My cdrom tray won't stay open

Computer Hardware
#1

Hi, I have an Acer 40max cd reader (no R or RW),

the problem is that when I open the tray, as soon as it reaches it’s most extended position (sorry I can’t explain it better) it “bounces” back and gets closed.

If i push the open button while it’s closing, then sometimes it opens fully and stays there for a couple of seconds. On top of the annoyance, there is always the risk that my cd-rs get trapped by the tray when I’m placing them there.

Also, from time to time, the drive’s led starts blinking and the ide bus gets busy as if the drive was looking for a cd or a cd TOC, and it even happens when there is no CD in it.

This all happens on different OSes, no OSes, and different MBoard, cables, etc.
I cleaned the lens, but it was my first time, so I probably was a litte too careful doing that.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance

#2

I sounds like a mechanical problem with your CD-ROM. Most of these devices can sense when a slight pressure is put on an open tray, which causes the tray to close. This is not the preferred method of closing the tray, but a design feature to retract if the tray is pushed instead of the button on the drive.

It seems that your drive is experiencing pressure when the tray is opened, causing it to malfunction. It could also be that the “bouncing” you mentioned is causing it to rebound into the auto retraction area. Either way, it is a mechanical malfunction and you should return it if it is still under warranty.

#3

This is quite an old crustacean of a thread, however, I fixed a CD drive that had this problem (HP 9100)

Problem was that tray appeared to be frozen and would not respond to the paperclip method. So I kept at it and finally got the tray moving - the problem was that it was VERY stiff due to… dirt, rust, ???

However, when pulling it out (or pushing it in) - I don’t remember precisely, I could feel that I made it skip a couple of teeth in the tray gear train.

Now I have the problem, it won’t stay open.

So I figure, I have to get those teeth back in alignment.

So I open the drive and when the tray is full out, I hold it out firmly while the mechanism is trying to retract it. Then, I let it retract (maybe I pushed it in a small distance before the could respond - I don’t really know which) and as soon as it was maybe 1/4 to 1/2" in, I pulled it out skipping a couple teeth again on the gear train.

Now it works perfectly after this chiropractic treatment(!)

Of course, this method probably depends on which way I skipped the teeth in the beginning. But at any rate, the problem is that the tray gear train needed “timed” - not totally unlike how you have to position the camshaft properly when you rebuilt an engine.

#4

Open the drive itself if the problem persists and repair it… :clap::confused::clap:

#5

I have recently experienced the problem described in this thread (tray immediately and automatically injecting once fully ejected), but with a HITACHI GD-5000 DVD-ROM drive.

I seemed to have remedied by problem by repeated by using the button on the front of the optical drive to eject and inject the drive tray (for a few minutes consecutively). After that the drive ejected and injected as it should.

Perhaps the problem was due to a bit of dust in or insufficient lubrication of (if lubrication is necessary) the retraction mechanism of the drive.