I have 2 x CLD 2950 players that don't work and I'm trying to get at least 1 going.

So 1 does everything right but playback is horrible. Very grainy. i assume the laser is on the way out??
The second one i recently picked up and it looks good but it wont recognize any discs. [LD or CD] I've replaced the band and it still doesn't do anything. The tray will eject and then load a disc, the laser assembly moves in and out then stops and the display reads No Disc. I can hear what sounds like a faint click just before it says no disc, like it wants to start spinning or engage the spindle.

Do you think its a bad spindle motor? Question is can i replace the spindle motor with the one from the other unit? or can i swap the laser out of non-spinner to the one with the bad vision? I have 0 chance of calibrating with an Oscilloscope and test disc if that's needed. [I'm a little technical but no electronics expert]

Any suggestions?

2nd one, if the laser moves in and out and then says "no disc" then there is no reflection detected back from a disc so either weak laser or an electronics issue.

first one, hard to say, the first thing I would look at is the RF level. If it can play CD's OK then the RF level is most likely OK. Next would be an alignment.

Thanks for the feedback. Any idea how i can check alignment? Sounds like a big job.

You need to have an oscilloscope so you can measure the RF signal level on the test point connector on the main board. The best way to do the tilt and tangential alignment is putting the unit in test mode and using the test disc. Some of the criterion pressed laserdiscs had test patterns at the end. A Video Standard and another non Pioneer setup disc (maybe Video Essentials) do have some CAV patterns that can be used.

Nothing easy here and you have to make the investment into discs and test equipment. If you have a part issues you need to be able to electrically troubleshoot the signal paths.