You must remember this
A nick is just a nick, a scratch is just a scratch
The fundamental things apply
As CD's die
(forgive me Warner Bros)
So you went to the local library & got a DVD movie to watch with your honey. Guess what? It won't play!
That little tramp who returned it yesterday carried it in her purse for three days with no jewel case!
Run it through this CD Polisher for five minutes & it will play like new.
I store my data archives on DVD-RW. If one bit is misread, the whole file is trash. A data disk must be exactly written & verified.
This machine can be used to repair disks that have become unreadable. There is a very good chance that the files can be recovered.
When putting together the parts for this project, use my mantra 'Goodwill, Goodwill'. If you shop well (or have a big stash of parts) the machine will cost under twenty dollars to build.
Before we start, let me apologize for my lack of describing how to accomplish each and every step. I am assuming that a project meister who chooses to build this machine can infer much info from the pictures.
It's my dad's fault. He taught me by doing, not by lecturing.
So, in memory of my father, I will not give a list of tools, materials, or skills needed to complete this project.
Thanks dad
Well, if you see that the machine actually runs, you might get to step 3. Or 4. 5 is a good one, too.
Here's a video of the thing in action:
A nick is just a nick, a scratch is just a scratch
The fundamental things apply
As CD's die
(forgive me Warner Bros)
So you went to the local library & got a DVD movie to watch with your honey. Guess what? It won't play!
That little tramp who returned it yesterday carried it in her purse for three days with no jewel case!
Run it through this CD Polisher for five minutes & it will play like new.
I store my data archives on DVD-RW. If one bit is misread, the whole file is trash. A data disk must be exactly written & verified.
This machine can be used to repair disks that have become unreadable. There is a very good chance that the files can be recovered.
When putting together the parts for this project, use my mantra 'Goodwill, Goodwill'. If you shop well (or have a big stash of parts) the machine will cost under twenty dollars to build.
Before we start, let me apologize for my lack of describing how to accomplish each and every step. I am assuming that a project meister who chooses to build this machine can infer much info from the pictures.
It's my dad's fault. He taught me by doing, not by lecturing.
So, in memory of my father, I will not give a list of tools, materials, or skills needed to complete this project.
Thanks dad
Well, if you see that the machine actually runs, you might get to step 3. Or 4. 5 is a good one, too.
Here's a video of the thing in action:
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Signing UpStep 1: The Bearings
Find a pair of junk rollerblades at Goodwill. For two bucks you will get sixteen bearings, axles, bushings.
At the home center I found 3/4in CPVC (not PVC) fittings. The bearings are a perfect slip fit. The tube stub is cut off & cemented to lock the bearing in the housing.
1/4-20 hardware is used to create the axle. The bushing flange is cut off (shorter than the bearing width) to center the axle.
We need two of these.
At the home center I found 3/4in CPVC (not PVC) fittings. The bearings are a perfect slip fit. The tube stub is cut off & cemented to lock the bearing in the housing.
1/4-20 hardware is used to create the axle. The bushing flange is cut off (shorter than the bearing width) to center the axle.
We need two of these.
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I suppose if a fibre optic polishing paper would be of a great help here. I have not got an opportunity to try it on CDs but feel confident it would work on them.
Corning Gorilla Glass is......glass. (alkali-aluminosilicate)
My machine polishes polycarbonate plastic.
You're on your own, my friend.
seeya
Well explained IMHO, in spite of your being so deprecating. And something I need badly as I lost lots of valuable invaluable stuff.
While I have a pwm unit I made for something else, I won't use this. I have instead 2 other ways out. One, a 1 Amp mains transformer with with 3 to 12V taps every 3 Volts. If this has insufficient power for the motor I get hold of, then I have a 12V, 4A mains transformer which I can use with series hi-wattage resistors (I have a boxful!!) to give me a couple of 'acceptable' speeds. Inefficient, sure, but OK for a once-in a-way thing.
Thanks for kicking this lazy bum!!
Erich.
I like the visual of your kitchen table covered with a half dozen live wires. We've all done that, yes?
Build one of these machines. Post it. Help unlock the mystery of disk repair. The more versions that are built and used, the stronger the solution.
My machine works just fine. Let's see how other builders might do it.
seeya
PS pardon my sarcastic and cynical humor. It may be construed as deprecating.
http://www.digitalinnovations.com/
The motorized version will polish it/sand it smooth. There's enough layers of plastic there above the data layer to buff it up well and get rid of those scratches that bend the laser and cause the issues. Any filler compound wil do just that - FILL IN the marks. It doesn't clear it up.
The product just works!
The Meguiars 10 that I use is based on Micro Abrasive Technology. It does cut the disk surface and removes shallow scratches. The finished disk does not have a mirror finish, but my repaired disks seem to show that the polish lines are so fine they do not affect the disk performance. Perhaps the next step would be to use Meguiars 17 to bring the surface up to a mirror finish. Or not.
