[comp.sys.amiga] Laser Video disk and CD-ROM

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (06/04/90)

Well, my package from Halted Specialties arrived with the Pioneer LDV-1000
laser video disk player and control box, and a Hitachi CDR2500 CD-ROM player.
Neat stuff! For those that missed my original posting, these are surplus units.
The Pioneer was $100 ($70 without the control box and controller), and the
Hitachi was $50).

I was extremely disappointed when I played with the Pioneer and found out that
the laser tube was inoperable, and called Halted Specialties to find out if I
could get them to sell me either just a tube or another whole unit with a laser
tube that worked for sure. Imagine my syrprise to hear the fellow say "We
guarantee the laser tube"! They are going to replace it at no cost (except the
cost for me to ship the bad one). I think this is absolutely great service!
The Pioneer is a parallel unit, but the control box has a serial port, so I
have hopes that it will be usable with AmigaVision.

The control box for the Pioneer is a LASERDATA TRIO 110. It has a 37 pin
'computer port', a 24 pin Centronics style 'playe control' connector, a DB-9
'serial port', 2 BNC connectors (player video and video monitor, and 4 RCA
plugs (audio.. Left and Right, PLayer and Amp).

The Hitachi unit is full height, nice looking, and has a rather strange pinout.
It has a single 40 pin edge connector.

Any information I can beg, borrow, or buy would be much appreciated.

-larry

--
The raytracer of justice recurses slowly, but it renders exceedingly fine.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

kfellens@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU (Keith Fellenstein) (06/06/90)

In article <1684@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> Larry writes:
>Well, my package from Halted Specialties arrived with the Pioneer LDV-1000
>laser video disk player and control box, and a Hitachi CDR2500 CD-ROM player.
>Neat stuff! For those that missed my original posting, these are surplus units.

I got there too late for the CD-ROM, but did get the LaserDisk Player

>I was extremely disappointed when I played with the Pioneer and found out that
>the laser tube was inoperable, and called Halted Specialties to find out if I

Could you post a quick way to check for tube operability?  My unit is in
pieces as I work with the local LaserDisk mavens to see if there is an easy
way to make this function without the interface box.  I'm told the unit is 
physically similar to the LD-1100 and the LD-660. 

>Any information I can beg, borrow, or buy would be much appreciated.

ditto!

>
>-larry
>
>--
>The raytracer of justice recurses slowly, but it renders exceedingly fine.
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
>|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
>| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
>|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Keith

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (06/06/90)

In <895@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU>, kfellens@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU (Keith Fellenstein) writes:
>In article <1684@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> Larry writes:
>>Well, my package from Halted Specialties arrived with the Pioneer LDV-1000
>>laser video disk player and control box, and a Hitachi CDR2500 CD-ROM player.
>>Neat stuff! For those that missed my original posting, these are surplus units.
>
>I got there too late for the CD-ROM, but did get the LaserDisk Player

Bumme about the CDROM, but glad you got the LV disk. Did you buy the control
box too? I figure if I never get the LV player going, I can always use the
control box to hold a half dozen 3.5" HDs. :-)

>>I was extremely disappointed when I played with the Pioneer and found out that
>>the laser tube was inoperable, and called Halted Specialties to find out if I
>
>Could you post a quick way to check for tube operability?  My unit is in
>pieces as I work with the local LaserDisk mavens to see if there is an easy
>way to make this function without the interface box.  I'm told the unit is 
>physically similar to the LD-1100 and the LD-660. 

The tube should fire up when the power is on, and the lid is closed. The tube
carrier should also seek toward the center of the spindle. Warning... AVOID
LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE LIGHT FROM THE TUBE, INCLUDING LOOKING AT REFLECTIONS
OF IT OFF A SHINY OBJECT!

-larry

--
The raytracer of justice recurses slowly, but it renders exceedingly fine.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (06/08/90)

In <899@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU>, kfellens@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU (Keith Fellenstein) writes:
>In a previous article, Larry writes:
>>
>>The tube should fire up when the power is on, and the lid is closed. The tube
>>carrier should also seek toward the center of the spindle. Warning... AVOID
>>LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE LIGHT FROM THE TUBE, INCLUDING LOOKING AT REFLECTIONS
>>OF IT OFF A SHINY OBJECT!
>
>Well, after defeating the front and back interlocks, and being careful not
>to look into the alledged beam, I have to come to the conclusion that mine
>too has a bad tube.  One last chance, I borrow a high voltage probe from
>a friend and check the flyback to the tube.  Mine does seek to the center
>on power up, though I had to do some work on the potentiometer that
>controls fine positioning, as it was so stiff the gears were skipping.

'alleged beam'. Har! I like it!

I used a meter with sharp probes to pierce the wires near the neck of the tube
in order to check that the voltage was present. You can use a couple of needles
for the same purpose. Just be careful.. 1500 volts is nothing to mess with
lightly. If it is the tube, give Halted a call and let them know.

-larry

--
The raytracer of justice recurses slowly, but it renders exceedingly fine.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

kfellens@Intrepid.ECE.UKans.EDU (Keith Fellenstein) (06/08/90)

In a previous article, Larry writes:
>
>The tube should fire up when the power is on, and the lid is closed. The tube
>carrier should also seek toward the center of the spindle. Warning... AVOID
>LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE LIGHT FROM THE TUBE, INCLUDING LOOKING AT REFLECTIONS
>OF IT OFF A SHINY OBJECT!

Well, after defeating the front and back interlocks, and being careful not
to look into the alledged beam, I have to come to the conclusion that mine
too has a bad tube.  One last chance, I borrow a high voltage probe from
a friend and check the flyback to the tube.  Mine does seek to the center
on power up, though I had to do some work on the potentiometer that
controls fine positioning, as it was so stiff the gears were skipping.

>The raytracer of justice recurses slowly, but it renders exceedingly fine.
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
>|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
>| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
>|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+


Keith
---  No sig. just junk to please inews ---