Alas I probably don't have time/knowledge to make an FPGA image processor... but I might do a slow higher quality ld-decode which dynamically adapts filtering etc, which would be good for archiving LD-only content.

And if I get around to getting a 3D printer one of these _'s I'll try to make an M-holder, which might work well enough in ABS. It'll be fun to try to make one at least. I could also see writing up some of the mods floating around, like a "light" version of what laserdiscmodder did - bypassing the video output circuit on the late players looks like it reduces ringing a lot, and some light modding elsewhere *might* reduce noise.

Come to think of it...you don't really need an FPGA. There's loads of room in most LD players. The mini computers like Arduino and whatnot are only going to get more powerful.

How large is the gulf, would you say, from what needs to be done CPU-wise and what can be done with Raspberry type stuff? I guess you'd have to write lower level code but how far away are the CPUs? Are the inputs sufficient? I guess you guys are using TV tuners, capture cards, whatever, so that's a pretty big difference.

Did he ever divulge what exactly he did? Last I checked it was a bunch of videos showing off a bunch of random mods with no explanation.

I think a lot more people are going to have to learn how to do repairs themselves to keep the machines going. That's not for everyone though. There's too many head-shaking stories here about people messing with stuff over their heads.

Agreed laserdiscmoder did post a ton of stuff but never a how-to video then he up and ghosted. If you think about it that IS what's missing from our community new people learning how to repair and adjust players. If grasshopper and kurtis decide to retire tomorrow we are up s**t creek.

Gumbyandpals didn't you acquire the remote, disc and scope to try your hand in adjusting or was it happycube?

I have everything to do the adjustments and I learned how to do them on a CLD-3080 and LX-900. It took a good deal of time to get it right and feel confident in what I was doing. It seems to be one of those things where experience helps just as much or more than reading and understanding the service manual. That's why grasshopper and kbahr are good at what they do.

With a lot of software work it might be possible with a really good mobile SoC with an ADC datastream to decode LD in good quality in real time. Someone else will need to do that, tho (Fun fact: A Raspberry Pi can do 240P/480I component, you just need an HDMI->Component adapter off eBay etc and some /boot/config.txt settings.)

Nope, he didn't... and probably didn't stop at low-hanging fruit either. But a few changes here and there might reduce late player noise a bit.

There's a thread from last year where someone modded their 606 to bring composite out straight from the TBC - which showed that the low pass filter in the output stages introduces a lot of the ringing etc. A proper op amp circuit there would be nice (and would probably protect the TBC from ESD etc a bit)

Getting the adjustments etc done is as much art as science. I can do simple stuff mostly on the late CLD series, but I don't know if I could do a good job on a 3080 yet

For anyone who wants to get started learning about player repair, I posted this Pioneer video on the S104 on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIMBrbRPRro

I guess I've just been fortunate then. I was given a Pioneer CLD-406 with remote and about 65 titles around 2005. No issues with the player except for the U1 error which was fixed with loading belts for less than a cup of coffee. This one lives in the "studio" and is for playing CDs and music LDs on the studio monitors and for "ripping" digital audio from LDs via Toslink. Also connected to DVD recorders for DVD back ups (a Panasonic and a Sony)

I found a CLD-M301 with remote for $4 at a local garage sale. Picture is surprisingly good for this machine. No issues whatsoever. It was sitting on the sidewalk, literally. We use it more for the 5 CD function and it lives in the bedroom.

Happened upon a CLD-704 with remote on craigslist about 5 minutes from my home. Paid $125 for the player and about 25 titles. Maybe paid a little too much but I didn't think I'd find another player in such great shape locally. This is my main player and looks great on my Sony 4k TV straight in via composite.

Found a Panasonic LX-900 for $20 locally at an electronics thrift shop. No remote and the shuttle dial on the face was missing. Functionally pretty good, door sticks a little but nothing major. This machine is noisier than any of my Pioneers and doesn't have AC-3, hence it lives in the spare/guest room(aka "The 4x3 Room") attached to a 32" Sony WEGA. This is where we have our NES and Genesis hooked up as well. Thinking of moving the VCR there as well.

This is just to add some hope that not ALL of the players are broken or dying. I use my 704 weekly and used the 406 daily for a few years. The 900 and M301 pretty much just sit there but when we ask them to work they are happy to do so!

None of my players were shipped. All were sourced locally. If you can't find one locally, source one within a reasonable driving distance. It is worth the round trip IMO. 100 miles of gas and time is worth gold versus buying on eBay and dealing with shipping. Fortunately I've never had to go more than 10 miles or so from my home.

YMMV
Kevin

Yup, buying local is definitely better for the players. The M series players in particular do not ship well at all!

The LX-900 should be quieter, it was probably stored badly and could probably use grease etc.

I agree 100% on this and is the main reason I sourced mine local. Most sellers on eBay and Amazon get very skimpy when it comes to shipping due to greed, laziness and/or just plain stupidity and thus causes damage to the players during transit. Aren't sellers suppose to lock the laser down via the transit screw before shipping? Would that help?

Besides that, buying local allows you to inspect the item before you make the purchase. It also lets you enjoy it significantly faster and buying local tends to be cheaper and no shipping fees.

Unfortunately, that is not possible for us overseas. We have to rely on the seller to have a description that matches the product being sold and that it arrives in one piece. I know many eBay sellers are lazy to give a correct description and quality pictures for us to judge.

To find a player that locks down the laser you have to go way back before 1985 at least to find one. All the newer players like the CLD-3070 lock the turn mechanism with the transit screw at the back. The laser is not locked.

Thank you kindly for the clarification.

I have had luck fixing broken players, and they've fared well like my DVL-700 that came to me with shipping damage. I found a non-working one to use for parts but found it was in better shape than the one I already had aside from the tray belt, so I fixed that one up and it currently sits on my stereo rack in my living room. I've bought several players that were in good shape but destroyed due to bad packing aside from my most recent find, my CLD-3070. I took the risk in buying it on eBay, and it showed up in great packaging and nothing was broken as an result. I've currently got it sitting on the shelf with my CLD-2080, LD-V2200, CLD-V2400 and CLD-D503 that are all fixed up and waiting in the event my DVL-700 in the living room or my CLD-S104 in the bedroom break down. I've had more damaged by shipping rather than me messing them up by attempting to repair them.

though they are only getting increasingly harder to find as years wear on,
i suppose i'm relatively lucky that a seeming majority of CLD-1030 and -3030 models
sold in the U.S. and U.S. MILITARY P.X.s round the world all seem to have had been bought by individuals
that only briefly dipped their toes into LD in the late-80'/early-90's, and as such,
there seems to be a lot of copies of either model out there with low hours.

still and all, there remains the shipping concerns regarding such complex and relatively delicate equipiment...

With a constant keen eye on Ebay & local Gumtree classified listings, I've managed to pick up quite a few good & not-so-good LD players in recent years. As I would arrange personal pickup where possible, DOA rate is usually low. For the few units already declared dead, I bought them only for parts or hard-to-get remotes. I also got lucky in bringing a perfectly fine player back to life, simply by replacing a blown fuse.

My strategies in rejuvenating old players are thorough cleanups from inside out, polish/clean metal terminals, & most importantly, re-grease moving parts. The web does provides fantastic resources in service manual downloads, as well as very useful service/repairs video clips.

For fellow LD player collectors, it's highly recommended to have a focus on late Pioneer models i.e. the DVLs. Good luck!

I would respectfully disagree about that.

DVL units were always compromises when it came to performance and they are by far more complicated to maintain because of the dual laser set-up. I think just about any player made between 1986 to 1996 with low hours would be an excellent value.