Quad Electrostatic Loudspeakers - Replacing Noisy Panels

If you've owned Quad electrostatics for any length of time, you're probably familiar with the odd noises that can occur when there's a problem - fizzing, screeching, whistling and rustling.  All normally caused by a leakage of the EHT voltage somewhere within the speaker.   The usual is a breakdown of insulation on one or more of the panels.  You'll need to try and isolate where the problem is before ordering parts or making a repair.


To ascertain where the problem is, you can usually roughly locate it by running an ear closely over the entire speaker frontal area.  Once you think you know where that area is, you will often be able to see a discharge or sparking at the exact spot.  This is best done in a darkened room (it can be very faint), and you may need to roll down the "sock" (grill cloth - read on for details).


This is the procedure that I've adopted to repair or replace panels in the Quad electrostatic speakers.  This is written for the 988 / 989's, 63's are very similar and it could easily be adapted for them.

Please don't ask me to do this for you, it takes a lot of time and requires a lot of space, two things that I don't seem to have much of lately!


988's (and 63's) have four panels arranged in a vertical stack, 989's have two additional panels, one each at top and bottom.  In both cases, the centre two have a "bull's eye" pattern which is the arrangement of delay driven concentric rings which generate the point source imagery.


If you want a bit of history, or to get really technical about how ESLs work, here's a few interesting links:-


http://www.quadesl.org/Hard_Core/ESLTheory/esltheory.html
http://www.quadesl.org/Hard_Core/hard_core.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_loudspeaker
http://www.f2s61092.f2s.com/review57/review57.html
http://www.onethingaudio.net/FOR/QUA/63/9512-QUA-63-REV-NK-A2.htm

Quad will undertake this work at very reasonable cost, so unless you really want to have a go yourself, it's worth checking with them first. However, shipping is expensive and you'll need the original packing cases.  You can arrange to drop off your faulty speakers in person. I believe they no longer offer support for the ESL57s.

One Thing Audio will repair your 57s or 63s.  They will even refurbish your original panels or offer a service exchange.

ESL 989, Black

If you are to attempt this procedure, take some time to familiarise yourself with this information before starting and get all the parts in first.

1. As well as the replacement panel(s), make sure you have replacement dust cover kits (available from Quad’s service department) to hand before commencing – you will need them!  One for each side of the loudspeaker, I've found that there's enough to allow for a mistake.  You will also need some black cloth tape – duct tape or gaffer tape is ideal.

2. Be sure that the speaker has had adequate time disconnected from the mains to allow discharge of the high voltages within the assembly.

3. Remove the top plate – a sharp tap with the heel of your hand (left side, looking from the front) will unclip it from the top moulding.

4. Release the “sock” from the grip on top of the speaker and pull it down away from the top of the speaker (it will later be removed altogether).

5. Remove the black cloth tape from around the end of the panel which is holding the grill and moulding together and preventing rattles.

6. Remove the top moulding by removing the 4 self tapping screws (15mm) to the top corners and releasing 3 self tapping screws (9mm) per side at the top of the grills.  The top moulding will also be attached with double sided tape against the grill – break this as necessary by gently prying with a screwdriver, the top moulding will now come away.

7. Turn the speaker up-side-down (rest it against your work bench or a table) and remove the base plate (held by 17 self-tapping screws (9mm) with toothed washers.  Watch out for the ground wire inside the base and disconnect it as the plate is removed.

8. Disconnect (by de-soldering) the two red HT wires from the vertical PCBs attached to the lower moulding.

9. Disconnect (by de-soldering) the yellow signal wire from the drive PCB attached to the base of the speaker (along with the transformers).

10. Withdraw and release the red drain wire which is held in position by the vertical PCBs and stops short of the side of the base moulding.

11. Remove the base moulding complete with its electronics by releasing the 8 silver M4 hex nuts and flat washers.  Note the black grounding wires attached by these.

12. Now the sock can be completely removed out of the way.  Keep the speaker assembly up-side-down.

ESL988, Vintage

13. Remove the black cloth tape from around the end of the panel which is holding the grill and moulding together and preventing rattles.

