BENQ replaced my laser but still won't read

[063 xobx]

i have been working on this for days. tried many search querries but no luck. first i tried tweaking the pots on the original laser as per the instructions found here and elswhere, to no avail. then i replaced the laser with a new unit but it still acts the same.

in some of the videos i have seen of a working drive, the laser is parked somewhere in the mid section of the disk. mine is parked all the way in near the center of the disk. it does move back and forth a bit but not much. if i turn the machine off and manually park the laser near the middle, it just goes back to the center when i turn it back on. might this indicate a problem with the drive mainboard?

i don't think this is a power brick problem (like i have read in another thread here), as i have one power brick and multiple functioning consoles that all work fine.

is it possible there might be a sata connection issue? and how might i test for that. short of swapping cables?

any and all help is greatly appretiated.

bruce blessing

 

[Teajunkie]

Try a different sata cable first any sata will do for testing.

When you changed the laser did you remove the anti static solder ball?
What is the main error is it saying open tray?

 

[063 xobx]

could not find a solder ball to remove. according to my research, the solder ball covers these three connectors.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6800728796/" title="solder ball by bmonkey36, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6800728796_96cddc8736.jpg" width="500" height="301" alt="solder ball"></a>

if that is the case, then the solder was already removed. although it does say in big yellow letters, that the solder ball is intact and needs to be removed. this is the laser i bought...

ebay item no. 260950438238

trying another sata cable now.

bb

---------- Post added at 09:45 ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 ----------

try this pic posting thing again...


solder ball by bmonkey36, on Flickr

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 ----------

oh, yes it reads for awhile then says open tray.

bb

---------- Post added at 09:47 ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 ----------

yes, open tray after a period of saying it is reading

bb

 

[Teajunkie]

Ah an ebay laser that explains it

Chances are it's already a dead/used laser so it wont work and it's been sold as new.
Send it back an i'll sell you a genuine new laser.

 

[063 xobx]

just to be clear, the pic above is of the old laser.

bb

 

[Teajunkie]

Yeah but 99% of lasers on ebay are junk that have been removed from old drives.

 

[063 xobx]

i am still not entirely convinced it is the laser. how much would a laser from you cost me? i live in seattle, wa united states.

bb

 

[063 xobx]

just to update, i spoke to the seller and he is sending me another laser today. we will see if it works.

bb

 

[fanni]

If the drive is spinning and then gives you an open tray error the teajunkie is spot on the laser you have purchased is no good mate

try adjusting the pot of that one or at least take a reading from it to see what it is ive had some lasers turned right upto 9ohms and obviously wouldnt read anything quick tweak down to about 4 ohms and reads disc straight away

 

[console repair world]

guys im surprised none of you have mentioned the worm motor, he said the laser isnt moving back and forth very well, ive been seeing a rise in worm motor failures.

but yes if the laser you bought doesnt have a anti static solder points it deffo used and not refurbed

 

[nofeloniesyet]

guys im surprised none of you have mentioned the worm motor, he said the laser isnt moving back and forth very well, ive been seeing a rise in worm motor failures.

but yes if the laser you bought doesnt have a anti static solder points it deffo used and not refurbed

the worm motors i have seen bad in the last 4-5 months,especially on the slims.xgd3 overworkin em i guess.but as drive problems go with the reading aspect anyway can actually be any 3 things,worm,spindle,or laser.most times ona bad worm you can get an idea by the noise you will hear.but bad lasers can also make noise.i take the drive ids off my drive repairs and put a mganet from another lid onto the disc so i can see whats going on.

tj is right about ebay though,2 out of least 5 lasers you will find there are total junk.get one off him.any seller with good quality lasers will always have an antistatic solder ball attached to prevent static damage.

