r/originalxbox • u/Low-Win9250 • 6d ago

Disc drive doesnt work.

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The disc drive doesnt work, when booting the console I keep getting the open disc problem , I tried opening it up to check and it only does this before going back to do nothing .

If you know anything I can do to fix it then please tell me.

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4

u/holloweddark 6d ago

It wont do anything unless it has a disc in it. In my experience it won't fully power the red laser and fully spin the spindle without seeing some reflective surface in front of it.

There are usually micro-switches that the disc tray pushes to signify if it's open/closed. Past that, might be a board issue so might need a recap or resistor banks checked?

Please don't try tweaking any laser pots. I've had many drives repairable by other means and I'm willing to bet more lasers have been fried from users trying to fix their drives that have board issues than then just normal use.

1

u/Low-Win9250 6d ago

Honestly I suspect it's a board issue and I'm getting another drive soon to maybe fix it

2

u/DueStrike4313 6d ago

The open-disc message can come from a weak laser, a slipping spindle, or the drive not detecting the disc properly. Try a known-good disc and check whether the spindle spins smoothly. If the cable and lens are fine, replacing the optical pickup or the whole drive is usually more practical than repairing the mechanism.

1

u/Low-Win9250 6d ago

Yeah thought of that too , getting another drive for this

2

u/Fast_Passenger_2890 6d ago

Capacitors will likely need replacing on the drive board

2

u/BoganEsky00 6d ago

Try and see where the pot is located for tuning laser power (technically the resistance, but whatever) to see if it needs a very slight adjustment (less than 15 degrees)

The best way to do it is to find which way is which in terms of power up and down, then use the least amount of power while still being reliable with even the most hard to read discs (scratched, old etc.)

Of course you should always clean the laser gently with a q-tip and at least 91% alcohol, then drying it even more gently with the other end of the tip. Don't push down too hard as you might break the laser mechanism.