Cmtx3cd

[Lorryjp2018]

I bought this because I read good reviews and felt it was a worthy purchase.  It looks great but struggled to get a decent radio sound out of it and a choice of stations.  I've had it just over a year and the CD player has stopped working;it tells me there is either a disc error or no disc.  Customer services suggested restoring factory settings which didn't work. I was then given the details to send it to Wales for repair.  On ringing them, I was advised that these systems are un-repairable because they can't get parts for them and I would have to pay for a replacement.  Really angry about this as it's just run out of warranty and lasted just over a year.   I wish now I'd never bought it. What a waste of money.

[EdwinaU]

Hi Lorryjp, 

Welcome to the community. 

I have escalated your post and someone will update this thread when we get a response.

Best wishes,

EdwinaU

[Anne-64]

We have exactly the same problem with this product. We've had it for 2 years and it's worked perfectly until last week. It just says no disc. Not sure what to do. Have tried reset still nothing. Very disappointed.

[Lorryjp2018]

Very disappointing indeed.  The chap on the help desk told me to restore it to factory settings but that did nothing.  I was told they can't get parts for repair so they just replace like for like at a cost.  Not really good enough is it?!

[Mikeonfreeserve]

Nonsense. I've fixed 2 of these with disc read error and I'm not an electronics engineer, just patient, careful and prepared to have a go.

Only try this if you fully accept responsibility for your own actions.

If you are at all nervous, clumsy or just plain silly, leave the repair to someone else

Bit if you figure that the cd ain't working and this may just get it working.......

You will need

medium and small Phillips head screwdrivers.

2 cotton buds

some silicone based furniture polish spray

Meths or nail varnish remover - so do not smoke or work near any naked flame

A credit card or similar plastic card

a drinks coaster

your reading glasses if you need them

A flat fridge magnet

A banana

Some egg cups

Begin by stroking each of the screwdrivers about 20 times in one direction only over the magnetic side of the fridge magnet. Use the strongest magnet you have. This will magnetise the screwdrivers.

Unplug the unit and place on kitchen table

Remove 2 recessed screws in the middle back of the unit.

If you have magnetised the screwdriver sufficiently, the screws should stay attached to the tip of you don't waggle them about too much

Next remove the 4 screws along the bottom edge

Now, the front speaker grille comes off but you have to ease the edge of the credit card between the front case edge at the bottom and the grille, just the width of the card. You should hear the grille pop off the plastic lips at the bottom of the case. The grille will stick out a bit at the bottom and can be gently prised off. Look where the clips are on the case. Also note the 2 tubes that stick out from the back of the grille which is where the 2 screw you took out of the back screw into. When you put the grille back on you have to align the 2 tubes with the 2 screw holes and ensure neither of the flexible connector strips is in the way of those holes or else the screw will puncture it.

Now you can see the guts of the machine.

Lay it on its back. You may need to wedge the back with the banana to stop the unit wobbling over because the back slopes away.

The cd unit is the black square thing, about the size of a cd, funnily enough.

There are 4 screws sitting in rubber dampers (which act as shock absorbers) unscrew them and the screws should stick on the screwdriver if magnetised well enough. If you drop a screw inside, don't move the machine or you risk the screw rolling around. Instead, put your glasses on and see where it is. You should be able to attract it onto the tip of the screwdriver and slowly and gently pull it out. If where the screw has landed is wide enough, try carefully sliding the fridge magnet in to be it. And breathe.

When all 4 screws are out, put the coaster carefully over the right speaker to protect it. 

Now lift the black cd unit vertically up an inch or two. If the connector strips resist this, very gently loosen their sticky side.

The cd unit should clear the case but it will still be attached by the connector strips.

Gently flip it over to the right and onto the coaster which is a handy platform.

You will now see the cd mechanism

Blow any obvious dust and stuff off it

DO NOT use polish or it will die!

You can use a cotton bud gently to get at any stubborn fluff.

There is a black plastic bar about 3 inches long which goes across the cd mechanism and has a connector strips folded into it so it makes a 90 degree turn. Take a photo of it so you know how to place the strip in case it pops out. Be gentle with the strip because there are 20 hair thin wires inside. 

There are 2 small screws at either end of the bar to remove

The bare will then fold up and out of the way.

You can see 2 metal rods which are parallel, these are what the laser slides back and fort on like a tiny abacus.

Very gently,clean any fuff off the tracks. You can gently push the laser carriage by its edge - NOT in the middle where the delicate laser sits - and it will go from one end of the track to the other allowing you to clean the tracks.

Stop for tea or coffee and breathe again

There are 4 smaller screws which hold the laser carriage to its frame. Gently unscrew these and put in an egg cup

Gently turn over the laser carriage and you will see the laser lens which is like a little bead.

Ever so gently, dab it with a drop of nail varnish remover or meths and gently blow it.

With the other end of the cotton bud, cleans any greasy marks off the cd spindle which is a round black plastic collar just a bit bigger than the hole in a cd.

Top tip, when you load CDs, don't put your finger in the hole because grease gets transferred from the cd onto this black collar you have just cleaned and makes the cd slip and fail to play. CDs can be gently washed with warm water and detergent if they are already dirty with grease.

Spray a bit of polish into the cap of the polish spray. Dab some polish, not much, onto a clean cotton bud.

Very carefully touch the bud along each of the 2 parallel tracks. This will lubricate the tracks but you just need a very thin film of polish. If it looks white and blobby, it is too much. Push the carriage back and forth and it should be as smooth as silk.

