REPAIR GUIDE - TG16 CD/PCE CD Laser Swap Guide (pictorial)

[BlackandBlue]

I made this guide while I was changing out my last CD unit.  The first time I did the swap, I looked around and did not see a guide and kinda wished there was one, so I decided to make one for anyone that wishes to attempt this swap on their own.  I decided to make the guide near the end of the swap, which is why you will see the new laser in place in some of the pictures. 
So, I went back and re-did everything just for you!

Items needed:
replacement laser (KSS-220a or KSS-162a)
TG16 or PCE CD unit

Tools needed:
Jewler's screwdriver set
Multimeter
Soldering iron
Solder sucker or braid



Start out with your donar unit.  If you opted for a brand new KSS-220a, it will come with a different type of track.  Begin by removing The ribbon cables from the assembly.  Then, remove the two screws that are attached to the sled gear (step 1 in pic).  To remove the laser unit from the assembly, press in plastic tab (step 2), then slide out the metal bar (step 3).  This will free the laser from the track.



Next, you will want to dissasemble the CD unit.  Flip the CD player over and locate and remove the four screws that keep the bottom on.



Be careful pulling the unit apart.  On the TG16 version of the CD player, there is a ground wire that is attached to the sheilding of the bottom cover.  I accidentally broke the solder point, but it does not effect the usage of the player.



Next, remove the screw in the middle of the PCB.  This will allow you to lift the board to allow access to the laser.

[BlackandBlue]

Not so fast cowboy, there are a few ribbon cables and connectors that need to be released before proceeding.





To release the ribbon cables, pull down on the outer portion of the plastic housing and then pull out the ribbon cable.  Do not use force or flex the cables, as they break easily and are a pain to solder back together. (Yes, I speak from experience)



Remove the ground strap from the larger of the two ribbon cables. It is held on by glue, so it should restick to the new cable when the time comes.



This shows the three connectors that need to be removed and their location for when you need to put the back in later on.



To help with room, take out the CD control PCB.  There are four screws that hold the board down, one being a grounding plane (the longer of the four screws).  You will then be able to lift the board out.  Under here you will find the CD door switch.  Make sure that it is not broken/bent.




Next, we will remove the CD assembly from the unit.  Extract the three screws shown below.  There is a spacer surrounding the inside of the screw.  Be careful not to lose them.



After taking ot the screws, pull out the CD assembly.  I found it easy to open the CD door, tilt the portion out closest to the back out the unit, and pull up.  You'll figure it out.

[BlackandBlue]

To gain access to the laser, you need to remove the cover.  There are two screws that need to be taken out.



I marked the center of my spindle motor before extraction.  There are a few patterns of screw holes on the top of the motor and I found this made it easier when replacing.



To remove the spindle motor, turn the spindle until you see the screw through the hole.  Rinse and repeat.




You can now remove the spindle motor.  Make sure the laser is all the way to the outer portion of the track to allow room for the motor to come out.



To begin removing the laser, you will need to free the ribbon cables.  The larger one is attached by a metal clip.  To remove, slide the clip and lift.  The smaller cable is held in by tape.  Take note of its path.




Flip over and remove the screws that attach the laser to the worm gear.  Remove the middle scew first.  This will release the clip that moves the laser assembly with the worm gear.  Then, remove the outer two screws to release the remainder of the holder.  Also note that the small ribbon cable is routed behind part of the plastic.



Go to the other side and remove the two screws that hold down the metal bar.



Remove the laser.



Switcheroo



After you get the new laser in the sled (do the last couple steps backwards), you will need to remove the calibration solder from the larger ribbon cable, else it ain't gonna work.



Test the two leads on the ribbon cable that use to be soldered together to make sure there is no continuity between them anymore.  Its the 3rd and 4th from the left (or right, depends how you are looking at it).



Now is a perfect time to re-grease the gears and worm gear.  I used regular automotive grease.  Applied with a toothpick.



Time to put the spindle motor back in.  I found it easier if you put the screws in first, the slide the motor back into place.  You marked the center before removing it right?



Motor is back in. (recycled image)



Now it's time to reassemble the rest.  Basically the steps all done backwards.  A couple notes though. 

