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Thread ID: 26681 2002-11-02 09:33:00 Lens Cleaning CDR CD-RW (how?) Richard N (974) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
95507 2002-11-02 09:33:00 Hi,
can someone tell me please how you clean a CDRW lens and if the standard cleaners you see in DSE etc will clean these. I have been told that you can't use these disks on RW drives by someone but would like this confirmed by some knowledgable person.

Thanks Richard
Richard N (974)
95508 2002-11-02 11:00:00 Well looking at DSE's website they sell a cleaner that does CDRW..
I can't see any reason why CDRWs are any different from a lenses point of view.

Then again I can't see how your lens would get so dirty. If you have a lot of dust inside the drive you'd really need to blow it out with compressed air.
gibler (49)
95509 2002-11-02 21:52:00 i'm not sure, but doesn't blowing compressed air onto a lens, damage the lens? vk_dre (195)
95510 2002-11-02 22:30:00 Why do you think the lens is dirty?

Anytime I have been asked to clean a CD lens, its never turned out to be a lens problem, its always been that the drive was at or near the end of its life.

And to clean, I have always disassembled the unit and used isoproyl alcohol. The lens assembly is delicate, you would use a "brush-type" disk cleaner at your own risk.
godfather (25)
95511 2002-11-02 22:54:00 there is special cleaning fluid for cd drives. if you use the wrong stuff it can damage the lens. personally i just take the drive apart and clean it.(and give the pads which clamp on to the cd a cleanup so they grip better) tweak'e (174)
95512 2002-11-02 23:40:00 U guys mean to actually take it out and reach inside the drive?! Will it improve performance a bit, if the drive is pretty old like 2yrs? vk_dre (195)
95513 2002-11-02 23:58:00 take cd rom out ..take cover off, take any other covers/parts off to get access to lazer. use the proper cleaning fluid with the proper cleaning sticks (they don't leave bits behind like cotton buds do) give it a small blast of air and pesto ,,,one clean lens. some cd's have a seperate lens and lazer which can be fun when dust gets between lazer and lens.

i live in the countryside so we have a wee problem with dust in pc's.
tweak'e (174)
95514 2002-11-03 01:38:00 "special cleaning liquid" ... yes there is: isopropyl alcohol. Meths is not a good idea. That will make most (transparent) plastics "cloudy". :_|

But dust is not likely to be a problem usually ... the sort of "dirt" which will affect the system is gunge which forms a film on the lens ... smoke, traffic fumes, etc.

"old age" is the usual problem. Lasers don't last forever. The output power at a constant currrent reduces over time. There is an adjustment, but it's critical. (At least you don't have to worry about the helium leaking [i]through[[/] the glass tube of an HeNe laser)
Graham L (2)
95515 2002-11-03 04:35:00 but will it improve performance? vk_dre (195)
95516 2002-11-03 04:46:00 > but will it improve performance?

Only if you are getting lots of read errors etc . If you have not noticed a performance drop since you bought the drive, lense cleaning will not give you a performance gain . It may or may not in any case depending on the cause for the performance drop . It may be worn motors or circuitry causing problems, not the laser . You still have not said what problem you are experiencing .

G P
Graham Petrie (449)
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