Laundry List of Sources for Optical Unit used by TG-CD and PCE CD-ROM²

nat · 04/07/2008, 07:31 PM

OK, so it's not exactly a laundry list yet but hopefully it will be one day. With the cost of these units brand new ranging $60-$100, I felt it's wise to source these in used electronics.

The following electronics have been physically verified to use the KSS-162a and/or KSS-220a optical assemblies:

Sony Discman D-4

Sony Discman D-11

Sony Discman D-12

Sony Discman D-33

Sony Discman D-34

Mobius · 04/07/2008, 07:54 PM

It would be great if we could post pictures of these units, too, so we know what to look out for.

Jitawa · 04/07/2008, 10:23 PM

I didn't see any on Ebay just looking now, though these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Early-Sony-Discman-Player_W0QQitemZ220220595304QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3272QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Sony-D25-Discman-Accessories-4-Repair-Parts_W0QQitemZ350044797320QQihZ022QQcategoryZ3284QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Have that boxy sort of shape like the detachable CD portion did.

Jitawa · 04/07/2008, 10:27 PM

Ok, here's a D-4:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-DISCMAN-D-4-CD-COMPACT-DISC-PLAYER-PORTABLE-NICE_W0QQitemZ350042646621QQihZ022QQcategoryZ15054QQcmdZViewItem

and a D-34 (Megabass)?:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Discman-Megabass-D-34_W0QQitemZ320223261212QQihZ011QQcategoryZ15054QQcmdZViewItem

Both of those are expired options, so the pictures won't be up forever.

Mobius · 04/07/2008, 10:57 PM

Attaching for future reference.

Looking at these, I'm pretty sure my dad had a D-34 years ago but was stolen from his car.

nat · 04/07/2008, 11:27 PM

Great idea, thanks guys. I'll be adding pics to the first message, which will serve as the "master list."

Turbo D · 04/08/2008, 04:04 AM

that d-4 disman is cool looking

SignOfZeta · 04/08/2008, 04:59 PM

Quote from: turbo D on 04/08/2008, 04:04 AMthat d-4 disman is cool looking

Yeah, I was a major fan of the D-4. So L337 it didn't even come with headphones. Sony used to actually make good stuff...hard to believe now.

Some twat left that orange Sony stick on it for, what, 19 years? That's just pathetic. I bet his VCR still says, "VCR+ AND FLYING ERASE HEAD!" on it.

Jitawa · 04/08/2008, 09:51 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 04/08/2008, 04:59 PM
Quote from: turbo D on 04/08/2008, 04:04 AMthat d-4 disman is cool looking
Yeah, I was a major fan of the D-4. So L337 it didn't even come with headphones. Sony used to actually make good stuff...hard to believe now.

Some twat left that orange Sony stick on it for, what, 19 years? That's just pathetic. I bet his VCR still says, "VCR+ AND FLYING ERASE HEAD!" on it.

My mother has a 12-year old Compaq that still has all the stickers on it: "40mb HARD DRIVE! FOUR USB PORTS! EASY ACCESS INTERNET BUTTON ON KEYBOARD!"

Jitawa · 04/08/2008, 10:00 PM

I dunno how you feel about ordering things from China, but I found a list price on this site of $9.00 (as opposed to a quote request) for the KSS-220a:

tete.cn/product/ProductDetail.asp?id=74

No clue about shipping, but that's cheaper than the corresponding discmen (discmans?) went for on the 'bay. Most of the other sites with solid prices were in the $30-40 range. I did see a hungarian place that would let them go for a mere 6008.09 Hungarian forints ($37).

nat · 04/08/2008, 10:04 PM

Thanks for the Chinese link. I'm fine with ordering things from there as long as they will let me do it. Their entire site is in Chinese which makes creating an account difficult. When I get more time later I'll give it a try and report back.

papa_november · 06/12/2008, 05:45 AM

The Discman D-12 also has a KSS-220 laser in it.

nat · 06/12/2008, 11:13 AM

Awesome, added.

Platinumfungi · 06/12/2008, 05:11 PM

Great topic! What are your thoughts about adding the old NEC computer drives to this list? I figure anything with the goods, eh?

nat · 06/12/2008, 05:19 PM

That's right. Anything that uses the proper optical unit is fair game.

Jitawa · 06/12/2008, 11:03 PM

This site carries the old drives, dunno if the price is too high. I think for these, if you had the original CD-Rom unit, you could just slot this drive in as a replacement as I understand it:

https://www.computertradeexchange.com/inventory/NECB.html

channelmaniac · 06/13/2008, 12:24 AM

If you have a list of NEC computer CD-ROM drives that have the correct optical assemblies I can look around wayback://sidewalksale.com for them.

