My beloved 2950 has suddenly stopped recognising loaded discs.

There didn't seem to be much of a transition from "working Perfectly" to "Dud". I was watching Southern Comfort (LD 90893) when, approximately 8 minutes before side flip, it just stopped.

If I leave the unit powered down for an extended period of time it has previously started playing but, after a few minutes, stops and the message "No Disc" returns.

Yesterday I noticed that I had left a CD loaded since last trying to get it up and running (tried a CD thinking it being lighter than a LD of CDV might help). I admonished myself for being so lazy, plugged the player back into the power, switched it on and, full of hope, pressed play instead of eject. The CD began to spin but before reaching anything near full speed, slowed, stopped and the all too familiar "No Disc" returned to the display.

If anyone has any ideas on what the issue may be I'd really appreciate your knowledge and experience. I understand it could be beyond simple repair but I'm happy to try.

Did it make any strange grinding noises before it died? Is the laser pickup still moving and does it sound as it always has?

kaflo,

Thanks for responding.

There were no strange noises that I noticed, and the lens does still move. Not a great deal but it appears to do so freely.

Thanks again

Is it still spinning the disc?

No. Only if it is left powered down for a period of time. As it is, if I load a disc regardless of size or type, the lens will move into position but the disc won't spin up.

Does the player still recognise CDs?

Sadly, no. The last time I attempted to run a disc was with a CD inserted. It began to spin up but before it reached speed it slowed and stopped, then returned to "No Disc".

Seems to me like a broken Laser Lens Pickup or the cable that goes to the pickup. I've had the same problem with an Oppo BDP83 Bluray Player, Laser Lens Pickup was broken and it did not recognise Blurays anymore. Changed the pickup and everything was fine.

Well, if nothing else, it gives me something to target. Suppose it's a case of looking for a replacement pick-up . . . or player. Pretty much the same thing this late in the game.

Pity. Loved this unit.

If there's anyone out there that knows where I could get a replacement pick-up, let me know. Would make a sad man very happy.

Thanks for your help

If you are lucky this one only needs a new loading belt: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pioneer-cld-2 ... 2253632068

Otherwise maybe you could make a working one out of two broken players....