Hello all! New to this forum, but I've been on many other forums for a while. I've recently tackled some Laseractive repairs, and I haven't found a good place to share some of my findings. So here's what I've got!

Pioneer CLD-A100 Repair Info:

The problems I've seen with these units so far have been either jammed tray / laser mechanisms or faulty / damaged laser units.

Fixing jammed mechanisms is usually a matter of carefully taking the unit apart and freeing / lubricating the jammed mechanisms. Sometimes parts must be replaced. Information on sourcing those parts is below.

Laser issues can range from discs not reading at all or not reading properly. (bad video output, skipping etc) Fortunately, replacing a laser is a very straight forward process.

A complete factory service manual for the CLD-A100 is found HERE

Replacement parts can be ordered directly from Pioneer still! The part numbers can be found in the service manual above and searched for directly on Pioneer's replacement parts site.

http://parts.pioneerelectronics.com/

The laser pickup for the CLD-A100 is no longer available from Pioneer... however a compatible replacement IS still available.

Original Laser Pickup (no longer available)
"Compatible" Replacement Pickup

Alternately... used lasers can supposedly be found in the following Pioneer Laserdisc Players...

CLD-E2000
CLD-S201
CLD-S250
CLD-S303
CLD-V111
CLD-V121G
CLD-V2600
CLD-V350
CLD-V370
CLD-V730
CLD-V740
CLD-V750

I can confirm personally that the CLD-S201 has the same laser AND the tray / laser mechanism / disc clamp are also the same! Some of other LD players may share a lot of parts with the CLD-A100 also.

Laser Replacement Guide:

1. Turn unit on and eject the laserdisc tray. Turn unit off with tray open



2. Remove outer housing from unit. (5 Philips screws on the back and 4 on the sides)

3. Remove 4 screws holding the top PCB to the unit. (Red Arrows) and remove the 4 screws holding the disc clamp unit to the case. (Yellow Arrows)



4. Carefully lay the top PCB over the side of the unit.





5. Now we can easily access the laser assembly. First carefully release the ribbon cable lock tab with a screwdriver. Then pull out the ribbon cable carefully.




6. Release the screw holding down the laser track rod



7. Now carefully lift the laser with track rod out of the unit. Note that the rod slides out of the front carrier and also note that the other side of the laser slides along the metal frame of the laser carrier.



8. Slide the track rod out of the laser mechanism and onto the new laser mechanism. Before installing however, look closely at the side of the "tilt sensor" which looks like a little black bubble. There will be a colored mark on the corner of it. It will be either RED or BLUE or Blank. Depending on which it is you must set one of the adjustment pots on the main PCB in one of 3 positions.



9. Reassemble laser into unit and locate VR620 on the main PBC. If your tilt sensor was painted RED, then turn VR620 fully clockwise. Blank turn it to the middle position, and BLUE turn VR620 fully counter-clockwise.

Refer here for a diagram showing where exactly the POT is and some more information on some of the adjustments.



10. Reassemble the entire unit except maybe the outer shell and test! Also, while you have everything apart, its not a bad idea to inspect the various gears / mechanisms for anything that looks out of the ordinary.

That's all the information I have to offer right now. If I find more I'll update this post accordingly. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask!

All this information is offered AS IS! Use at your own risk! I'm not responsible for any damage you do to your system by using this information.