RJ

neozeed · 06/17/2008, 02:47 AM

Yeah this looks to work fine without having to gut it for parts. Its an old computer drive. I still need to get a system card to fully test it.

papa_november · 06/17/2008, 03:57 AM

It looks like it might actually work. It's a shame that that particular CD drive is so rare.

papa_november · 08/14/2008, 01:50 AM

Well, I went and bit the bullet. It doesn't work. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it's just incompatible. The machine will hang at the "wait a moment..." message. Oddly enough, you can still play back the audio tracks using the front panel buttons.

The board on the inside looks slightly different, but other than that it looks totally identical to the normal TG-16 drive.

What IS different is the model number; the PC Engine's drive model is CDR-30A. I really should've done my homework here. The only silver lining in this case would be if the entire disc mechanism can probably be transplanted from this new drive to an old dead drive without any need to mess with the laser directly. I guess I should try that next.

PCEngineHell · 08/14/2008, 02:22 AM

Yea,we discussed this awhile back in shoutbox. There is slight differences on the pcb,extra wires,ect. Removing and adding what is missing may make them work. It really sucks,as the rep I spoke with from Smart works about this was pretty sure they worked fine. This may not be the only model out there however. There maybe be more...

papa_november · 08/14/2008, 04:59 AM

Well, swapping the mechanisms did little good. Looks like my drive PCB was fried somehow.

It really is kind of infuriating that the 35D drive doesn't work. All the chips are identical. Maybe it has a different ROM or something? It could be as simple as a jumper setting for all we know.

PCEngineHell · 08/14/2008, 10:34 AM

Exactly,as there is some added wires ect.. to the pcb of the 35D. You may be able to undo said stuff and add on what is missing from the TGCD and its possible it may work. I thought about messing with it if I ever have the time,but don't see it happening for at least a few months.

nikdog · 11/18/2008, 01:32 AM

after some google searching the d-2 has the kss-220a as well. still trying to find out if the d-11 has it or not. anyone know?

papa_november · 12/06/2008, 09:14 PM

I tried the mechanism swap on another dead drive (thanks @The Old Rover!)and it works perfectly.

papa_november · 12/08/2008, 12:59 AM

Electronix says they have the KSS-220A. Maybe it's still in stock?

nikdog · 01/27/2009, 02:32 PM

Quote from: papa_november on 12/08/2008, 12:59 AMElectronix says they have the KSS-220A. Maybe it's still in stock?

it is, i've gotten one from them before.

pceslayer · 02/28/2009, 06:27 PM

Quote from: papa_november on 12/08/2008, 12:59 AMElectronix says they have the KSS-220A. Maybe it's still in stock?

I placed an order there on the 02/25/09 and they called me up the next day to say they were on back order.

No biggie.. I wen't to goodwill a little while ago and found a Sony Discman D-33 for $9 that I can now confirm has a kss-220a.

rmaniac · 04/28/2009, 01:44 AM

Is there any way to shoehorn a faster access drive into a PC Engine? I love my PCE but the load times are kinda painful.

chop5 · 10/22/2009, 10:57 PM

Found a old sony discman at the thrift store. A model D-11 manufacture date november 1990. Opened it up and can confirm it does have a KSS-220A laser in it.

i search everytime i go to the thrift but they are getting harder to come by as well as cd players with duo lasers in it. i wonder why?

SignOfZeta · 10/23/2009, 02:12 AM

Quote from: chop5 on 10/22/2009, 10:57 PMFound a old sony discman at the thrift store. A model D-11 manufacture date november 1990. Opened it up and can confirm it does have a KSS-220A laser in it.

Does it have same The Gear as well, or just the laser?

chop5 · 10/28/2009, 11:37 PM

sorry signofzeta for late replay,been busy as hell this week. I looked over my unit closely for the infamous gear but couldnt find any only smaller ones. But then i realized i havent really gotten a good look at exactly where the gear is. If i had a broken tgcd unit then i would know

So i went looking on the forums for some decent pics. I think i noticed something. Are there two types of cd mechanisms in tgcd's? In that thread of how to take them apart for a laser change the mechanism in the first post has 2 mabuchi type round motors for both the sled and laser and in the second post it has a round mabuchi type motor and a flat worm gear motor for the sled that i think is the gear faliure unit. Can someone confirm this for me please?

My sony discman has the 2 mabuchi motors and looks almost identicle to the mechanism in the first post.

kattare · 10/29/2009, 03:02 AM

there's only one type of mechanism in the tgcd, the one with the worm gear.

the other mechanism you're seeing is from the kss-220a where the laser and mechanism are packaged together. the laser is a direct swap, but the mechanism is not.

chop5 · 10/29/2009, 09:52 AM

ah

i need to read more on this

soop · 07/25/2011, 10:18 AM

I did some research, and found all the sony Discmans (Discmen?) with compatible lasers, and set up an eBay saved search.