-When you put the metal laser assembly cover back on, make sure the holes line up.  There is a tab near the front that likes to be a pain.

-When putting the assembly back into the case, open the top of the CD drive like you did when taking it out.  Makes life easier.

-When you are putting the CD control PCB back in, make sure the lid switch is in correctly.

-When putting the ribbon cables back in, make sure they face the right way.  For the larger cable, the shinny part faces out of the case.  For the smaller cable, the shinny part faces inside the case.

You should now have a working CD ROM (if you had a dead laser before, other problems aren't my problem).

Enjoy!

[BlackandBlue]

EXTRAS!

If you purchased a brand new KSS-220a, then you have a few more parts you can use from the assembly.  On the underside, there is a stop switch that you can use to replace a broken CD door switch in the TG16/PCE CD unit.  It is the switch with the two blue wires on the underside of the assembly.



Oh, there's more!  If you have a bad spindle motor or just want to upgrade, you can use the motor and spindle from the replacement unit.  In order to do so, you will need to remove the disc tray lid components from the CD door to allow for compatibility.  This will also solve the issue of CD's scraping the floor of the drive.  I did this swap on my PCE CD drive and it works great.



So, there you have, a full pictorial guide to swapping out a faulty laser in a TG16/PCE CD Rom.  Hope this helps someone out.

[termis]

Awesome!

[Platinumfungi]

Awesome work indeed! 

[DJLobo]

Great job. I hope I never have to do a laser swap, but this should be helpful to anyone trying to do one.

[hoobs88]

I got a new replacement laser in a Turbo lot that I purchased and have no need for it. If anyone could use it, PM me.

[esteban]

Fantastic guide!

With all of those wonderful pictures, you can't go wrong. Except for the the fingernails. They look a bit rough around the edges.

[BlackandBlue]

Thanks guys.  I hope it helps someone one day.

Fantastic guide!

With all of those wonderful pictures, you can't go wrong. Except for the the fingernails. They look a bit rough around the edges.

Yeah, I have a horrible habit of biting my nails.  I really need to work on that.

[Ichibanrei]

That's really helpful stuff.  I'm gonna try redoing mine since I was a little less than successful.  Luckily I didn't break anything.

[blueraven]

Well Done! A truly labor intensive effort!  You should email PCEngineFX to sticky this topic!

[kid_rondeau]

I would like to echo the sentiments above and sing your praises from the mountaintops.
And just to be more TurboGrafxy, I refer to the mountaintops in the background of Stage 1 of China Warrior.

[kid_rondeau]

Oh, and must agree, this topic should be a sticky.

[blueraven]

I emailed Aaron yesterday; hopefully he agrees!

[BlackandBlue]

Thanks again guys, you're too kind   I was going to send him a PM to see what he thought, but seems like blueraven already has. 

And just to be more TurboGrafxy, I refer to the mountaintops in the background of Stage 1 of China Warrior.

Awesome.

[blueraven]

Bump; as many people have been asking about a laser swap guide.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

[turbogrfxfan]

this is great info for when the time comes!!!  I hope to find someone to fix it instead when it breaks

[Duo_R]

Does the new spindle hold the disc firmly like a Ps1 spindle?

[BlackandBlue]

Does the new spindle hold the disc firmly like a Ps1 spindle?

The new one?  Yeah, the cd 'clicks' into place.  It doesn't sit like on the original, thats why you can pull off the part on the cd door.  That and it probably wont close right if you left it on.

[BlackandBlue]

Thanks for making it a sticky!

[blueraven]

awesome. 

[tangentt]

Can this guide partially be used to replace the laser on a Super CD-ROM2 unit? I need to replace mine.

[BlackandBlue]

Can this guide partially be used to replace the laser on a Super CD-ROM2 unit? I need to replace mine.

I imagine the process would be similar.  I never had the need to rip mine open.  I am not sure what replacement laser you would need.

[blueraven]

I'm pretty sure the American unit takes a KSS220A as well, can anyone confirm this?

[BlackandBlue]

I'm pretty sure the American unit takes a KSS220A as well, can anyone confirm this?

Yeah, I have done this with my black CDROM2 and it is practically the same drive.

