Re: [ARSCLIST] Memorex CDs

[Jerome Hartke <jhartke@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of steven c
> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 11:08 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Memorex CDs
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jerome Hartke" <jhartke@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Replacing is better than repairing. I always inventory two or three
> "good"
> > models. Although their lubricants may harden over an extensive period,
> that
> > can be remedied by cycling the drive or by opening it and relubricating
> the
> > rails. Those who have the talents to repair cylinder machines should be
> > capable of opening a CD/DVD drive.
> >
> The problem is, once they open it they will see circuit boards with
> tiny semiconductor chips soldered in place! When I opened  a vintage
> radio, I found familiar items...resistors, capacitors and so on. If
> I didn't have a schematic, I could trace circuits and draw one...
> and it was simple to make measurements to see what was, or wasn't,
> working. The worst problem might be locating a replacement tube
> if I need one!
> 
> With a CD or DVD player/burner, about all the user-servicable
> functions are the mechanical ones...the bits that turn the disc,
> or move it into playing position. If a microscopic connection
> on a chip has failed (likely, given the number of lightning
> bolts in a number of years)...there is no practical way of
> repairing that. Worse yet, if the future "fixer" isn't
> familiar with the function(s) of each chip, he/she/it
> will be stopped before starting...
> 
> Steven C. Barr

After building crystal radio sets in the 1940's, with "Quaker Oats"
inductive slide tuners, I found that tubes, resistors, and capacitors were
quite sophisticated. All joking aside, we pay the price today for cheap,
reliable, and high performance electronic devices. This is mostly achieved
through the use of complex LSI chips with multilayer PC boards and tiny,
surface mount components.

Returning to the "repairable" days would result in much higher cost, bigger,
less reliable devices having very limited capabilities. Which do we prefer?
I remember working in a radio repair shop in the 1950's where I identified
and replaced many faulty components, usually tubes and high voltage
electrolytic capacitors (vibrators and 0Z4 rectifiers in car radio power
supplies), and would not wish to return to those days.

Jerry
Media Sciences, Inc.