Cleaning the optical reader inside your dvd player

Dvd players have a common problem, one that is solved easily and quickly. If you have a dvd player and it is giving you disc errors or unable to read disc, etc the first and simple thing you should try is cleaning the optical lens inside the carriage. This can be accomplished manually or by purchasing a disk cleaning disc. Follow the steps below to manually clean your dvd player and optical lens.

Things you will need for this process:
Regular cu-tips
Regular rubbing alcohol
Can of compressed air
Phillips screw driver medium size
Small light source
Tweezers

Steps:
1. Remove the screws that hold the top case on the dvd player. There will be a couple of screws on each side of the player and a couple of smaller screws on the back. They will most often be Phillips head screws.
2. Once the cover is removed, push the eject button to open the cd tray and get it out of your way.
3. Unplug the player from the outlet.
4. Take the can of compressed air and blow out the entire inside of the case. Make sure to blow inside the carriage and around any moving parts of the dvd player including tracks, tray, gears, etc.
5. Check the inside of the carriage using a small flashlight and look closely to make sure there is not debris caught in the spindle or other places like hair, large clumps of dust, dirt, and anything else that should not be there. If you see this kind of material remove it with tweezers and repeat blowing out the inside.
6. Pour a small amount of the rubbing alcohol into the cap and lightly dip a cu-tip in it and shake off any excess.
7. Now and clean off the optical lens (which will look like a small glass bubble in the middle of the carriage) with the cu-tip. Repeat this process a couple of times using a clean cu-tip each time.
8. Let air dry for 2 minutes before plugging the player back in and closing the tray.
9. Replace the cover and clean your discs before placing them back in the player. Test to see if the problem has been fixed.

You should clean your dvd player out at least once or twice a month for good preventative maintenance which will extend the life of your dvd player.



This is a picture of the optical reader and spindle/spindle motor assembly. You can see the optical reader lens (looks like a small round glass bubble) in the middle and this is what you need to clean. In some models, the optical assembly will be covered and will not be open for easy access. You can still clean it manually with the cu-tip, but you will have to take extra care and use a flashlight and reach in with it from the rear of the carriage. In a case such as this, it would be easier to use a cleaning disc.

A more detailed picture:



You can also purchase a cleaning kit that will do this with little effort. You can purchase them at most stores that sell electronics such as Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. The product is not expensive and will save you a more time than doing a manual cleaning will. The following is a example picture to give you an idea of what to look for.

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