14. Remove the front and rear grills of the speaker by releasing 3 self tapping screws (9mm) per side then gently pry the bottom of each grill (presently at the top!) away from the base moulding, breaking the double sided tape.  Continue in such a manner that the grill can be slipped out of the side mouldings and away from the frame.

15. Clean off the old double sided tape from the mouldings and the grills.

16. Very carefully cut away the film dust covers from both sides of the ESL (cut as close as possible to the double sided tape which is holding them in place).  If you find the old tape is stuck very firm and will not come away easily, leave it in place, otherwise it may be removed.

17. De-solder the wiring to the top and bottom edges of the panel to be removed (both sides).

18. If the grey wires from the delay circuitry are in the way of the panel you wish to remove, carefully break the glue bond holding them to the panel lattice and dress them away from the panel.

19. Remove the 4 self tapping screws (25mm) to the sides of the panel to be removed - these are holding it to the speaker’s frame.

20. The panel can now be removed from the speaker.

21. You will notice a central wire from top to bottom on the rear of the faulty panel - remove this and the clips holding it to the plastic lattice, fit it in place on the new panel.

22. Fit the replacement panel in reverse order, screw in place and then re-attach the wiring.

23. Reposition any grey wires that were dressed out of the way earlier and put a small spot of adhesive at each slot in the panels such that they will not vibrate and cause unwanted noise when the ESL is operating.

24. Refit the top moulding with the 4 self tapping screws (15mm) to the corners.

25. Stick new double sided tape (from the dust cover repair kits) around the edge of the loudspeaker frame, front and back, over the old tape.

26. The dust cover film can now be stuck in place (do one side of the speaker at a time and refit the mesh grill afterwards to avoid damage during further handling).  Try rehearsing this procedure in your mind before attempting it

This procedure is best done by two people.  Place the ESL face-down on a flat surface and remove the backing from all four strips of double sided tape.

Carefully stretch out the film above the ESL, pulling it as flat as possible (be careful not to pull too hard as to tear the film).  Lower it down on to the tape whilst keeping it as wrinkle free as possible.  This is best achieved by sticking down either the top or bottom end first, whilst holding the film just above the speaker (3cm or so).  Do not let the film droop and stick to the tape.  Move down the sides, keeping the film taught and sticking down about 30cm at a time.  Finally stick down the opposite end to where you started from.  There will be some wrinkling which can be removed afterwards as described below.

Make sure the film is stuck down all the way around the speaker frame and trim to size close to the tape outer edge.

The wrinkles in the dust cover must be removed, since these will produce audible rattles.  This is achieved by means of heat which thermosets the plastic film and may be applied by a warm air blower, such as a domestic hair dryer.  You will find this easier with the speaker standing on end.

The nozzle should be held close to the dust cover and moved from side to side across the unit slowly and steadily in regular lines to cover the whole area.

To achieve sufficient heat to thermoset the plastic, it may be necessary to restrict the supply of air to the dryer by placing a hand over the intake.  This can be dangerous so ensure that is equipped with a thermal cut-off.

Repeat the process until all wrinkles have disappeared, but always treat the whole area and do not tackle individual wrinkles separately.

A certain amount of skill is required in the operation. Obviously, if the nozzle is not close enough and/or the speed of travel too great, there will not be enough heat to affect the cover.  On the other hand, too much heat at one point can quickly burn a hole.  When carrying out this process for the firs time, progressively reduce the distance and speed until the desired results are obtained.

An “industrial” hot air gun, such as those used for heat-shrink tubing, is a lot more powerful so proceed with caution if you intend to use one of these – you will need to move it faster to avoid holes appearing in the film!

Take your time with this process and persevere if you damage the film.  It will be frustrating to start over, but, as mentioned, there is usually sufficient tape and film in the repair kits to allow for a disaster or two!

27. Don’t forget to re-fit the grill to the side you have completed, this will protect the work you have achieved so far.  Some new double sided tape is required along the top and bottom edges of the end mouldings to prevent the grill rattling.  Once the tape is in place, remove the backing in preparation for the grill.  Slot the grill into the rebate one of the side mouldings.  Bow the grill across the front of the speaker and slot it into the other side moulding.  Be careful not to slip and damage the film you have just finished.

28. Repeat the procedure for the other side of the ESL.

988 and 989, Nouveau

29. With the speaker standing on end (bottom upward), put some new black cloth tape (approximately 2cm wide) around the bottom end of the speaker in order to bond the grill and moulding together and prevent rattles.

30. You can now replace the sock over the speaker.  The seam in the material should be positioned to a rear corner and thus be less visible.  Carefully feed the sock over the end of the speaker, being sure not to ladder the material on the way.  Pull it down the speaker as you go in order to get the bottom (presently facing upwards) tidy.  Leave about 3cm surplus material for fixing in place.  When you are happy with the positioning of the sock, press the surplus material at the end into the grips on the end moulding.

31. Next re-position the base moulding and electronics over the 8 M4 studs at the bottom of the panel.

32. Place the 8 silver M4 clear flat washers over the 8 studs.

33. Replace the black grounding wires onto the M5 studs - 2 to each side.             

34. Tighten down with the 8 silver M4 hex nuts.

35. Reposition the red drain wire through the holes in the vertical PCBs and pull through towards the side of the base moulding stopping short of the side at approximately 3mm.

36. Re-connect (by soldering) the yellow signal wire to the drive PCB attached to the base of the speaker (along with the transformers).

37. Re-connect (by soldering) the two red HT wires to the vertical PCBs attached to the lower moulding.

38. At this point, apply mains power to the loudspeaker and switch on, allow a few minutes for the elements to become properly charged.  BE AWARE OF HIGH VOLTAGES AT THE ELECTRONICS WITHIN THE BASE – DO NOT TOUCH THE INTERNALS WHILST MAINS POWER IS APPLIED, ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME FOR THE EHT TO DISCHARGE BEFORE HANDLING.

39. Check over the loudspeaker for spurious noises indicating other panel defects.

40. Note the neon lamp (N1) on the control PCB - this should be flashing at around 10/second.

41. Refit the base plate (held by 17 self-tapping screws (9mm) with toothed washers.  Don’t forget to re-connect the black ground wire inside the plate.

42. Turn the speaker over and stand it upright on its base.

43. Put some new black cloth tape (approximately 2cm wide) around the top end of the speaker in order to bond the grill and moulding together and prevent rattles.

44. Pull the “sock” up the speaker, stretching out any wrinkles, and press the surplus end into the grip on top of the speaker.

45. Refit the top plate – align the two pegs into the brackets in the top moulding, a sharp tap with the heel of your hand (right side, looking from the front) will clip it into place.

46. Reassembly is now complete.

47. Apply mains power and connect to an amplifier output.  Switch on and allow the elements a few minutes to charge up.  Play some music and check for correct operation, enjoy!

Fender Vibroverb

Here's a few pictures of a Fender Vibroverb (re-issue) that I've recently done some work on for a client.  Apart from the obvious aesthetic refurbishment, it also had some minor electronic issues which were also sorted (some noisy pots, vibrato not working, footswitch needing re-termination).

 This is how the amp arrived

 Close-up of the deteriorated grill cloth

 Baffle board removed

 Reverse side showing the original 10" speakers

Chassis and reverb tank 

Internals 

Cleaned-up cabinet 

The finished article

 Back to the beginning for comparison

Sounds awesome!

Rob's Guitars

I've been out into the countryside this afternoon, went out for the trip with my good friend and guitarist Tony Farmer, also to return a repaired amp to a new customer and meet the man properly.

This was Rob (Barry) at Rob's Guitars out at Constantine, between Helston and Falmouth.

If you're looking for something new or to do a trade on your existing instrument, I'd highly recommend that you give Rob a call.

How things are progressing.

A number of things have been pre-occupying my mind of recent times and combined, they have prevented me from "getting it together" and I apologise for not posting anything up here for a while. Therefore, my New Years resolution is to be more active on the Blog scene.

We're now just a little over six months from the official start  date of the new business.  It's been a little slow getting off the ground and much time has been spent researching my market and "networking". This has invariably meant spending quite a bit of time in the local pubs, that's where much of my clientèle tend to appear reliably!  I've also done a fair bit of leaflet dropping, especially around the local churches.

But we're gaining momentum and things are improving.  I'm now getting recommendations and regular customers.  Here's a bit about what I've been up to:

The Pub Scene

Pubs tend to need sound systems these days and if they already have one, it tends to need servicing from time to time.  Whatever the situation, it's good to meet the landlords and talk about what I do. The punters also like to gripe over their latest electronic failures or enthuse about their latest desires.  A little eavesdropping and a comment at the appropriate moment can generate a little extra income!  The pub is also the place where local musicians tend to appear, especially if they have a gig there!  Guitar amps and PA gear need repairs and service, I'm doing a lot of this, so it pays to "bump" into these guys as often as possible.  I like the music scene too, not to mention the beer, so it has a positive enjoyment factor as well!

Installation and Maintenance of Equipment on Site

I have now been involved with a number of on-site maintenance issues.  These include:

• PA systems that are not working properly
• Induction Loops (for the hard of hearing) that are not working properly
• Radio mics that have ceased to function
• Radio mics that function improperly (mainly due to inexperienced installers fitting the wrong products)
• CD players that have ceased to recognise discs and won't play

I've also installed several Loop systems, Background Music systems, done a major Church installation and sorted out one or two domestic audio systems.

This month I have a 3-zone pub audio system to install and I shortly start work on a new build village community hall. Here I shall be putting in:

• A background music system for the bar with:
• Speakers zoned to the toilets
• Speakers zoned to the foyer
• Speakers zoned to the patio
• A comprehensive hall audio system capable of being configured for practically any event.
• Induction loop for the hard of hearing
• A video projection system with DVD/CDG player
• A stage/theatre lighting system with LED colour wash units for back drop or other wash effects.

PAT Safety Testing

Every electrical/electronic product that comes my way for repair or service gets safety tested.  It is recorded on the repair sheet and a label is attached with the details.  I keep a backed-up electronic copy of all repair sheets along with my business accounts.

On a number of occasions, I have also performed PAT safety testing for commercial clients in their premises.  A detailed report is provided for their records, a copy of which I also keep electronically. This will bring up a reminder on an annual basis such that I can keep the customer informed.


Sales
I now have a tremendous array of products available to me owing to my requirements for the installation activities.  It therefore follows that, on occasion, I have been able to fulfil sales enquiries.  I also have a number of contacts in the industry and have a "knack" for finding used product.  Someday, I might even get a webshop up and running?

Guitar Amp Repairs

This seems to be my most active duty at the moment.  This is possibly because it's something I'm good at and the musical community is spreading the word.

A selection of guitar amps that I've recently had in for service:

 Fender FM15G

 Marshall Valvestate 80V

 Ashdown ABM300 head

 Ashdown MAG300

 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

 Marshall AVT275

 Marshall JCM800 2204

 Session Sessionette 75

Fender Vibroverb 6G16

Vox AC30 Coppertop

Marshall Superbass

Hi-Fi Repairs

I've also had a good few items of Hi-Fi in for repair as well, this is something I need more of.  There must be hundreds of CD players out there that no longer read or play discs properly.  Unlike the musicians, a lot of Hi-Fi customers are finding me via internet search, I'm starting to crop up all over the place!

A selection of Hi-Fi products that I've recently had in for service:

 Denon DCD485

 Linn Sondek LP12

Onkyo CR515DAB 

 Marantz CD6002

 Thorens TD165

 Ariston RD80

 Aiwa ADF810 cassette deck 

Consonance Cyber 800 valve mono blocks

Cable Building Service

I've Had a number of clients that have required the custom building of special cables:

 

 TRS jack to XLRM

 XLR to XLR

 DMX terminator

 Twisted pair pro speaker cable

 Guitar amp speaker cable

 2 x RCA to XLRM

 Mini multicore

2 x RCA to 5pin DIN

2 x RCA to 2 x RCA

Why won't my player read a recorded disc?

Failure to read recorded discs in standard CD and DVD players.

This is a subject raised by my good friend Keith V. I wish he hadn’t! However, I’ve ended up with quite a bank of information which I thought might make good subject material for a blog posting. I know he’s going to read this because I haven’t copied it to his email address (one way of getting traffic!). So, thanks Keith, I hope some of this answers your question! I haven’t done one for a little while, so here’s a post-and-a-half! -

A word of warning before reading on:- Have you ever noticed the yellow label that is on the back of CD, MD and DVD players (also the older laser disc players)? One is also frequently placed on or near the laser mech itself inside the machine. This is warning of laser emission which may damage your eye sight – never look directly into the laser, you could end up with impaired vision. The laser output is not something you can see, the emission that is doing the work is in the infra-red region of the light spectrum – out of the visible light range of our eyes. A number of customers that have “had a go”, insist that the laser is OK because they can see a red glow within the lens. This red glow is a visible portion of the light generated, it’s not the bit that actually does the work. It is a bi-product. Don’t forget how a disc is “burnt” in a recorder. The phrase may give a clue. In a recording machine the laser is powerful enough to locally heat and permanently change the dye on the reflective surface of the disc. Think safe and don't look directly into an exposed, working laser.

Failure to read recorded discs in standard CD and DVD players.

This is something that I come across frequently!

The first thing to consider is if the machine used to play such discs. If this is the case, chances are that something within the machine has changed. I find that normally the electronics are pretty robust and reliable. The problem is usually down to laser ageing or contamination. I have theorised a number of possible processes that can take place.

Age related

The laser diode itself can go "low emission" – put simply, the torch by which the CD mech is trying to read the data is fading. Lasers are a bit like light bulbs, they start wearing out from the moment you switch them on. Burnt discs are harder to read than standard production discs. One obvious observation is that they are less reflective, they have to be in order that energy from the recording laser can be absorbed by the surface for the process to take place. Because they are harder to read, it follows that they could also be the first to appear problematic when the laser is failing.

Contamination

 

Contamination of the laser pick-up (and other parts of the machine, for that matter) can be a problem. This can be in the form of several types:-

• Dust – can be the usual stuff or pet dust

• Talcum powder – typically in the bedroom player

• Pet hair

• Fluids – spilt drinks, flowerpot overfill, pet fluids (typically cat pee!) – these will often render electronics un-repairable anyway!

• Smoke – it’s surprising how the number of problematic CD and DVD players from pubs and clubs has diminished with the smoking ban (same goes for projectors).

These are the killers of lasers. Surface contamination of the lens is not the problem, it’s deeper inside the laser assembly where the contaminants get into the internal optics where the issue becomes non-reversible. Even a service engineer can’t get to these areas to clean up. A single particle of dust in the right place can reduce the light output or deflect the beam as to make the laser useless. Replacement is the only cure.  By the way, I'm not against the use of lens cleaning discs.  So long as they are used regularly they can keep down the level of contaminants on the laer lens itself.  If you wait until there is a problem, usually they don't work.  Thats because the laser needs to read the TOC of the disc, if it's lens is too grubby, it will not register a disc is in the tray and therefore it won't try to play it.

Burnt discs vs. commercial discs

Commercial discs are “stamped” using a master. Obviously "burnt" discs are produced by a method different to that which commercial discs are made. This method, quite obviously, may not be as accurate a recording as a commercially made disc. All players have built in error detection and correction algorithms in the decoding circuitry/software. The data on a disc is encoded and the decoding in the machine are done in such a way that these errors show up. The player will attempt to anticipate what the data should have been and substitute a correction.

Errors can be due to a number of reasons including:-

• A bad "burn" - random failure of disc writing, see below

• Writing burn speed too fast  (common – audio CD’s shouldn’t really be burnt faster than 4x)

• A fault with the burning machine including dust/contamination on the laser lens

• Minute air bubbles in the plastic of the disc

• Cheap discs (one thing I’ve heard very frequently is what a fantastic price a person has paid for discs in the supermarket or on the net, then in the next breath how many they are throwing away because their machine didn’t write properly. OK, there’s a pattern here!)

• Low quality media that has a poor “shelf life”

• Cheap recorders that make mistakes

• Scratches on the playing side of the disc

• Sticky labels – the glue can attack the disk surface (the disks own label on is the only protection between the outside world and the reflective surface of the reading side)

• Scratches on the label side of the disc (same as reason above)

• Discs written on by a sharp device such as ball point pen or pencil (same as reason above)

Errors can also happen when using a PC because of the following:-

• Dust getting into your machine when you open the tray - make sure the outside of the burner is clean to avoid this

• For maximum performance use the “Disc-at-once” mode – there is a greater chance of errors occurring if you use “Track-at-once”

• Fast burning speeds can cause buffer underruns

• Fast burning speeds often cause lower quality burns

• Don’t run background programs or screen savers – increased processor activity can cause buffer undrruns

• Defragging your hard drive before burning a disc will reduce the risk of your machine being erratic during the burn

• Don’t leave sessions open, always finalise your discs

• Make sure that your player can play the formats that your burner can produce

• Make sure that your media can run at the speed that you intend to burn

• Make sure that you burner firmware is updated

• If using DVD+R/+RW media, making sure that the “Booktype” field (bitsetting) is set to DVD-ROM will give a higher compatibility yield

But what if the problem appears to be none of the above?

Now, there are many methods, different software/firmware and design shortcuts that manufacturers use in the production of a machine (recorder or player). Different types of laser also make a difference to the way a machine retrieves the data. Many high street machines are built to a price. This, believe it or not, does affect the quality of the machine and the playback! I have found that, generally, the better the machine (and, therefore, the more expensive it is), the better equipped it is for detecting and correcting these errors. After all, if you spend a lot of your hard earned on a top-of-the-range Hi-Fi system, you'd hope that the music it played would be more lifelike.  The problem arises when a machine starts detecting multiple errors. Obviously, there could also be a problem within the machine – the manufacturer didn’t expect you to be playing a “low quality” disc and didn’t allow for a high degree of correction, or, the correction circuitry is overwhelmed and simply can’t keep up with the detection circuitry. The player could actually be trying to tell you that the disc you are attempting to play is rubbish! (It doesn’t conform to the recognised recording standard, there are a number of these depending on the type of recording and its intended use – red book, orange book, yellow book, etc.) The fact that the “bad” disc plays in a cheap machine may only be down to the fact that the cheap circuitry recognises the data as roughly correct and lets through some of the errors! This all does beg a compatibility issue.

Don’t forget that the media may not be clear of suspicion as well. If you do find a brand and type of media that works with both your burner and your player, stick with it and buy large quantities. Manufacturers do have a tendency to change the quality and their media ID.

Early machines

Don’t forget that the CD player was introduced in 1982, the CD-R wasn’t conceived until 1988 and wasn’t readily available until 1990. It is unlikely that you will get an early player to read a CD-R. CD-RW didn't come onto the market until even later.  The same may be true of DVD recordable discs and early DVD players.

CD players in “Midi”, “Mini” and “Micro” systems

The “Midi” system became popular around the late eighties. The tendency to build-in the CD player caused me to come up with some interesting theory. All was well with the CD as an add-on, optional, box. It usually sat at the bottom of the stack. When it went inboard, things were still fine…. as long as it was at the bottom! When the high street decided that vinyl was dead and the record player was no longer a necessary inclusion in the package, the CD player tended to move to the top of the stack and was most definitely integrated as part of the whole. That’s when the problems began. All of the heavy power consuming, heat producing components tend to be in the bottom of the box – power transformer, power supply PCBs, amplifiers and their heatsinks, etc. Probably the best place to put them. The point here is that, by simple convection, heat rises. There are normally ventilation holes in the back or sides or both, sometimes in the top. Cool air from the room is drawn in to replace the heated air which is rising and (hopefully) escaping from the top. Along with the cool air, is drawn any contaminants which the room’s air may contain. As this air is heated and it rises, so do the contaminants, which are very nicely deposited over the contents of the unit. Especially the CD player which is at the top. The laser is now dirty and cooked! Also it won’t read the data too well. These days, we now have “Mini” and “Micro” system as well, some with DVD decks instead of CD. You know what comes next.

