Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - can you help me diagnose stereo problem

my stereo (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid21/p5ee6e0cfb8967b564f103248cf22a3e6/fdb5116c.jpg.orig.jpg)(you have to right-click on this link and select "Open picture in a new window" otherwise it refuses to open it)

I have AIWA LCX-700M stereo. I haven't played CDs with the 7-CD changer in a while and popped one in recently and discovered that it longer works !! When I put a CD into any of the 7CD magazine slots it just sits in there and the stereo no longer reads the CD and displays how many tracks.....etc. The play button does not respond. I tried several CDs which I verified that they do work in other stereos. Please click the picture link above to see my stereo. This picture shows the state that it's in after I put in a CD in slot 1.

My question is : what do you think is the problem ? I am thinking about taking it apart and see if I can find the prblem myself because I bought it 6 years ago and it probably cost me only around 200 bucks(I forgot.....) so I don't think it's worth it to take it to a shop. But I'm clueless as to what I should be checking once I disassemble it. This will also make good use of my long weekend too :) I've kept the stereo in the living room without any disturbance for a while - just sitting there. I wonder what could go wrong ?

thanks

I have repaired more Aiwa’s than I think any other stereo in my career. I am not kidding, I had a stack of tech updates no less than one inch thick for them. The optics have failed. There is really nothing you can do to fix it. If you take it apart you will knock the CD mechanism out of alignment and you will never get it back in without the schematic. It’s possible that all that needs to be done is an update to the loading servo IC. It was a small cap and resistor in line with the driver voltage for the optics. The voltage strays and the tolerance of the optics goes out of range. If I am not mistaken this is one of the 100 pin IC’s, they put all the control functions into one chip instead of three like it was. So if one line of data gets out of tolerance then the whole CD mech. shuts down. If I were you I would call Aiwa and raise Cain. They just might fix it under their warranty, you may have to pay for parts or nothing at all. Jeez I hate Aiwa, and they used to be such a good piece of equipment!

Originally posted by bigmike
I have repaired more Aiwa?s than I think any other stereo in my career

oops....should have rubbed my crystal ball and bought Sony instead huh :rolleyes:

....The optics have failed..... knock the CD mechanism out of alignment and you will never get it back in without the schematic. It?s possible that all the needs to be done is an update to the loading servo IC. It was a small cap and resistor in line with the driver voltage for the optics. The voltage strays and the tolerance of the optics goes out of range. If I am not mistaken this is one of the 100 pin IC?s........

I feel like I'm walking into a room for my college Calculus exam here.....after reading the above I'm now seeing stars :D

j/k thanks for diagnostics despite my 100% cluelessness to your words. OK so instead of decorating my carpet floor with little dials and chips from taking apart the little stereo I will call AIWA, pray for me......

p.s. I like the site but do we really need a pop-up window for every link we click.....how about just once in the main forum index page ? just my silly two cents

No, think Pioneer. Much better quality that Sony and Aiwa.

Smokey ;)