Laser Issues

[chrism1]

Got my Sega Saturn out of the garage after 10-years and it had stopped loading games. Disc would spin but it would hang at the loading screen. Moving the laser pot around, I could just about get one disc to the title screen before it hung but that was it. I suspect the laser was dying so I bought a replacement laser unit. This fitted fine, but when I power up now, it moves, attempts to read the first track on a disc, I can hear the laser clicking, see the lens moving and see IR on my phone camera coming out of the pickup...but the disc won't spin at all and it just gives up saying "drive empty". Switching back to the old laser, it spins but doesn't load.

I'm pretty sure the old laser doesn't work because it is fading. Discs do spin though....so I know the drive motor is working...I also know everything is powering up with the new laser (pickup movement and light seen) but somehow it is not initiating a disc spin up.

Any idea what could be the cause? I've done everything I can think of...cleaning contacts with isopropyl alcohol, cleaning the lens, trying different discs, changing the pot, adjusting the spindle. I definitely removed the anti-static solder from the new laser unit too.

[zyrobs]

The disc tray may be out of position (too high or too low). If you can get it calibrated, the old laser might work fine as well.