 

[063 xobx]

well upon further testing i can see the laser focus when a disk is inserted and the lens moves back and forth as if it is trying to read, but then it just spins and the laser sits in one spot. if i manually move the lens it has no trouble going back to the center. the ribbon cable for the laser is kinked. do you suppose there could be a broken foil path?


ribbon 1 by bmonkey36, on Flickr


ribbon 2 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

just to give a little history. this xbox console came to me used and abused and only semi functioning. everything works but the drive. thanks for all the input.

bb

 

[Teajunkie]

Do you know how many worm motors i have replaced in the last 5-6 years in 360's??

ONE yep just one and that was because the drive was reversed powered and damaged it.
Chances of the worm motor going are slim to none.

Laser is 99.9% the issue.

---------- Post added at 20:48 ---------- Previous post was at 20:47 ----------

Could be the ribbon but that wouldnt read at all if there is a broken connection.
You can use a liteon ribbon cable if you have one laying about.

 

[063 xobx]

If the drive is spinning and then gives you an open tray error the teajunkie is spot on the laser you have purchased is no good mate

try adjusting the pot of that one or at least take a reading from it to see what it is ive had some lasers turned right upto 9ohms and obviously wouldnt read anything quick tweak down to about 4 ohms and reads disc straight away

i checked the resistance before tweaking the pot and it was at 3.8. i have tried all the way down to 3.2 and as high as 6 with no good results.

the laser had absolutely no signs of wear and was packaged in an anti static bag sealed in a new box. the seller said they have started removing the solder ball because too many customers were installing them without removing the ball. we will see if the new one has the solder and if it works or not when it gets here.

bb

 

[Kevin26]

It's definetly the laser. I've repaired and replaced lasers. It's definetly not the laser cable. Check that motor spins when the disc is inside the drive. IF it doesn't spin replace the drive belt then that should fix the problem. If it spins test the laser with the top cap of the dvd drive off. Open and close the drive and check to see if the laser at least functions. By function i mean the laser lens will turn red. If after doing the pot tweak, removing the antistatic ball it still doesn't work, then you definetly got a faulty laser...

Edit: When i say if the motor spins i mean that when you close the tray the motor is not lifted high enough so it can spin the disc hence you would need a new drive belt. The drive belt would create enough tension and force so it would lift the motor high enough in order to spin the disc

 

[063 xobx]

It's definetly the laser. I've repaired and replaced lasers. It's definetly not the laser cable. Check that motor spins when the disc is inside the drive. IF it doesn't spin replace the drive belt then that should fix the problem. If it spins test the laser with the top cap of the dvd drive off. Open and close the drive and check to see if the laser at least functions. By function i mean the laser lens will turn red. If after doing the pot tweak, removing the antistatic ball it still doesn't work, then you definetly got a faulty laser...

Edit: When i say if the motor spins i mean that when you close the tray the motor is not lifted high enough so it can spin the disc hence you would need a new drive belt. The drive belt would create enough tension and force so it would lift the motor high enough in order to spin the disc

everything else is functioning normally. i have been running tests with the housing removed so i can watch what goes on. the disk spins up and i can see the laser focusing and moving back and forth. it's like the laser is looking at a book with foreign text that it doesn't know how to read.

bb

---------- Post added at 13:15 ---------- Previous post was at 13:14 ----------

is it possible the firmware is corrupted?

 

[fanni]

it's like the laser is looking at a book with foreign text that it doesn't know how to read.

that's because the laser is faulty and cant read anything

 

[Tech9xt1]

If the NEW one they send you doesn't have the solder ball, i wouldn't trust it to be new.

 

[Rome 16:16]

the laser had absolutely no signs of wear and was packaged in an anti static bag sealed in a new box. the seller said they have started removing the solder ball because too many customers were installing them without removing the ball. we will see if the new one has the solder and if it works or not when it gets here.

bb[/QUOTE]

Better if you ask the seller to just leave the solder blob untouch to be sure that somehow new

 

[Ticallion]

I've had several ebay lasers that turned up.without anti static balls.and they were duds, as the above said tell.them.to leave the solder ball.on, that way you know they are brand.spanking new.

On an additional note I've replaced 3-4 worm motors.i. the last 6 months, mostly on slim drives which i see.more and.more.have disc.price.problems these days.