Thanks! I got into LaserDisc fully expecting to have to repair players, especially with my budget for hardware
I got my first player with about 40 discs for $40 (it was a LaserActive Sony model). I tried to clean and maintain it, but determined the laser was failing, and I gave it to a local electronics store in the hopes that it'd help someone else fix their player someday. Less than a year later, I found this one locally at a Goodwill Outlet. It had been dumped into the large bin it was in, and made it out shockingly intact, considering how hard it looks to have been dropped. The tray still makes a grinding sound despite my efforts to make sure it's aligned and lubricated (if you know what I could check to fix it, let me know, it's not irritating enough to make a post about it, but I'd still like to fix it lol).
I've enjoyed fixing the players, even when it's difficult.
I figured that was the case, I'm hoping after a bit of extra maintenance, some cleaning, and a good quality belt, the slipping issues it tends to develop will cease. I've seen some other people need to replace the belts on players like this and the D502 after about 5 years, which still seems excessive, but given how much the belt has to move, I can't be too annoyed.