Medion player saying 'no disc'??

[wundahoss]

Hi,

Hoping someone can suggest a fix please, before I throw the machine out the window...

Have a Medion MD 84100 HDD DVD recorder & it is now saying 'no disk' regardless of what discs(most proven to be OK) is in it. Even when it's empty it tries to read a disc too. HDD still working well.

[fzabkar]

If the DVD writer has a 40-pin IDE interface (same as hard drive?), then you could probably use a PC IDE DVD writer, at least for testing purposes.

[wundahoss]

Thanks. The IDE interface being the plug? So you reckon the dvd drive's kaput & I can possibly replace it with one from a PC?

[fzabkar]

If you inspect the hard drive, I believe you will find a standard 4-pin Molex connector for the power, and a standard 40-pin ribbon cable for the data interface. If your DVD writer has the same connections, then you should be able to replace it with a PC DVD writer (Parallel ATA, not Serial ATA interface).

I don't have the same Medion device, but I have used the above method for a Tevion DVD recorder (Aldi brand).

[jman98]

Thanks. The IDE interface being the plug? So you reckon the dvd drive's kaput & I can possibly replace it with one from a PC?

Very heavy emphasis on that word "possibly". Some players are extremely fussy about replacement parts and will only work correctly with a select few. Others may have weird cable connections that can only be met by a small number of drives. You can always try and see what happens.

[fzabkar]

One non-standard interface that I have seen was in an LG recorder. It was in fact a standard 40-pin IDE interface that had been shrunk in size to suit a flex cable. There was an adapter PCB that converted the connector types to suit a standard IDE drive. I believe Panasonic DVD recorders have similar adapters for their IDE hard drives.

Here is my Tevion TDR250HD recorder:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/DVD/TDR250HD/Photos/internals.jpg

Note the standard IDE HD. The DVD writer connects via an IDE flex cable, but there is a second unpopulated 40-pin IDE header on the decoder board. If ever the writer fails, I believe all I need to do is to add a standard header and use a standard IDE writer. BTW, I have upgraded the original 250GB WD hard drive with a 320GB Seagate. It was a plug-in-and-go affair. No formatting required.

The connector pinouts should be apparent in the circuit diagrams:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/DVD/TDR250HD/DR5505/

[em-t-wallitt]

Have you tried a DVD cleaning disc?

If that fails, then you'll have to remove the drive from the recorder. Might be best to have a friend skilled in repairing electronics do this. Or take the recorder to a service center for repair.

You'll have to unplug the recorder from the electrical outlet and let the recorder sit for several hours to drain off any stored electricity just to be safe. Once that's done, remove the recorder's metal lid. Since I don't have access to a Medion recorder, I can't give exact instructions. This Medion model is a rebadged LG recorder, since the region hack is similar to the one for a LG RH7900M.

Most likely, there are 4 screws holding down the drive to the case. In addition, there may be ribbon cables you have to remove before slowly lifting up the drive from the recorder.

Once the drive is removed, you have two options: clean the lens inside the drive or replace the drive entirely. Before you can replace the drive, you'll need to know which drive you have. Go to this website:

http://ifndef.altervista.org/index_eng.html

Download and unzip the images for the RH298H inside (hires) and the RH388H boards.

If the drive you have matches either of these photos, then you can show your old drive or bring your recorder unopened to a service center. The replacement drive (probably an LG drive) won't be cheap though.

You can also clean the lens and hope it works.

You'll have to remove the drive's metal lid and clean the DVD drive's lens with a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Reassemble the drive and place it back inside the recorder, with screws, ribbon cables, and metal lid back in place.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[fzabkar]

FYI, here are service manuals for LG DVD players and recorders (Australian market):

http://www.jordansmanuals.com/default.aspx?Brand=LG&Product=DVD-VCR