this photo and am showing what I suspect could be it without digging in.

Image



Not to sound facetious but if you really think that this is the laser pick-up, you really don't want to be messing with your player's internals :wtf:. Here is the laser pick-up on a CLD-59 (very much a similar chassis to your 505).

Image

And just for educational purposes, the round shaped object to the left of it is your "spindle platform" where the CD's and LD's are spun up. If you can imagine for a moment how far the tray retracts and where the center hole for the discs in the tray are located, you can guess how far back the laser pick-up has to be. Also, a laser would never be that far forward since there is no room for it with all the loading mechanisms being in the way (not to mention that a both side play machine needs to move the laser to the opposite side of a disc and there is no other place than the rear of the player to do that).


systemcat wrote:
As for the production date really being 1996 and not 1997. D*** - Darn you Reddit for false information! Thank you Idfan :thumbup: .


After doing more research, I partially rescind my comment on the model year. Since the CLD-D505 came out on the latter end of the format's life, Pioneer could have kept this model available for a couple of years or even longer. Thus, a manufacturing date in 1997 could be possible. For most players made between 1987 - 1995, it was very normal for Pioneer to produce a new model on a yearly basis since the format was somewhat thriving. Pioneer Elite models usually stuck around for two years on average during this same period.
Offline
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 Page 1 of 1 [ 11 posts ] 


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: