Lens Cleaning?

Posted by: Ade Archer on 01 March 2001

Hi All,
I've occasionally wondered about getting a CD lens cleaner, and whether I actually need one, and if so which one?
Which ones do others use and recommend, and can anyone confirm that there are no risks involved, as I'm not actually sure how they work.

Cheers
Ade

Posted on: 01 March 2001 by Stephen Dupuis
Get a good quality lens cleaner from photo shop, the kind with a rubber bulb connected to a brush (this will work for lint and dust). DO NOT use the cd cleaners that look like a CD with a tab of felt glued to it, we have had customers bring in players with the head out of alingment! DO NOT under any conditions touch the lens with your bare fingers, it will leave a finger print and will need to be cleaned with a solvent.

Hope this helps.

Steve

Posted on: 06 March 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes
One needs to be very careful when cleaning the lens.

The lens assembly is suspended and free to move in several axes, since it has to move up/down to focus on the disc, and radially to perform fine tracking adjustments that the main laser sled cannot cope with.

Generally the approach used for a high quality camera lens is appropriate, but some lenses are plastic, requiring even greater care.

Generally, don't touch with fingers, blow / brush dust particles as suggested above, and if more vigorous cleaning is required I'd recommend a microfibre lens cleaning cloth, available from most camera / spectacle retailers.

Fold the cloth to produce a small point, and just using the pressure of the cloth to gently remove any marks - DO NOT RUB HARD or APPLY PRESSURE.

I've rarely found a lens so dirty that it causes tracking problems, mistracking usually being due to an ageing laser ass'y.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

[This message was edited by Andrew L. Weekes on TUESDAY 06 March 2001 at 13:46.]

Posted on: 06 March 2001 by Willem van Gemert
quote:
As far as can find out this stuff is not for sale in Holland anymore because of its chemical content.

Richard,

I suppose you're talking about the Blu Tak. I have the impression this stuff is still sold in Holland, but under another name: "Buddies". I bought a pack of Pritt "Buddies" not long ago Holland in a "doe-het-zelf-zaak".

I would however certainly NOT use it to clean the lense!

Ciao!

Willem