DVD Tray Opens Only With Disc In Tray

[CobraPilot]

My ol' reliable DVD burner has decided not to open unless there's a disc in the tray.

Without a disc, I have to use the tried-and-true method of a paperclip in the ejection hole.

Granted, I can just keep a disc in the drive all the time, but being something of a tinkerer, I'm wondering what I should look for if I decide to open the unit for a possible repair?

(I know, it's probably time to toss the "ol' reliable", but it works fine otherwise, and, as I said, I'm a tinkerer . . . . )

Any suggestions from other "tinkerers"?

[Kerry56]

Depends on the mechanism in the drive. Many optical drives have a small rubber belt that is used in opening and closing the tray. Over time, the belt gets stretched and the tray becomes more erratic in operation. This is the most common problem, but it can be other things also. A little lubricant on the gearing sometimes helps...white grease applied VERY sparingly.

Doing a Google search brings up this discussion over at Tom's Hardware from five years ago: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252183-32-lite-writer-tray-eject-disc-tray

[Bjs]

Link to solution

Come down to storageanonymous post for fix

[CobraPilot]

Thank you both for the link!

Looks like several different possible solutions, which I will try.

[betwixt]

MY own experience with dealing with the problem says 9 out of 10 times its the belt. A few drives use a gear/pinion mechanism and they never have the problem. If it makes "I'm pushing hard but it won't budge" noises, its the belt!

The other 1/10 is a small two way switch near the eject mechanism. Its the one that tells the drive logic circuits whether the drawer is open or closed and it doubles as the pressure switch that detects when you manually give it a push to close it. The switch is usually a small plastic box with three electrical connections and a plastic peg that engages in the mechanism. Technically it is called a center biased toggle switch because its natural resting position is in the middle but it can be moved both ways. In normal operation, the switch gets pused one way as the drawer is fully closed and the other way when it is fully open, in the middle the switch is electrically 'open' both ways. Occasionally, they either stick or more likely just don't make reliable connection and the drive loses track of the drawer position. It is fairly easy to remove and replace or clean with a wipe.

Brian.