You might say the disc drive in most PC’s is at the top and has a reasonable lifetime…. This is very true, but all the PC drives that I’ve come across are reasonably sealed in their own tin box, which is mounted into the tower. Dust can’t get in apart from through the front opening tray.

Separate Hi-Fi decks usually go on for a fair while without messing about. In fact, as touched on above, smoke can be the real killer here. Unfortunately, smoke particles are tiny and along with any vapours that they contain, they get everywhere. If the player is on 60 a day, you can bet that the laser is well oiled with tar, etc! They don’t read very well with this encumbrance! There are no hardworking, heat producing power supplies or amplifiers inside a stand alone player. Many of them don’t have any ventilation in the casework, it’s not necessary.

Media lifetime – how long will your recordings last?

When CDs were introduced, back in 1982, they were portrayed as being pretty much indestructible and would play in any state. I’ve searched everywhere to include a clip of the Tomorrow's World episode where a demonstration was done by spreading strawberry jam on a CD before trying to play it.  I can remember a man in Laskeys jumping up and down on a CD and a crowd of onlookers falling about as it skipped wonderfully on playback!

Recordable discs give the impression of a similar permanence and manufacturers have claimed a lifespan of anything between 10 and 200 years. However, tests have been carried out, by professional bodies, on discs stored for less than 2 years and found that a number had become unreadable.

This is not to be taken that all discs last for less than 2 years. Many recoded discs have been kept for much longer and have given no trouble. What can be drawn from all of the information contained here is that if you save precious documents, photos, music, video content, etc. on recordable discs:

• Use good, branded media

• Avoid self-adhesive labels

• Use only felt-tipped or “CD” pens for writing on the disc label area

• Store your CDs in protective “jewel” cases in a dark, cool, dry location

• Make multiple copies of important items

• Copy your data to new discs (or new formats as they appear) every 3 to 5 years

My own conclusion about recordings

As a rule of thumb, I have learnt to adopt the attitude that recorded DVDs are only guaranteed to play back on the machine that made the recording! If you do get a result in something else, it’s a bonus! CDs aren’t so bad and usually work fine.

And now, something completely different - "CD Rot", "CD Bronzing", "Disc Rot"

This I've come across (so far) only in commercially recorded CDs.  It does exist, I have several examples.  In the most frustrating varieties, some sort of chemical action within the CD has attacked the reflective layer and "holes" appear in the silvered (or gold) finish.  The areas around this problem are often tainted an orangey colour.  Worse case scenarios end up looking a bit "lace-edged".  Needless to say, playback is impaired.  It seems that once this does show up, it "spreads" through the entire disc rendering it useless.  This has happened to a number of my "limited" or "special" edition discs, which I now don't seem to able to replace.  Here's another example. The only good news is that it doesn't seem to be contagious!

Note to the reader

Some of the information contained here is based wholly on my experiences in testing, fault finding and servicing machines. Some individuals or organisations may not agree with my views! I have also tried to keep this as non-technical as possible, such that the average “man in the street” can understand what is being said.

Some more gig dates for your diary

The Shrinking Violets

My good friends Al and Verite have sent me some new gig details, which I shall pass on:-

The Star Inn, St Just - 27th March.

The Star Inn, St Just - 17th April

The Harbour Pool Club, St Ives 1st May

The Star Inn, St Just - 19th May

O'Flanigans, Penzance 29th May

Al Horton on guitar, Verite Alexander on vocals and a little Japanese guy called Sony on backing.  He's very good, he plays bass, keys, percussion and more, all at the same time too!  But seriously, all the backing tracks are put together by Verite, they're not "bought in".

The style of music these guys play is pop-rock / rock, the sort of stuff that usually goes down well anywhere.  Al is quite an acomplished guitarist and very adaptable.  Verite's vocals are just mind bogglingly dynamic.

May well see you at some of these.