Hacking Adjusting Laser Pot

[ProdigySim]

Haven't seen this in the thread. Do you turn it clockwise or counter?

The Vimeo link says...

QUOTEPlease feel free to have an experiment to see if a *slight* adjustment on this pot will fix any DRE issues.

I'd recommend 1/16 of a turn at a time, anticlockwise (although it could be the other direction for you). Please report any success or failure in trying this

So, counterclockwise, I suppose. But it's also possible that decreasing the current to your laser will help, too. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer yet. Even the cyclowiz people didn't say.

But I don't think we've had anyone post who has actually done this... Much less succeeded.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Haven't seen this in the thread. Do you turn it clockwise or counter?

The Vimeo link says...

Please feel free to have an experiment to see if a *slight* adjustment on this pot will fix any DRE issues.

I'd recommend 1/16 of a turn at a time, anticlockwise (although it could be the other direction for you). Please report any success or failure in trying this

So, counterclockwise, I suppose. But it's also possible that decreasing the current to your laser will help, too. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer yet. Even the cyclowiz people didn't say.

But I don't think we've had anyone post who has actually done this... Much less succeeded.

Hmm. Guess it comes down to trial and error

Hoefully it won't be needed for many people. I'm just playing he dvd5 release while waiting for the US release so I don't waste 2 DL dvd's on one game

I'm cheap.

 

[coolbho3000]

This will make it hard to measure the POT value though. 'just changing' it is a pretty bad idea so I really suggest you measure precisely what you are doing (what the original setting was and how much are taking off). Also do it with small changes only. Change the pot slightly then hook the drive back up and do some testing. Then if you are not satisfied adjust it a little more etc. etc..

Do you know a good way to measure what the "original setting" is? You're really just turning a tiny screw.

It looks like it's right under the ribbon cable and underneath the metal plate. How should I remove the metal plate?

You should NOT remove the metal plate if you don't have to!
I made a picture to try to better show what the video is trying to explain

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3892/sh...serguidedq9.jpg

Very quickly made image. Unorganized, but hopefully helpful

Ah, that's a great explaination. The video was crap because people tend to pay attention to the hand, not some little circle that pops out...

I'll try this over the weekend if my last desperate 1x burn fails. Thanks.

 

[taggart6]

Do you know a good way to measure what the "original setting" is? You're really just turning a tiny screw.

The most accurate way is to use a multi-meter or a device which can measure the resistance.

The Macguver way would be to mark line on the screw head and just outside the screw. You could use these to lines to line up the screw to the original setting. However, make sure to count how many turns you make if you pass the lines. All be careful not to wipe the lines off with your hand.

 

[sidneyyoung]

Do you know a good way to measure what the "original setting" is? You're really just turning a tiny screw.




The most accurate way is to use a multi-meter or a device which can measure the resistance.

The Macguver way would be to mark line on the screw head and just outside the screw. You could use these to lines to line up the screw to the original setting. However, make sure to count how many turns you make if you pass the lines. All be careful not to wipe the lines off with your hand.

don't make any complete turns!!

if done without a multi-meter, just turn it about 1/32 of a turn anti-clocwise, and then clean the lens, you can get to it from the holes on top of the drive, with a thin rod wrapped in micro cloth. Just a very gentle buff should do.

note.. the outside turns around the middle, don't press in to deep and hard with a small srew driver, or you will turn the pot completly off the ribbon cable.

 

[coolbho3000]

Also where should I place the multimeter? Where are the two leads?

 

[enriqueiglesias]

You guys with this problem, should REALLY try a new BURNER rather than even more media. There are lots of burners that would just not put a good dual layer burn out on 99% of the media, specially old ones, even if they are fine (even great) with single layer media. So you may want to spend $35 in a new burner or make a copy of your burn on a friends/neighbour burner rather than keep trying with yours.

Chances of you getting/having/borrowing TWO different shitty DL burners are far smaller, so there.

Good DL burners in general are most Pioneer models. Some samsungs too. But really most modern (non-laptop) burners do a decent job if the media is good.

Record at 2.4x on oldish-burners with oldish-media (rated 2.4x-6x) and on newer burners with fast-formulated media at 4X.

Please, once you get this working when you increase the laser output (thereby shortening a bit the life of your laser, but within reason if the adjustment is small), PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SOLUTION AS A GENERAL ONE to everyone that comes with a "can not read disc problem".

Because this is a two-prong problem.

The problem is that the drive can not read the discs that YOU are making. The "signal" that is recieving is bad due to low reflectivity delta on the produced burnt disc.

-You can fix it by INCREASING the drive ability to read, making it work "harder" or "better"
-or you can fix it by obtaining a better disc that the reader has less trouble reading.

