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I just took a gamble and blew $20 at Goodwill for a DVD Player, a Sony DVP-
S360. Turns out it was a bad gamble, as the player does not recognize any
disc inserted. I tried an actual DVD, a music CD that I recently burned,
and a commercially produced music CD, and the system still asks for me to
insert a disc.

Well, not quite ready to write off that $20 yet, I'd like to attempt to
repair this unit myself. So, does anyone here have any ideas why the
player doesn't see the disc, and how I might be able to fix it?

My best uneducated guess says some sort of alignment problem.

Anyway, any tips and help are greatly appreciated (and no, the cop-out
"just buy a new player" is not an acceptable answer. If that was the case,
I wouldn't have bothered gambling the $20 in hopes that this one worked.
Plus, getting this old player up and running would provide some good
experience points anyway.)

TIA

-- Otter
(Spamfoil in place. Pull MYTAILFEATHERS to reply via email.)

You probably need an optical pickup, you should be able to get one for
around $100 or so.

That's probably why everyone says to just buy a new player.


"Scarlet Otter" <> wrote in message
news:bjbdk6$dv5$0@216.39.134.200...
> I just took a gamble and blew $20 at Goodwill for a DVD Player, a Sony
DVP-
> S360. Turns out it was a bad gamble, as the player does not recognize any
> disc inserted. I tried an actual DVD, a music CD that I recently burned,
> and a commercially produced music CD, and the system still asks for me to
> insert a disc.
>
> Well, not quite ready to write off that $20 yet, I'd like to attempt to
> repair this unit myself. So, does anyone here have any ideas why the
> player doesn't see the disc, and how I might be able to fix it?
>
> My best uneducated guess says some sort of alignment problem.
>
> Anyway, any tips and help are greatly appreciated (and no, the cop-out
> "just buy a new player" is not an acceptable answer. If that was the
case,
> I wouldn't have bothered gambling the $20 in hopes that this one worked.
> Plus, getting this old player up and running would provide some good
> experience points anyway.)
>
> TIA
>
> -- Otter
> (Spamfoil in place. Pull MYTAILFEATHERS to reply via email.)

Most likely failed optics, like the other 99.9% of the DVD player failures
out there...parts if they can be had, usually run around $100 or so.
"Scarlet Otter" <> wrote in message
news:bjbdk6$dv5$0@216.39.134.200...
> I just took a gamble and blew $20 at Goodwill for a DVD Player, a Sony
DVP-
> S360. Turns out it was a bad gamble, as the player does not recognize any
> disc inserted. I tried an actual DVD, a music CD that I recently burned,
> and a commercially produced music CD, and the system still asks for me to
> insert a disc.
>
> Well, not quite ready to write off that $20 yet, I'd like to attempt to
> repair this unit myself. So, does anyone here have any ideas why the
> player doesn't see the disc, and how I might be able to fix it?
>
> My best uneducated guess says some sort of alignment problem.
>
> Anyway, any tips and help are greatly appreciated (and no, the cop-out
> "just buy a new player" is not an acceptable answer. If that was the
case,
> I wouldn't have bothered gambling the $20 in hopes that this one worked.
> Plus, getting this old player up and running would provide some good
> experience points anyway.)
>
> TIA
>
> -- Otter
> (Spamfoil in place. Pull MYTAILFEATHERS to reply via email.)

"Scarlet Otter" <> wrote in message
news:bjbdk6$dv5$0@216.39.134.200...
> I just took a gamble and blew $20 at Goodwill for a DVD Player, a Sony
DVP-
> S360. Turns out it was a bad gamble, as the player does not recognize any
> disc inserted. I tried an actual DVD, a music CD that I recently burned,
> and a commercially produced music CD, and the system still asks for me to
> insert a disc.
>



If it has an adjustment for the laser focus, try tweaking that. You might be
pleasantly surprised.

This is very likely due to a blown microfuse (part F402 on media board) which
controls the DSP servo for the optical pickup. However, the blown fuse problem
is a common occurance.

Bear in mind that a defective optical pickup may also be the cause, but this is
a more likely scenario as the blown DSP servo microfuse is a more common
failure than a failing optical pickup.

Be advised, however, that there is more than one version of the media process
board, which contains the servo control circuit in addition to the MPEG,
firmware, and audio process solutions. One version has two 0.8 amp microfuses,
the other does not.

BTW, the DVP-S360 will not read CD-R discs, with the exception of Princo
branded media. This player is also a third generation entry level model
produced during 1999-2001. This model is currently discontinued and was
replaced by the DVP-NS300. The DVP-NS300 was replaced by the DVP-NS315, and
the DVP-NS315 was replaced by the DVP-NS325. The DVP-NS325 is a sixth
generation model.

http://www.benmorris.net/dvd/

This website will give you an idea of what to look for, but I do not recommend
the fix indicated there. The microfuse is there for a reason, so bypassing it
will only invite the possibility of a future failure in a more catastrophic
sense for the DSP servo.

The reason for the microfuse blowing is unclear, or at least to me. It is
possible that the surface mount microfuses used in this player were rather
cheap. The fix, in my case, was to use a higher quality microfuse. Not one
player that was fixed through the use of a better microfuse has ever come back
for warranty service.

You'll have to be handy with a soldering iron, and you'll have to use the right
kind of soldering iron for the job, preferrably a 15 watt iron with a very fine
tip. (No soldering guns or 30 watt irons with incorrect tips, unless you want
to damage the media board and some of its components!) You will also need
solder suitable for the job, like Radioshack thin strand silver bearing solder.

If you are unable to perform the necessary repair, then you may want to refer
servicing to a qualified service technician. This can be a very delicate
repair since you are dealing with small surface mount components on a dense and
complex multi-layer board. - Reinhart

>If it has an adjustment for the laser focus, try tweaking that. You might be
>pleasantly surprised.

There are no laser focus adjustments on this player. All adjustments are done
electronically through the player's service menu, through the AUTO CALIBRATION
function in the menu.

A Sony DVD player remote, single layer DVD, audio Compact Disc, and dual layer
RSDL DVD are required to perform the auto calibration. The discs must be in
mint condition and press-replicated. DO NOT perform calibration with
recordable and rewritable media. Also, you must calibrate for single layer
DVDs first, CDs second, and RSDL dual layer DVDs third.

http://209.145.176.7/~090/awh/sonydvd.html

This website has more details. Bear in mind that this process will not work if
microfuse F402 is blown for the DSP focus servo or if the optical pickup is
marginal. This procedure will not make the DVP-S360 read CD-R discs, either.

Also, remember to follow all on-screen instructions precisely and to the
letter.

***DO NOT ACCESS ANY OTHER PARTS OF THE SERVICE MENU UNLESS YOU KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT YOU ARE DOING.*** Alteration of any of the service menu settings outside
automatic calibration of the optics may result in irreparable player damage. -
Reinhart