I know I have asked before, but the cartridge seems to be jamed in the player which is mounted under the front passengers seat. It is a panasonic player, any ideas on how to remove the cartridge?
Thanks,
George
Hi George!
On 03 Oct 2003 01:03:26 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Pakgeorge) wrote:
I've never looked at that particular changer, but in general:
If the CD cassette fails to eject under it's own power, you will probably have to take the changer out of the car, and remove the cover. Probably a combination of tiny phillips screws, and plastic clips. Possibility exists that you will destroy it in the process, but if it's not working anyway you have little to lose, and your CDs to gain. What has most likely happened, is that a CD is stuck 1/2 way in/out; maybe warped due to heat, maybe crud in the mechanism. Should be pretty obvious once the cover is off. You will need to locate the motor that operates the gear drive that loads/unloads CDs, and work it manually, while assisting with your fingers or whatever tool seems appropriate, to put the CD back into the cassette. Hook up power, and it should eject. Probably a good idea to clean things up a bit while you have it out; use a vacuum to remove dust and debris, and a q-tip moistened with rubbing alcohol to clean the lens, and any obvious accumulations of crud. Anything beyond this is far beyond the scope of a DIY project for most folks. I can't advise taking it to a shop; it will undoubtedly cost as much or more than a new changer to repair. Extract your CDs as best as you are able, toss the changer into the dumpster, and go shopping for a new one. Several manufacturers make changers in the $200 range that connect thru your FM radio. I can heartily recommend the Alpine 6 disk changer that also does .mp3s, (CHA634?) but you will also need a compatible Alpine head. The pair can be had for around the $400 mark if you shop online, or on ebay. Oh, one more thing that is worth a try, just because it's so simple: Disconnect the car battery for a few minutes, then reconnect it and try to eject; possibly the changers microcontroller is confused, and cycling the power will reset it. Good luck!
ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101
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