Now retrace your steps.

Replace the screws in the laser carriage

Re-attach the black bar making sure the connector strip is folded in place

Flip over the cd unit and relocate it on the 4 plastic pins

Replace the 4 screws

Align the speaker grille and double check that the plastic tubes on the reverse of the grille are not going to snag the connector strips

This is because if, when you put the screws in the back, a connector strip has moved into where the screw is going to go, you will stay a hole in the connector strip which will be fatal to that strip.

You can order another (20 cm long 20 track 0.5 mm thick connector strip to replace it but best not to have to

Refit the speaker grille by aligning the top edge first and hinging the bottom edge over the clips with a gentle but firm push

Replace the bottom 4 screws

Plug in. Get a cd. Take your finger out of the cd hole!! Get another cd. Hold by its edges only and insert.

All being well, your newly cleaned and lubricated cd mechanism will not have a problem reading the disc.

Grab a beer or gin and tonic and glory in your handiwork.

Obviously, if the unit has been dropped, submerged, set fire to or operated by an idiot, this fix may not be enough but, for about 90% of cases, it should do the trick

Edited[personal details removed]

[Mikeonfreeserve]

All you will need is 2 cross head screwdrivers, one medium and one small, a fridge magnet, some nail varnish remover, some spray furniture polish and two cotton buds and a credit card.

Start by magnetising the screwdrivers by rubbing the fridge magnet in one direction only along it about 10 times.

Have your phone handy to photo each stage in case you need a reminder how to reassemble.

You can test it is magnetised by trying to pick up a paperclip or similar.

To open the unit, tip it on its back and along the bottom are 4 screw in a line to remove.

Next on the back in 2 holes are 2 more screws to remove.

Tip the unit on its back again. Using the credit card prise the bottom of the speaker grill off the 4 retaining clips. It will move about a quarter inch and then the speaker grill will hinge off the top edge and away. Look at how it clips into the top edge because that is how to put it back when finished.

Now you can see the 2 speakers and the square black cd player in the middle.

If you wish, cover the right hand speaker with a coaster to protect it.

If you look just beyond the the corners of the cd player you will see 4 collared silver screws and 4 black ones.

Before you remove them, magnetise your screw driver again.

The unit will now lift up about 2 inches and hinge over to the right onto the coaster and be upside down.

You can now see the back of laser assembly with 2 white cogs top left and the white ribbon cable folded at 90 degrees into a black plastic 'bridge' .

Carefully push the right angle of the ribbon cable out of its slot on the black bridge so it is moved a little way out of the way.

You will see 2 small black screws at each end of the bridge which should be removed with a magnetised screwdriver.

The black bridge will lift way.

Now see 4 silver screws which are in little round rubber dampers and remove them.

The laser assembly on its 2 silver parallel runners will now lift up to flip over and you will see the bead like laser lens.

If you see any fluff in here, blow it out.

Using a cotton bud dipped in nail varnish remover, very gently dab the lens and blow it dry.

You will also see the cd clamping mechanism which is a small spindle, cd hole size with a disc around it with 3 grey patches which are to grip the cd as it whizzed around. These can get greasy from finger grease and you can clean them with some nail varnish remover.

Look at the 2 silver rods on which the laser assembly travels and catch any fluff and gunk with the bud with NVR on it.

Now take the spray polish and spray a little inside the cap from the can. Dab a clean cotton bud into the polish. Carefully rub the bud along each of the parallel rods. You can gently push the cd laser back and forth along the rods to spread a thin coating of polish. The silicone in the polish is a good lubricant.

Now flip the laser assembly back over and replace the 4 silver screws, replace the black bridge and the 2 black screws at each end.

Carefully slot the 90 degree of the ribbon cable back into its slot. Gently press the ribbon cable onto the bridge where it is tacky. The ribbon cable should be snug on the bridge.

TOP TIP......when holding CDs, DON'T put your finger in the hole because that is how grease gets into the mechanism, especially onto those three pads on the spindle which you cleaned.

You can test a cd now. Remember the cd unit of the player is flipped, so the silver side of the cd will face you.

Plug it in and it should take the cd, load it and display the time in the display.

If it was a mucky laser or gunked up tracks this should have fixed it and the cd will play.

If it does, great. Eject the cd.

If it does, great. Eject the cd.

Flip the cd unit over so it sits back where it was and replace the 4 black and the 4 silver screws.

Test with a cd again, this file with label facing you.

If all is well look into the unit and to either side of the square cd loader you can see the 2 holes where the 2 plastic cones on the front panel locate when you put the screws in the back of the unit. Those holes must remain unobstructed of ribbon cables because, otherwise, when you put the back screws in, you will screw through a ribbon cable. This is why there is bits of tacky stuff in there to keep the cables from moving about.

When you are happy the 2 holes to the back of the unit are clear of obstructions, locate the front panel top into the clips on the units top front edge and hinge the panel down so it sits about a quarter inch above the bottom edge. Then gently but firmly push the bottom of the front panel into place until it clicks into the 4 clips on the bottom edge.

Replace the bottom 4 screws and the 2 back screws.

That should have fixed it.

If you're chicken about attempting this, I will think about doing it for you (the above procedure) if you pay return shipping plus £10, cos I'm not cheap! Haha!

Mike

[Mikeonfreeserve]

Hi Anne, this is repairable. Please see my long post below.

Mike

[Tiggey]

I had this problem modified and fitted a 12v external power supply end of problem