NAD 5440 Late 80s CD Player - Repair & Laser Replacement

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

I had one before and all I had to do is replace the belt these videos are very helpful, thanks for posting

[@pwrestoration]

Glad it helped

[@GQ1494D]

Bought one of these KSS-210A lasers to replace the one in my Rotel RCD-930AX CD player a few months ago. Spoke to one of the sellers on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, found out that there are only a few actually brand new lasers available for most Sony/Philips/Sanyo transports, and they are commanding a ridiculously high price premium. Almost all of the cheap replacements we buy are salvaged from old players, CD-ROM drives etc. The sellers clean & test them for a bit, before chucking them into an anti-static bag & box them. They aren't adjusted, so it's on the buyer to do the calibration. Although most times they will work straight out of the box, they simply are not able to guarantee how well it'll work and for how long.

[@hermanmunster3358]

My only concern with that new laser, is where the metal rail goes through the guides in the laser chassis, on the original one, the chassis appeared to have brass linings in the rail guide holes. But on the new one, the guide holes appear to be all plastic. This may cause problems down the line if the grease dries out. And the laser transport may snag occasionally, on the guide rail. I could be wrong, but I noticed the difference straight away when you had the two lasers side by side. The replacement did instantly look cheaper made than the original. I suppose it is quite easy to smear some grease on that metal guide rail from time to time, to keep it running smoothly.

[@pwrestoration]

You're exactly right, no brass bushings on the new ones. I've still got the deck and use it regularly, still going 😄

[@vidtech2630]

This is my concern as well , I'm in the process of having my NAD 5420 repaired, profacionaly & concern being once the laser is replaced , you ( I'm expecting a degedation in playback quality) and no longer up to spec. To the original.

[@PeterParker-nc5ke]

Damn, that was a great video! I wish I could fix my compact disc player that just gave out.

[@therealbradkeen]

When you replace a laser, do you need to make any adjustments to potentiometers in the player or on the laser?

[@pwrestoration]

The answer is a bit complex, readings from the board *should* be taken, which are extremely complex and require a well setup and decent oscilloscope. Most of the time you can fire a new laser in and it'll be fine, however the time it will be fine for is unknown. Too much power on the pot and you get a great laser with lower lifespan. Too little and you get a potentially problematic one and a longer lifespan. To set the waveform involves minute adjustments usually to the laser unit itself, and also pots on the drive mainboard. If you're lucky enough to have a decent service manual, that's great and quite easy. Unfortunately NAD lasers need extra equipment between the drive and the oscilloscope to setup the waveform, I think this is shown in this video. I didn't have this equipment so had to settle for a direct swap. Most other cd players allow you to connect your scope directly to test points on the mainboard and go for adjustments from there. Have a look here: www.pcenginefans.com/forum/index.php?topic=8926.225

[@azthu1]

I purchased a unique NAD L-40 that has CD , tuner , and single rca input off Ebay. Sadly the CD section reads "disc error" or "no disc". When opened up and after cleaning the laser still no use!. But I notice that disc ALSO wont spin? Is this fixable? What is reason older NAD wont spin a disk with a clean laser?

[@pwrestoration]

The disk isn't being detected it seems. There's a pot on the laser unit and you can sometimes turn it up to get the sensitivity of the laser higher. But he that burns brighter burns half as long

[@paulb4uk]

Nice fix i bought a new laser for my hitachi boombox a cx -w700 one of the lasers on aliexpress looked more like the original than some of the others. So i bought it and its not a cheap laser either compared to most but when i opened it up, the fault for the none working cd player was obvious the cable was part out of the connector on one side ,So i bought a laser i never needed .On a sharp boombox i made a massive mistake changing the laser by undoing both rails it sits on and one has alignment on it i remmbered after i done it and the alignment is out it reads toc but plays up playing a cd a lesson learned .

[@pwrestoration]

The alignment can be rectified quite easily on Sony players with an oscilloscope. These NAD ones require a special circuit to be built in order to conduct the correct tests, which is beyond my interest / ability at the moment. Luckily this has been great since. I've definitely been there with buying unecessary parts! Usually when I buy things half blind before a proper inspection 😄

[@agpestablishment4888]

Excellent Job Sir, and thanks to the Chinees hard worker nation to making still such gold products all Laser lents of every brand are still available and making by China to sustain quality Entertainment for us as CD and DVD parts

[@pwrestoration]

Ok

[@agpestablishment4888]

I recently buy Technics SC-DV290 and Panasonic-HT900 DVD Home theater Laser Lend by Ali Express and found accurate and quality Laser Pickup now my both home theater will stay till 2050

[@pwrestoration]

What happens in 2050?

[@therealbradkeen]

What types of grease did you use?

[@pwrestoration]

Molycote DX

[@ЭдуардВасильченко-х9я]

Отличная работа!👍

[@alpe3911]

No anti-static mat! No anti-static gloves! No anti-static tape! But we are working on a high-sensitivity laser! This is really very professional! The whole work has the quality of a basement or garage hobby!

[@pwrestoration]

Basement is close, the laser is still working.. maybe you're over precautious? 🙂

[@SIDERROCK]

хрен

[@pwrestoration]

Horseradish? Da!