[miffin]

We have got a Mico dvd recorder. It has been brilliant. Not the slightest problem. We have been using a couple of dvd+rw disks for ages. Had to record some thing for my daughter and she took the disks away. No problem I thought. I went out and bought some Philips dvd+rw disks. They appear to be recording and they seem to have stuff on them. But, they will not play, and they seem to confuse the machine. Have disks changed or could this be some other sort of problem please?
Brian

[spiney2]

What sort of rewriteable disk?

Might be this issue:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1448722

[miffin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiney2

What sort of rewriteable disk?

Might be this issue:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1448722

I have a look at that. Do I understand from that, that although this machines states dvd+ I might be able to use dvd-?
Thanks for the info.
Brian

[captainkremmen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miffin

I have a look at that. Do I understand from that, that although this machines states dvd+ I might be able to use dvd-?
Thanks for the info.
Brian

You might indeed be able to use -R discs, even though the manual states only +R/RW. Some budget DVD recorders are like this. I briefly had an Acoustic Solutions DVD recorder that the manual said would only work with +R/RW discs, but I found it recorded happily to -R/RW discs too. However, don't be surprised if it doesn't work so buy just a couple of -R discs to try. No point shelling out £15-£20 for a big pack of -R and then discovering they don't work.

[miffin]

Thanks. Will go see if I can buy 1 to try.

Brian

[chrisjr]

I'm surprised no-one has so far suggested a dirty laser as the possible cause. Recordable disks are far less reflective than commercially produced disks so any contamination of the laser lens has a far greater effect on a recordable disk.

So it may be worth buying a cleaning disk and running that through your machine and see if that makes any difference.

Also different recordable disks can make different demands on the laser. In crude terms when you make a recording the laser heats up the dye in the disk which allows it's optical properties to change. This needs a lot more power from the laser than when reading a disk.

Over time the laser power deteriorates and there eventually comes a time when it simply cannot produce enough power to heat up the dye in the disk.In that case the only real option is to replace the laser.

But try a cleaning disk, I've revived many a CD player simply by wiping a cotton bud over the lens (similar principle to DVD).

[spiney2]

That's certainly a good suggestion! But, as I understand it, laser efficiency decreases, and current is upped to keep power constant!

Since different manufactured batches of lasers will vary, as do different brands of optical media, I believe this is the only way to do it.

http://club.myce.com/f33/running-opt...ol-beta-70862/

[pavier]

You did not state whether the original +RW discs which worked were Philips. Even if they were software can change from one batch to another and quality control can vary enormously from one brand to another and from one factory to another even for the same brand.

After years of close to 1000 dvd recordings I've settled exclusively on Verbatim -R made in Taiwan. A few years back I had a lot of problems with Verbatim and Sony discs from a certain country, (won't mention the name for fear of offence) around 33% failed to complete a copy, so now I always check the label for country of origin. Discs from another country are supposed to have a high error rate according to tests done by some on various forums.
Taiyo Yuden are supposed to be the best but are expensive and again can be manufactured from any number of factories around the world. I don't think they do RW discs though.

Apart from quality there is the compatibility factor. A few years back I bought a stack of TDK 8X that would only copy at 4X in my Pioneer recorder. I sent samples to TDK who kindly emailed back within days explaining that depending on the factory that made them the software on the discs vary and can affect their compatibility with different recorders. They sent me a new batch which worked at 8x free of charge and postage.

[miffin]

Many thanks to everyone for excellent help. The original disks that worked were not Philips. I have now tried a dvd-r and that didn't work. I have also tried a laser lens cleaner, no luck. I found a place on Ebay that will supply just one disk. So, I am trying a Samsung disk next when it comes. I found one of the Philips disks actually recorded but it would not play back. But it did play back on my computer! I will post if I have any success with the Samsung.

Brian

[stylo]

This could possibly be a power supply problem.

I have the Mico Espego R311, and had to change a couple of power supply capacitors when the machine started playing up, and it's been fine since.

Just for info, I use the Verbatim DVD+RW discs, which work OK.

[captainkremmen]

If a you still have problems here's another couple of suggestions:

If you are comfortable removing the cover, take off the cover of the unit (unplugged from the mains of course), remove the drive and carefully remove the drive cover to expose the lens assembly. Try gently cleaning the lens with a cotton bud dipped in alcohol and reassemble and try again. Another thing that sometimes happens is that the lens can get out of alignment, but this normally manifests itself in your recorder being able to record and playback OK, but the discs don't work in other players. In this instance again remove the drive cover and you will see a tiny screw next to the lens. Using a jewellers screwdriver you can VERY slightly turn the screw, reassemble and try again. It's a bit of a pain in the arse doing that though because if it still doesn't work, you have to try again and again turning the screw in either direction a tiny amount. It's a last resort measure to be honest because it can be very time consuming, and may not work.

Of course, it could just be that if the recorder is a few years old, it just isn't compatible with modern, faster discs and modern dyes used on DVD discs these days. Manufacturers will sometimes release a firmware update to improve compatibility with newer discs, but with an older machine a firmware update may not be available. My ageing Pioneer DVR3100 is like this, it now only seems to work well with Verbatim DVD-R discs that are fully certified as being 1x-16x compatible, it doesn't like other brands of modern discs.

[miffin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stylo

This could possibly be a power supply problem.

I have the Mico Espego R311, and had to change a couple of power supply capacitors when the machine started playing up, and it's been fine since.

Just for info, I use the Verbatim DVD+RW discs, which work OK.

What sort of faults were you getting then that needed these capacitors? Also, Verbatim seems to be getting good ackalades so will try them too. Yep, I don't mind taking cover off. I will await the results of different disks and go from there.
Brian

[miffin]

Well weird but this is what has happened. I got a Verbatim and a Pleomax (Samsung) disk. On first appearance the result seemed to be the same. I tried a test recording that appeared to work. Then when I stopped it, the machine went haywire. Giving all sorts of weird messages on the front of it. Then it settled down and all of a sudden, I could use both these disks. I tried the Philips ones again. But although they appeared to record, they did not settle and told me the message "no disk". So, at least I have 2 to play with. Many thanks for all your help and any other suggestions welcome.
Brian

[stylo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by miffin

What sort of faults were you getting then that needed these capacitors? Also, Verbatim seems to be getting good ackalades so will try them too. Yep, I don't mind taking cover off. I will await the results of different disks and go from there.
Brian

Sorry for late reply to this Brian....

symptoms were similar to yours, discs not burning / playing correctly, and as you mentioned in your last post, strange messages. (My 'messages' were in fact meaningless jumbled characters!).

It's certainly worth having a peep at those caps.
These power supply capacitors create so many problems to all sorts of AV equipment, and god knows how much gear is scrapped every year because of them

[miffin]

Have you got an identifiable number or something for these caps. So, I know which ones to look for.
Brian

[stylo]

If I remember correctly, they were a couple of 1000uf 16v, but can't be certain unfortunately. Unless you have the same Mico model as the one I have here (R311), chances are they will be different anyway.

What I can say however, is that they were obviously dodgy, with the tell-tale sign of slightly domed heads on them.

Failed caps don't always show this, but you may be lucky and they will be easy to spot with there raised heads, compared to all the others which will be completely flat. They will be located on the smaller circuit board which the mains lead connects to.

Just make sure you've unplugged from the mains before opening up!.

[miffin]

OK, I have got the same model will when convenient I will have a look.
Brian