[kid_rondeau]

Just a thought...
Does anyone know enough about these laser assemblies to deduce whether it's practical (or even possible) to replace just the laser diode, while using the original housing? I have a hard time finding the KSS-220A, but I would think the actual dioide would be more common.

Speaking of which, my TG-CD is working fine, but I am interested in upgrading the spindle to the "click" variety, as described in BlackandBlue's aweXome guide...but I can't find the "complete" assembly anywhere! Does anyone have an alternate part number?

[BlackandBlue]

Speaking of which, my TG-CD is working fine, but I am interested in upgrading the spindle to the "click" variety, as described in BlackandBlue's aweXome guide...but I can't find the "complete" assembly anywhere! Does anyone have an alternate part number?

I think the shaft size is 5/64", which I believe is standard for CS spindle motors.  I suppose you can pull it out of any old cd player you have laying around.

When I get home I can see if the spare motors I have have part numbers on them to confirm.  I dont know the technical name for the clicky cs seat, so its hard to try to find it.

[chop5]

was working on the turbo cd and thought should add my notes on here:

have a turbo cd with working laser and assembly but bad mother board. Would power on but game would not spin. Checked everything possible even changed the pot settings. After changing all the caps all the 4.7 uf caps were dead,like 5 of them bunched up near the pot settings. 5 is enough to cause laser failure. There are 2 more 4.7uf caps that are really tiny back to back on the board but they were functional so i put them back. I have a capacitance meter to check the caps as i remove them.
Powered on the unit with no change. Another member on here Bluebmw had a similar problem with his turbo cd. Changed the laser,adjusted pots etc but would not spin the game only a quarter turn. He also changed the caps i mentioned and no change. Changed more caps and had a laser trouble where the ribbon got torn on the lens side,the smaller ribbon. Sent unit to me where i tried a working laser and it worked.
I messed more with the laser with torn ribbon and did a transfer of lens from a old laser with a dead diode:


_{https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/turbocdparts.jpg}

and it worked. 90% of the time the diode burns out like a lightbulb. The lens may last longer before the wires start popping on it or the lens gets scratched.
Used a very tiny screwdriver 2 mm flathead to unscrew these tiny security torx bits that were in there. If you attempt this do your best not to undo the bed of glue that holds the lens part. Its needed to balance it out. So small i cant take a pic but you can see it on the laser holding the 2 parts together after you remove the screws. Hopes this is useful info to some

[Duo_R]

any ideas on putting in a new spindle for a Duo? I would love to have the "click in" spindle to hold the discs.

[Charlie]

Nice repair job, but a few notes:
1. The replacement laser you used If using a 162 replacement laser, note that it has a much shorter flex cable (on both sides).  It makes it very hard to re-connect into the PCB because you have much less room for your fingers.
2. The routing of the original flex wires includes glue in strategic locations.  This is needed to keep the flex cable from jamming as the head moves around.  When doing the laser swap, make note of where to glue -- and of course have some glue handy!
3. Most important -- the original laser required you to remove the clip holding the flex cable; this clip worked nicely because the original laser has the required hole in the middle of the flex cable, allowing the clip to do its job.  The replacement 162 laser does not have the hole, so you can't use the clip, so again the flex cable jams up.
  
I would give strong consideration to sticking with the original laser type 220(A).

Charlie

[BlackandBlue]

Nice repair job, but a few notes:
1. The replacement laser you used has a much shorter flex cable (on both sides).  It makes it very hard to re-connect into the PCB because you have much less room for your fingers.
2. The routing of the original flex wires includes glue in strategic locations.  This is needed to keep the flex cable from jamming as the head moves around.  When doing the laser swap, make note of where to glue -- and of course have some glue handy!
3. Most important -- the original laser required you to remove the clip holding the flex cable; this clip worked nicely because the original laser has the required hole in the middle of the flex cable, allowing the clip to do its job.  The replacement laser does not have the hole, so you can't use the clip, so again the flex cable jams up.
 
I would give strong consideration to sticking with the original laser type 220(A).

Charlie

Are you referring to the KSS-162a?  I used the 220a in my swap and in the pictures and all the cables were the same length and had the hole.  I cannot speak for the 162a as I read it is compatible, but have not swapped one myself.

