After my painful experience with the CLD-99S i decided to get a new player which was less mechanically difficult than that one; I picked the R7G
It arrived yesterday, and so far everything's been working great except side B
On the switch it appears to make a faint clicking sound while the disc spins, and on the display the color fades and changes a lot

Visually when I look inside I don't notice anything strange, so not sure what's the issue here

I'll post videos later

Further testing seems to indicate that the image gets better as the disc gets further in; the color fading I could best describe as being like a VHS
CLV discs seem to fare worse

This is the issue I have. I assumed it might be something calibration related, but really don't want to spend all that money on the test disc and oscilloscope; any ideas?

Unless it is plugged into a gas generator, you should not hear a sound like that. Make sure chassis is not bent and clamp is level.

Yesterday I did a look around inside by taking the top off and didn't notice anything obviously wrong, but I'll post pictures tomorrow, perhaps I missed something

Does it play CDs alright?

Also did you try to play side 2 first then go to side B on player do you get the same image results??

Yes to both questions

As C++ emphasized about the chassis being bent, this might illustrate it better since I can say I have had this problem before.....



In regards to what I marked in red, notice that the mechanism frame work is precisely parallel w/ the back panel of the player. If your player is not like this, then that could explain all the issues w/ B side playback. I had this problem w/ my CLD-D704 and I fixed it by removing the back panel and then using my hands to gently bend the frame work back until it was perfect.

In regards to what I marked in yellow, these bolt down points can easily be bent especially when a player is shipped. Make sure all four corners are precisely straight and gently bend them back if they are not. Also, check the area where the clamper is screwed on to these two braces for the same thing. Lastly, check the bracing on the far right side as well since you don't want a bent frame forcing your circuit board to bend.

The bottom of the player could also be affected but not usually (especially if your Side A playback is fine). However, it doesn't hurt to give it a quick visual inspection.


I don't guarantee this is the 100% solution for you but it is something to really look @ first.

Sometimes when a chassis is bent, I can't even tell with my eyes.

I attempted to mess with the chassis parts highlighted a few days ago but unfortunately it didn't change much if at all, a very puzzling issue

I notice on Side B if I push the clamp towards the back of the player the noise seems to subside

Can you elaborate by what you mean by “clamp” or better yet mark up the pic with an arrow pointing to the specific spot?

Here

In that case, you have some kind of alignment issue that involves possibly that part or the substructure it’s screwed to. This is pretty much what I was hinting about in the picture I posted.

Might want to unscrew the entire clamper assembly and see if you can tell if it’s bent a little.

Try screwing that clamper back in. Then unscrew the four screws on the two cross supports that run from front to back. Set it on a flat surface on each side and see if you can notice any bending. While it is off, check the back panel for any bends.

Clean the white grip ring on spindle with cotton swab and water (won't fix your problem but needs to be done. Can't tell if clean because this was owned by a smoker.)

Ah so those grey spots are marks of being owned by a smoker? TIL
I'll try the rest of your steps as well

I just mean it has a yellow tinge to it. Images are not loading anymore, but the grey spots are likely just grime or where the coating is just thin in spots. No need to worry about it.

Totally of topic but did all CLD-R7G players have the improved black M-holder through the entire manfacturing years?
The M-holder was never a (it broke down) problem on R7G like on the older CLD players?

Same goes for the DVL-909??

I have worked on R7G's with the gray colored problem MHolder. I have had to replace these. The CLD-R7G is one of the service manuals I don't have.

ALL DVL-XXX machines I have seen had better MHolders, and the service manual has the newer part number.

Thanks for the info.

Julien has a serial number search option for players on this site.
S/N reveals what year the player was manufactured.
Many years I checked the search option, I think but not sure my player CLD-R7G was manufactured in 1998 or 1999?
Later produced players from 1998 - 1999 should have the revised M-holder, or not?