cdp + cd's from above = bad

michael_w

I just got home from the awesome audiofest held by Al from RAW acoustics and I wanted to listen to the speakers I just built. I get that going and decide to switch cd's... with the tray open on my NAD C540 I reach up to grab a cd from a stack of ones in paper sleeves. I grabbed the stack and a couple shot out from the middle because the stack wasn't straight and they landed directly onto the open tray. I just stared at it in amazement with a sick to my stomache feeling. The tray had been hit downwards hard enough to have it hanging out of the cdp pretty much vertically. I opened it up and confirmed I had broken stuff. The little rails that the tray slides on and the same ones that flick a switch to tell the cdp its tray is open have both broken. The whole transport is cheapo plastic.

So I'm not quite sure what to do here... I'm not certain if I am able to glue the broken pieces back together. All that appears to be broken are those two rails but I could have damaged other componnents. Is there any chance of swapping out the transport so I can still utilize the dac and not have to be stuck using a crappy toshibia dvd player again?

I'm a little pissed off and frustrated right now so sorry if I'm ranting a little here... It just bothers me that I'm always so careful with my gear and then something stupid like this happens.



Michael :mad:

F1nut

Repair shop time.

michael_w

That's what I'm dreading.... I know it can be fixed with new parts or hopefully piece back together the broken ones but it's probably going to cost more than it's worth it if I can't do it myself.

cfrizz

Just get and cdp.

michael_w

I don't really have the cash right now to buy a new decent cd player so it's either fix this one or back to the crappy toshibia sd-3800 or possibly a yamaha 5 disc changer my dad offered me...

reeltrouble1

I would see about getting her fixed, you can try the glue thing but I have my doubts as long as you just worked on the rails though, I dont see it hurting anything else, I would get hold of NAD and ask them.

Hey man it happens, dont get to mad at yourself, most of us have been there, it only takes a second and wham.

RT1

madmax

I know your pain, I did it once too... I think if you are very careful, clean up the plastic to get all the oil or grease off and use the proper glue you could reassemble it. I'm guessing model glue (the kind that melts the plastic back together) would be the right one to use. So long as you get everything straight and lined up you will be fine. A set of those tiny files would be useful to remove any imperfections (or excess glue) around the geared pieces if they are affected.
madmax
madmax

janmike

I feel for you Michael. If it was later in the year I would ask if a Marantz SE67 would do the trick. I could be upgrading down the road. Good luck.

michael_w

I'll be picking up some model glue tomorrow on my way home and hopefully do a little surgery on it. If that doesn't work I'll have to start that hunt once again for a nice cdp and probably pick up something around christmas time.

Thanks for thinking of me Mike, but I'll survive for a while

michael_w

Just an update here... I still haven't had a chance to go buy some damn model glue. So busy lately with work and school because of term 2 marks cut off and all the teachers cramming in tests in before it. I'll try and fix it this weekend and post back as to how it went.

SKsolutions

Is it possible that you could find the transport number/model/maker(Phillips, Sony). I don't believe this to be a difficult repair, but I have never personally worked on NAD gear. Most transports are plug and play unless they are point to point soldered. This means a few screws and finding the trick to the wiring harnesses. If it's point to point soldered, you could still find the transport (even if it means getting one from NAD) and find someone handy with a soldering iron. I would not bother with the glue idea. The rails bent prior to breaking, and you will never straighten them. It may work for a very brief time, but that would be it. It's like trying to straighten wrinkled tinfoil. . . an excercise in futility.

Good luck. I'll help if I can, you ship with new transport, I fix for kharma.

dragon1952

I agree...trying to glue would be futile.

michael_w

That's kind of what I was thinking but just still hoping for the better with the glue. I STILL haven't gone out and grabbed some glue... past week has been so crazy.

I'll have to see if I can find a replacement transport and how it connects. I really appreciate the offer of helping me install it, but I think I'll try this one myself. I'm no expert but this wouldn't be the first time I've soldered I may, however, pick your brain on trying to figure out which wires go where in the harness or on the board.

jayman_1975

michael_w wrote:

I don't really have the cash right now to buy a new decent cd player so it's either fix this one or back to the crappy toshibia sd-3800 or possibly a yamaha 5 disc changer my dad offered me...

ummm...not to change the subject but i have a toshiba 3800 dvd..are you saying i could improve something there if i upgraded?...what gets better?...music or video?...i thought it was not to bad..not that i know what really really good sounds like though.

danger boy

michael, think about getting a used NAD to replace your current one.. some of the older late 80's to mid 90's go for little $. I've got about 3 of them . LOL el cheap-o to buy. good sound to be had.

cmy330go

I'm going to side with Madmax on this one. I'm betting a little time and glue could fix the problem. He's got a good idea with the model glue. Personally I would probably try some quick dry epoxy. Epoxy will often give you a good strong bond without the risk of deforming the plastic. Then if you have a little excess you could just file it off as he suggested.

Hope you find a suitable solution!

organ

Sorry to hear that dude.

If the glue doesn't work, go to your NAD dealer and ask them where the authoized NAD repair centre is. They have to know this because as a dealer, they have to take returned units to the repair centre to get fixed.

Your CDP is no longer under warranty, so if you get the address from your dealer, bring it over and they'll replace the transport.

danger boy

I replaced the transport in my NAD 502 and it ran $65 US

michael_w

Thanks again for the tips. I'm going to have to put this off, once more, until I'm on spring break (end of the week). I keep expecting things to calm down a little but they've just been nuts lately.

I'll have to look into what it'll cost to get a new transport but I have a feeling it'll be pricy.

For now I'm enjoying the toshiba with the rest of my system and just trying to relax :cool:

Oh and Jayman, I think if you bought a better dvd player you'd most notice an increase in video quality. Moving from the 3800 to the C540 I found there was a very nice subtle difference between them. It wasn't a real in your face improvement but in terms of critical listening it's very noticable. It was kind of like moving from radio shack cables to Kimber Hero's. The vocals just seemed to smooth out and develop a more pleasing sound (to me at least).

Beekyman

If the plastic is polystyrene (model car/boat/airplane type plastic) I would suggest using a product called "TENAX 7R" to WELD not glue the parts back together. Note that I said WELD! This stuff actually melts the plastic so that you actually weld the plastic together as opposed to gluing which simply sandwiches two seperate parts between something sticky! This method is incredibly strong and reliable. I have had items welded together with this stuff for along time in very adverse conditions and when failures occur it is usually somewhere else instead of at the seams of the bonding area!
Dont confuse this stuff with epoxies or superglue. These glues are great for many things but I would steer clear of using these types of glues in this application. Try the TENAX 7R first and if that doesnt help let me know.
Good luck!