To be honest, it's not something I spend much time thinking about recently (me and my girlfriend just split up), and rather than let it sit somewhere I thought I'd hand it over to you guys. (I told Blue already I had it, and was going to work out a good way so that people didn't end up in a bidding war).

Here's the saved search: Discman (d-2, d-3, d4, d-9, "d 10", "d 11", "d 12", "d 15", "d 20", "d 22", "d 33", "d 40", "d 90", "d 99", "d 100", "d 180k", "d 800k", "d 802k", "d t20")

Some of them are 220's some are 160's, and I can't remember which, but it shouldn't really matter too much, right? Anyway, enjoy, don't bid too much (£3 inc shipping is quite achievable).

nat · 07/25/2011, 07:02 PM

~~We already have a thread on this.~~

Although, it never got nearly as comprehensive as the multitude of models you just listed off. Have you physically verified all these models contain the appropriate laser assembly?

If so, I'll add them to the original thread.

Keith Courage · 07/25/2011, 09:04 PM

From my experience I know that the D-4, D-11, D12, D33, and D-34 have them. Do the "d 40", "d 90", "d 99", "d 100", "d 180k", "d 800k", "d 802k", "d t20") drives really have it? I don't think so. Oh and a D-4 would have a Kss-162 in it which works as well.

nat · 07/25/2011, 09:27 PM

Merged soop's topic with the original thread.

For inclusion in the master list, we need physical verification.

Also, pictures are greatly appreciated.

Platinumfungi · 07/26/2011, 12:04 AM

We really need to make more of these useful topics into stickies, or create some master merged stickies. There's way too much excellent info getting buried in the depths of this thread.

I've messaged Aaron twice over the past few weeks about this matter but haven't received any reply, nor seen any new stickies

blueraven · 07/26/2011, 12:36 AM

I'll also send him a message in hopes that this thread gets added.

nat · 07/26/2011, 01:54 AM

Aaron doesn't check the forum but once a month, if that. Send me a list of what you think needs to be stickied.

soop · 07/26/2011, 05:30 AM

Here's my source: http://bbs.imp3.net/thread-818959-1-1.html

But I haven't physically verified.

Keith Courage · 07/26/2011, 12:24 PM

Well the list looks good. I might just have to buy a few of those odd not so common models sometime to verify.

nat · 07/26/2011, 08:42 PM

That's a cool list.

I found the first Discman I ever owned on there, I'd long forgotten the model number, but I recognized the picture immediately. Discman D-131. I bought it brand new in 1994 or 95 and I had it for years. A friend of mine had a D-11 or D-66 or something. Those things were built like tanks. I don't remember what ever happened to mine. I don't believe it stopped working, I think I probably sold it to a friend or something when I upgraded to a model that had skip protection. I still have the model that I bought to replace it. It isn't pictured on that page although it probably fits in the 1999-2002 range where they seem to be missing pictures of a few models.

All that aside, yeah, I'd like visual confirmation from someone here before including on the list.

chop5 · 04/17/2012, 11:08 PM

this is the list i made that i carry a copy with me when i hit thrift stores and places. the label with the model number is usually on the bottom:

KSS-162a and/or KSS-220a

162a
Sony Discman D-4
Sony Discman d-9
Sony Discman d 15
Sony Discman d 20
Sony Discman d-30
Sony Discman D-34
Sony Discman d 40
Sony Discman d 90
Sony Discman d 100
Sony Discman d t20

220
Sony Discman d-2
Sony Discman D-11
Sony Discman D-12
Sony Discman D-33
Sony Discman d 22
Sony Discman d 99
Sony Discman d 180k
Sony Discman d 800k
Sony Discman d 802k

lwizardl · 04/18/2012, 05:39 AM

very nice information to have, my thanks goes out to everyone that has submitted information or purchased units to see what laser they used.

Gaijinsan · 04/19/2012, 06:18 AM

I've just bought a D-802k Discman and can confirm it contains a KSS-220 laser unit.

Yoder · 04/19/2012, 11:30 PM

Hey guys, I'm happy. I just picked up a Sony D-2 (super nice condition and solid & cool looking) for $2 at Goodwill :-) I have a Duo-R (I'm trying to fix), but I'll hold onto this in case I get a Turbo Duo. Awesome thread!

Keith Courage · 04/20/2012, 12:00 AM

I thought the sony D-2 contained a lens for a turbo grafx CD drive not a turbo duo. A Duo uses a HOPM3 lens

Yoder · 04/20/2012, 12:33 AM

Oh, that's a good point :-) I was thinking that only Duo-Rs got the HOP-M3 and that the Turbo Duo's got the Sony laser. I didn't think about it much... when i saw it, I knew that it was something good to grab before they scrapped it. I also picked up a 1989 Technics rack mount CD player. We'll see what kind of laser it has in it...since they're owned by Panny, I bet there's a Panasonic laser in there...we'll see. The hope is that it has a HOP-M3...maybe I'll run out and grab it now and see :-)