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  1. Hi,

    I've recently been getting a problem whereby Nero is giving me Power Calibration Errors most of the time. I was using Sony discs so I thought maybe that was the problem, so I decided to go back to TDK's which I knew worked for me before and the same thing happened. I tried my DVD+RW's (TDK and Sony's) and it gives me the same problem. The burner is a NEC ND-6500A being used on a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo M7405. According to the Fujitsu-Siemens site I have the latest firmware for it. As a last resort I bought Fujifilm discs (because of the laptop) and surprisingly apart from one disc which gave me a Power Calibration Error I've so far burned 5 succesful discs.

    Could someone shed some light on what's going on? Has my burner burnt out?

    If an error log would be helpful I could stick it up here ..

    Thanks in advance

    Dave
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  2. its either bad discs,or the laser isnt working properly any more..
    check to see if its doing it on cds and dvds(which we know it is).
    sounds like its lost its focus on the dvd medium.
    most likely a new burner will be needed.
    LifeStudies 1.01 - The Angle Of The Dangle Is Indirectly Proportionate To The Heat Of The Beat,Provided The Mass Of The Ass Is Constant.
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  3. Mod Neophyte redwudz's Avatar
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    I think I got this off Nero's site a while back. They mentiion CD's, but it's the same with a DVD. It's a fairly good explanation of the error:
    Power Calibration is controlled by the recorder.

    Before any write operation, all recorders must do a 15 step power test to determine the optimum power for writing to the CD; this is called "Optimum Power Calibration"(OPC). During the write, it continues to do this test to get the best write throughout the whole CD; this is called "Running Optimum Power Calibration" (ROPC).
    This whole process is controlled by the recorder, though initiated by programs such as Nero. There is an area on the inner part of the CD for the test and test data info to be stored. You can use this area up to 999 times.

    If you receive the "Power calibration error" or "Power calibration area is (amost) full" error message, the cause will be either poor media, poor power, or a defective recorder.

    Please try the following solutions:

    Update the firmware of your recorder. Please check the manufacturer's website for the latest version.
    Try another brand of CD-R or CD-RW media.
    Try different power connectors, and for recorders, do not share power with other devices. It needs its own power connector. If the error occurs with an external recorder, the power source in the chassis could be the cause. As a test, try to take the recorder out of the external chassis and connect it internal.
    Try different configurations, such as taking the CD-ROM to the primary IDE bus as slave and have only the recorder connected to the secondary IDE bus as master.
    Send the recorder in for service.
    The only other cause they don't mention is dirt on the laser lens. You could try cleaning it. But if you have some sucessful burns in between, probably not.
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  4. One of the age effects I have seen on CD Writers and DVD writers is that the laser sled movement screw and slide lubrication gets finished and the writer will give all types of problem. Mind you, there is no lubrication involved in the laser pickup head itself, it is a floating unit.
    Recently my Pioneer DVR-107B started acting up the same way. It used to work perfectly then suddenly it will be able to write properly only one out of ten disks. I opened up the steel covers and lubricated the sled screw and the straight slide using lubricant from WD-40 - USING A COTTON BUD (NOT SPRAYING WD-40). After the lubrication everything is back to normal.
    Regarding cleaning of the laser lens, it has not been successful in a number of writers I have tried it on - always the problem finally came down to screw and slide lubrication.
    IF YOUR ALL OTHER OPTIONS FAIL, GIVE MY METHOD A TRY
    AND BEST OF LUCK
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  5. And one more thing
    You may have lint deposits on the sled screw / slide preventing full movement of the sled. Since the power calibration area is right near the centre of the disk, the head may be failing to reach this area on some disk makes. You have to open the covers and check / clean up any such deposits.
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