June 1997
STAR*TECH JOURNAL
BOCHiJLH
ll ■ nufacturlng
Corpor ■ tian
Ed Glapinski, Quality Control Manager, Rock-Ola Mfg Corp., Torrance, California
PHILLIPS
As many of you are already
aware, and for those of you who
are not, CDM-3 Laser Players are
no longer available from Phillips.
This does not mean the world
will come to a screeching halt.
But this does present a dilemma
for those of you who have a lot
of CD M-3 Lasers on the street.
Do you:
A. Pull equipment with
CD M-3 Lasers?
B. Try to repair your
CDM-3 Lasers?
C. Convert all of your
machines to CD M-12?
D. Trade in your old
equipment for new Rock-
0 la's. (I can't resist a
cheap, shameless plug!)
There is no correct answer. How-
ever, it makes sense to at least
check the CDM-3 Laser for ser-
viceability before doing anything.
Here's how:
Using the "clear side" of a CD as
a mirror, make a selection and
look for a red light emitting from
the laser diode lens. (See Figure 1).
CDM-3 LASER SERVICING
DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY
INTO THELASERLENS. EVEN
A LOW POWER EMISSION
LASER WILL CAUSE PERMA-
NENT EYE DAMAGE.
No light indicates the laser is bad
and needs to be replaced. "But
Ed, how can I replace something
that is no longer available?", you
ask. I'll answer that question a
little later in this article.
If you see red light it means that
the laser is probably serviceable.
Take the following steps:
,... Make sure the laser lens is
clean.
,... Check that the CD's are clean
and not scratched.
,... Inspect the disc clamping hub
-to- clamping arm clearance. The
hub cannot touch any surface
when the clamping arm is in the
play position. (Figure 2)
,... Insure the clamping hub is not
worn or broken and the cork
washer on the bottom is clean
and not worn. An improperly
clamped disc won't maintain cor-
rect spin speed, causing skipping.
,... Clean and lightly lubricate the
upper and lower "swing arm"
bearings. (Figure 3)
Now try the laser.
If it works ... congratulations! If
not, you'll need to get it repaired.
"But you said that CDM-3 Lasers
and parts are no longer avail-
able." That's true, to a point.
Most decoder board and servo
board parts are still available. So
send it to Rock-Ola's Chicago
Service Center via your local dis-
tributor. Only if the Laser/Di-
ode is bad (no red light) do you
need to scrap the player.
If you need to replace a CDM-3
player, don't worry ... there is an
alternative. Replace the laser
with a CD M-12 player. CD M-12
Player Kits are available through
your local Rock-Ola distributor
by ordering part number 02406,
CD Player Replacement Kit.
The 2406 Kit provides every-
thing you need to retrofit Rock-
Ola Jukeboxes originally
equipped with CD M-3 Lasers to
the CD M-12 Laser.
Installation takes l,ess than an hour
and can be done on location. Or-
der kit =#=02407 retrofit kit to re-
place CD M-4 Heavy Duty Lasers
with a CDM-12. Also available
are 2 kits to replace CDM-4 In-
dustrial with CDM-12. For