Where's my potentiometer?

[swee'pea99]

A friend's CD player has gone awol, and I'm trying to fix it. I was trying to follow the instructions on this site, which says:

By now you will probably be able to see the CD tray (the bit that holds the disk) and also some kind of arm which hovers over the disk when the tray is closed. There will usually be a small motor for moving the lens over the disk, and attached to this or nearby there is typically a small circuit board.

On this board, or in any case rather close to the read head there can usually be found a small potentiometer (sometimes referred to as a pot). This will usually be a small square component with a plastic disk on top, and this disk will have a slot which is designed to take a small flat head screwdriver. This is what we will be adjusting.

Well, I'm damned if I can see anything like that. Any suggestions much appreciated...

 

[ColinJ]

Have you read the subsequent discussions? There is a strong suggestion that it would be better to try cleaning the laser lens first.

 

[swee'pea99]

Nope. Thanks for flagging that up. I've now tried 'light cleaning with a dry cotton swab', which has made no difference. I'm loath to start using fluids (even though I do have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol to hand). The lens at least looks clean. But then I guess it would. I suspect it may be a more mechanical problem with drive belts or something along those lines.

 

[PatrickPending]

2nd photo down has a few that will probably be like the one you're looking for

 

[PatrickPending]

I can't see one on the photos you've posted - but I guess its easier if you have it in front of you. What was the problem with the cd player anyway?

 

[PatrickPending]

this may be of use

http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/cdfaq.htm


(from http://repairfaq.org/ - worth noting the safety warnings)

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks - I've bookmarked the link for future reference.