PS I don't work for Meguiars
I checked out the Skip Dr before I settled on my design. If I had a machine shop, I could make a Skip Dr.
Instructables celebrates the tinkers of the world. I am one. My machine uses no fancy BS. It runs well. It does the job it was designed to do. Any project meister with a work bench and a few hand tools can build one, like I did.
Imagine that.
Please consider this: True hobbyists do not buy something that they can build themselves. Quod erat demonstrandum.
Seeya
They will help you.
wotboa
seeya
Thanks Guy's,
Zapp
I agree that instructables has wandered away from Eric's dream. But...we must bow to the masses.
Myself? I'm an old frustrated engineer and a technician. I have many things I can share.
This is my first step-by-step post, and it is truly going the way of the stars.
I am overwhelmed. In my tiny world, I would call it viral.
Thank you for speaking your mind.
I've spent years polishing destroyed discs' the Perpendicular way. I have no idea where I picked it up but, I too, state as fact any other motion worsens the condition. Your explanation is the best I've read, but then again, we could both be full of shit. Enjoyed the read.
Zappenfusen
So now the question is...what is the proper word for dividing a circle into six sections?
More useless information I will never use.
Thanks
A rotisserie motor should work great! I would love to see your final build. Please post it.
I've tried a few different compounds for the buff. Once I started using the polycarbonate polish I stopped looking for something better.
Toothpaste makes a horrible mess. You must keep it so wet that the froth goes everywhere.
Car waxes, in general, are not compatible with plastics. Many are hydrocarbon based. Cleaning the disk after is a project in itself.
Rouges are just a pain in the ass to apply to the buff and to get off the disk after polishing.
With Meguiar's, a thin film on the disk will last for several minutes during an intense polish session. The disk cleans up easily with a little Windex.
I hate to say this, but, trust me (some of you know what that means in New York), start with plastic polish then go on to experiment with other compounds.
Seeya
many thanks for taking the time & effort to properly document this with stunning pictures and with very well written instructions!
Finally i can get to work acquiring everything needed to build my own and buff my collection of iffy-cd/dvd's !!!! (especially those that were LENT and got back looking like they'd been used as a car's "wipe yer feet on this mat" mat, lol {& if a car had feet but you know what i mean, lol x 2 !})
anyhoo as i start my adventure finding the right bits for my mean polishing machine i have one question about your controller PCB, please would you be able to upload a schematic fo it or even the PCB artwork, ive only started learning electronics this year and made some real-nice progress into making homemade PCB's and would very much like to make your controller for adding pulse width modulation control to my buffer machine or if you could point me in a good direction of where i could find a circuit that your using i'd be most-grateful !
many thanks in advance & also another thank for the great 'ible !!!
I like your name a lot. Hmmm. Unless your bipolar.
Here's a link to the circuit I used, LM324 PWM:
http://www.pcsilencioso.com/cpemma/pwm.html
I etched a circuit board, but the schematic is so simple that a beginner would be better off using point-to-point wiring on a perf board.
The most important issue is making sure that the buff motor has enough current. Get that solved and you got the thing running!
seeya
no not bipolar, lol ! Generally considered to do everything big and buy big (bulk, lol) always because overkill is so under-rated, lol !!!
Thanks so much for the PWM direction, once again many many thanks & another good helping of 5-Well-Deserved Stars Rated !!!!
Just as your background means you can't wire without lacing tape, so my background means I must comment when the word "librarian" appears in any Instructable.
Please please please let us librarians buff our own discs!
Every buff cycle removes a small amount of the plastic surface of the disc. We have a buffing machine, and when a disc is reported scratched, we buff the item and make a note on the case. That way, we know when the disc is approaching the end of its life and we need to order a new copy.
Though it may mean a movie-less night with your honey, please save your machine to use on your own discs.
Thank you.
Now that I have reread my intro, it does seem to imply that the primary use for the machine is to fix library disks.
That is not what I use it for (maybe a little) but let me tell the readers DON'T EFF UP THE LIBRARY'S PROPERTY.
There, I feel atoned.
This was built to use as a maintenance device for my archive data DVDs. If a disk is struggling to be read properly, a trip through the buffer works wonders.
PS I would love to see what a library disk buff looks like. Let's see. Government issue, bought with taxes, used rarely. Must be as big as a minivan, right? Post a picture if you choose to reply.
seeya
wotboa
Now, thanks for this project! I think I'm gonna built one. I too have little kids who aren't very careful.
Pardon me if I sounded like a basher, I use my local library a lot.
If it were up to me, I would keep the libraries open. What's more important? Having less potholes in the road or teaching your kids to read?
That's another 'huh, what?' for under-50s.
Thanks, Bogie.