Ways to increase the drive's ability to read would be to lower the reading speed if you can set it. Some modchips have the option to set the wii's reader speed from 6x to 3x. You can try that. Although the wiikey 1.9g is "fixed" to 3X (unlike the 1.9b revision). And most other chips are fixed to 6X, so no dice.

Another way to increase the reader ability is to "clean the lense".

But the best solution is to borrow/buy a burner that produces very high quality discs and pairing it with media that this burner in particular can do a great job with, obtaining a disc so good that even a poor reader can see it clearly.

Unfortunately, there is no better-than-all-the-rest-burner in the market (well, there is one, but it was discontinued some time ago) and there is no single better-than-all-the-rest media (except, maybe, for the Verbatims labelled 2.4x-6x made in Singapore -- the Verbatims made in india are just as shitty as many others and the Verbatims labeled 8x are a different type of media, but fairly good, but not as godd as the other)

So it's a matter of luck that you find what works for you. As the law of probabilities go, I'd say if you try any burner (non-laptop) purchased in the past 6 months with these three brands: verbatim 2.4x-6x (

 

[MrDo]

enrique knows what he is talking about. If you screw up adjusting the lazer you can very easily shorten its lifespan...

Most peoples read problems come from bad media/burners..

If you must adjust the lazer, please use a multimeter and do it very precisely... It doesnt take much adjusting to fix.

 

[coolbho3000]

I will use a multimeter. I just don't know where to place the leads. Someone please enlighten me. Also, the drive mechanism that I need to manipulate - which way do I turn that?

 

[sidneyyoung]

You won't get a multimeter on it without taking the drive further apart.

As for "where do you put the multimeter leads??" , they obviously connect to the input and output of the pot so you can measure the resistance.

 

[coolbho3000]

Argh, so the only way to do it is through trial and error...

 

[coolbho3000]

Big update: I didn't have to adjust the laser, burned another disc on Verbatim and it worked fine. Please heed enriqueiglesias' words - try other burner, media, and burn speed combinations before resorting to this.

 

[Lazycus]

Just like it was on the gamecube, this should be the absolute last measure. It's almost always the media/burner combo.

 

[enriqueiglesias]

Big update: I didn't have to adjust the laser, burned another disc on Verbatim and it worked fine. Please heed enriqueiglesias' words - try other burner, media, and burn speed combinations before resorting to this.

Glad it worked for your. Welcome to the 99% wagon

Anyway, just a quick note to let everone know that those with d2ckey modchips and others with the exception of wiikey could have an additional, as yet not fully understood problem with dual layer game discs that may requires the setting of the layerbreak in the burning software to 2084960. (i.e. on imgburn tools->settings->Write->Layer Break->User specified and type 2084960).

 

[macrossru]

Registered to help with this.

I was just able to get my wii to work with ssbb. I have Wiid and used TDK dvds. Burned with Imgburn using layer break. I tweeked the pot about 1/12 and it didnt work, then another 1/12 and it worked. Easier way to get the pot in position in the video is to take off the silver plating on the other side and move the laser manually.

 

[ChampionTWH]

Congrats macrossru.

On a side note note i dun know why people wet their knickers about this, ffs it just a pot adjustment.

You can also just buy a new laser assembly, which is much easier than soldering a chip, the only technical know how you need to have is to be able to undo screws, and be able to remove a solder blob.

Any console I have that even gives a slight problem with read errors, i go straight for the pot adjuster and wipe the lens. Every gamecube I have ever done (i guess all 1st gen) I had to adjust the pot on all of them before it would even think about recognising a burnt disc, the procedure is 'NO BIGGY'.

 

[ktulu909]

Launch day Wii with wiikey was not working.Turned laser pot from 12:00 position to 11:00 position and cleaned laser with qtip and rubbing alcohol and now have total success.Wii is now almost silent when accessing SSBB as compared to ALOT of noise before.

Media was HP DVD+r DL burned at 2.4x with layer break.

 

[Marticuno]

Well since I'm cracking up my Wii tomorrow, and have no idea if the pot is adjustet correctly, could I just decrease the value anyway to be safe or should I try first without?

Thanks

Thanks for the guy who posted the pics also.

 

[HaTaX]

My Wii has always made some noise while reading burnt media and while playing SSBB I notice that it has some hitching and the cut scenes are not very fluid between action and FMV. I think I may open it up tomorrow and clean it first, and if needed adjust the pot. I'll take before and after readings, and this looks like a standard 3 legged potentiometer so take the single lead on one end and then measure one of the other legs, just remember to measure the SAME leg on the side with 2 each time. It works like a sliding scale so if one side is at 80%, the other is at 20% and vice versa.

I'll post back with what I find.

 

[cavadavi]

Where is the lens? I don't find a clear picture to understand how to clean it