CDI Repair - parts needed

[seastalker]

I got a CD-i I hope to fix up. It has a broken power switch that can be pushed and pulled but doesn't latch.  As seen in the picture below, the wording says "sdl1p tv-3" but am finding variant models with "A" in the title that have different feet orientation.  I also need to replace the CD drive and get a Digital video pack but it is a start. It is hard to find spare parts for this console.  The disc drive I have says CDM-9/44 and a bunch of numbers later.  The CDI model itself is a Magnavox CDI 200.

 

Is a CD-I disc drive a standard drive with the motherboard handling the "i" / interactive part or are CD-I drives it's own separate hardware like CD vs Bluray? It has a flex cable and red/black power cable for the spin motor so I hope I'm not stuck finding this exact model.

 

What's interesting is that the motherboard looks like it it is 9 inches by just over 9.5 and potentially fit in some Micro-ATX cases, especially if someone makes a small ODE for this system. It would certainly make it look more like a console and less of a VCR. Now if someone made an ODE that somehow had built in digital video decoder and battery (a no-dremel solution), that would be something of a surprise. A plug-in CD-I Satiator if you will. Um, a "Say-CD-Later" 

[+Stephen Moss]

The CDM 9/44 is a typical CD unit from around the early to mid 1990's. We have an undergraduate lab at work which has Phillip CD players of that era with them in.

They are very hard to come by these days, the last time I looked for one they were priced at around £120-£150, pretty ridiculous when you can but a cheap separates CD for about £40. About 15 years ago they were about £30 each.

On 1/29/2021 at 3:49 PM, seastalker said:

Is a CD-I disc drive a standard drive with the motherboard handling the "i" / interactive part or are CD-I drives it's own separate hardware like CD vs Bluray? It has a flex cable and red/black power cable for the spin motor so I hope I'm not stuck finding this exact model.

The CDM 9/44 is essentially a dumb unit, it just has the Red/Black power lead for the motor and the flex cable which powers the LASER unit, receives head position signals from and sends focus, tracking and data signals back to the main controller IC.

CD transport mechanism units today should essentially be the same as they were then, it is just the physical appearance and mounting points on the motor drive/head unit that will change, so you may be able to use a different unit provided you can find a way of mounting it where it needs to go. You could try looking for other CDM9/ mechanisms, I am sure the numbers after the slash will mean there are some differences but they may be the closest in terms of size, shape and mounting points to the /44 to be usable. However, being the same vintage they may be just as rare and expensive.

 

It is difficult to tell from that image so I may be wrong but to me it looks like the power switch has two mounting flanges (nearest to the viewer) and two pins for the actual switch contacts which would make it a single pole, single throw (SPST) latching , probably 3 or 4 amp. I presume the on/off plunger is centrally located between the mounting screw holes in which case if you cannot find the exact replacement just try and find one that physically fits inside the case with the same screw hole panel mounting points and solder wire between it and wherever it connected to on the main PCB (I am assuming there was a wire connection between that small switch PCB and the main PCB)

[seastalker]

Thank you Stephen Moss. Interestingly, when powering on the CDI, the drive's motor does spin when the Red/Black lead is plugged in, and I saw the laser unit light up and try to read a disc, so the movement is there. Maybe it just needs a new laser?  If it is as you say essentially a dumb unit, maybe whatever model laser in there is more common than replacing the drive? If so, maybe I can then Pop the circular magnet on top of a disc to get it to read?  I could then at least prop up the drive to prevent shorts on run the CDI without the case cover.

 

If all else fails, I can save my CDI in hopes Terraonion's MODE gets CDI (and 3DO) support. 

 

Or... maybe a MiSTer FPGA master core creator wants to use it (heck, decap it with acid if needed) to preserve its history?  

[+Stephen Moss]

With no disk you should be seeing the LASER head unit move towards the centre of the disk to read the TOC and the laser itself move up and down as it tries to focus no the non existing disks. If it is doing all that then as you say the issue may be with the laser itself.

 

Did you try cleaning the lens in case some dirt is affecting it? If not you could try soapy water and then clean water to rinse (apply using cotton bud/q-tip), isopropanol or a camera/spectal lens cleaning solution.

 

If you are certain the unit is producing LASER light which may be visible with a digital camera (always avoid looking straight at it the the naked eye ) there should be a plastic section roughly in the middle of the flex circuit where it changes direction by 90 degree from the head unit to go to the PCB, if memory serves there is a very small and fragile potentiometer there that can be used to adjust the LASER power. If trying that you will need a small screwdriver and an steady hand, it is not something I have tried so I am not certain which direction you will need to adjust it but I suggest marking it current position before you start and place other marks at 45 degree each side from there and if you can a mark midway between the initial position and the 45 degree (approx 22 degrees).

Then first try both 22 degree positions and then if no joy try 45 degree positions as you do not want to turn the power up too much and cook the LASER diode.