[Charlie]

Yes, I was comparing the 220 vs the 162.  I have done the 162 and it has the short-commings I have mentioned.
Didn't want anyone to find this out after they spent the $$ on the 162.

My apologies, I realize the wording could be better.  Allow me to edit... (done)

Thanks

Charlie

[Charlie]

Seems to me we now need a "total capacitor replacement chart" for the CD ROM.  Probably a good idea to make it a new sticky, too.

(I could do it, but where do you get those really nice colored dots to stick on all the caps?)

Charlie

[BlueBMW]

Red Ghost did a TGCD cap chart a while ago... had to dig a bit to find it!

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=7012.0

Also, I made a little mini guide on some of the ICs on the TGCD board, might not be too useful but...

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=8782.0

[Charlie]

AHA!  I was somewhat sure that I had seen the cap list before, but I couldn't find it.  However, definitely did NOT know of the IC stuff -------I am still not straight on "CD ROM" vs "CD ROM2" (or, in fact, most of the TG line's matrix of names has me confused ------you don't know how long it took me to relate "DUO" with "PC"!!)

Hmmm, any other info needed there?

Thanks.

Charlie

[Charlie]

As an FYI, I've been looking into the IC's recently, and I've found a minor correction or two.

Under the "Turbo Grafx CDROM IC Identification Guide" section, at the top:
1. the 'D9309 is listed as unknown -- it's the SCSI interface IC
2. the CDX1135 is listed as possibly a DAC -- it's the DSP IC


Just thought you'd like to know...


Charlie

[BlueBMW]

Awesome charlie!  Thanks!  I'll update the image soon   Have you heard of some of the new turbo duo sound fixes we've discovered lately?

[Charlie]

>> Have you heard of ...<<
I don't think so, but I don't know what specific fix you mean. 

There is a lot of DUO audio repair info here, particularly the block diagrams (= abbreviated schematics), that should allow anyone with reasonable soldering ability to fix DUO's.  Is there something new?

Charlie

[BlueBMW]

We've had a few units which even after full cap replacements still have no sound.  We tracked it down to a single transistor not supplying voltage to all the audio amps. Q304 to be exact.  It should be outputting ~8V on the emitter leg.  Other units the connection from E of Q304 is degraded on the connection through the board also causing low voltage to the audio amps.

Maybe you already knew this stuff but it was a recent discovery for some of us!

[Charlie]

Ok, let me check my notes.  Based on what you say, Q304 may be in the power supply.  I'll dig into my data and post some info.

Charlie

[Charlie]

FYI:
1. Got TWO CD Rom's repaired, with parts on order for the second two.  Yay.  EBay here I come!
2. Haven't forgotten the Q304 thingy, just been sick recently.  Data coming soon.

Thanks
Charlie

[Charlie]

I put the Q304 stuff in the "REPAIR GUIDE - TurboDuo: Sound Fix" thread..it's more appropriate there.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Update note:
The UPD9309, which I mentioned is the SCSI Interface IC, is officially described as a "CD ROM drive controller"; the description says nothing about its interface capabilities.  (I missed that extra line of text in my notes).  However, it's probably ok to call it "CD ROM drive controller with SCSI interface", even that's not officially correct.  Or maybe just make a reference to the SCSI port in a comment.

Charlie

[Keith Courage]

Anyone ever have a CD drive that doesn't read the disc correctly even after changing out the lens? The CD spins up with the new lens but doesn't start playing anything. Just spins at a normal speed like it is going to but doesn't.

[thesteve]

one of the ones chop sent me to fix did that.
i just resoldered the larger parts on the board and the pots and it fixed it

[turbokon]

one of the ones chop sent me to fix did that.
i just resoldered the larger parts on the board and the pots and it fixed it

thesteve, can you elaborate? I just did a laser swap on my tgcd and it would load at first and then it would just spin with a blank screen. Even with an audio cd, it has long load between tracks. Thanks.

[thesteve]

yours may be getting stuck, or need the pots adjusted.
the one i was referring to the adjustments wouldnt stay

[turbokon]

Do you think I can just adjust the pots or should I perform caps replacement first?