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Cleaning a MD

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FT13

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Maxell makes an MD lens cleaner, but I've never used it. I've never had trouble with dust buildup on my lenses, and my MDs get a workout every day. You can pick up the MD lens cleaner at Best Buy or Circuit City for about US$15.

If you're adventurous, you can open the MD unit and brush off the optical block (gently!!) with a camera lens brush, but it's tight in there. Not the option for butterfingers like me.

As far as cleaning the actual MD (like, if you spill Tang on it or something), you can probably just boil it in distilled water for a few minutes (or even just soak it for an afternoon) and let it air dry for a day or two. It does some dirt to your label, but it'll dissolve the sticky on the actual disc. Make sure you use distilled water and rinse a couple times to avoid mineral deposits that may refract the laser when the disc is read.

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BJ that's an intense cleaning method... but for just dust all he gotta do is hold the md with the back of it facing u..with the slide facing upwards take something like a pin..something small n hard n to ur right puch down the lil white latch u'll c ...when it's pressed down.. slide the (i can't remember what it's called) the black metal thingy.. :smile: slide it accross like u'd do with a floppy.. then with a Qtip lightly pass it on the under side of the disc n remove the dust be very careful not to scratch it cuz u won't like that... u can turn the disc by using ur finger (making sure it's dry from oils) n just tap it in the desired direction..n then go back to cleaning the new area at the back..n so forth till u've done the entire disc...

n i'd suggest the same thing for the lens..i wouldn't buy a lens cleaner all it is is a brush on the disc at a specified track...just take ur Qtip n lightly pass it over the lens removing what ever is on it...but in doing that b very very careful...not to dig the Q tip in the while gel looking thing around the lens or burst ne of the gold looking wires..or else u in deep $hhh....... aight now have fun

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I guess it is kinda intense, at that. rolleyes.gif

I just figured if there was something wrong with the disc, it was because of some intense circumstances.

If it's just dust, open the shutter and blast the read surface with some compressed air. I don't know if I'd go as far as a Q-tip, though. I'm kinda' clumsy, and would probably end up scratching the disc surface or the lens.

Like I said, though, it's rare that you'd have to do much to clean your stuff.

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  • 1 month later...

A brush based laser cleaner can potentially leave tiny scratches on the laser.

That is one of the reasons, why I never used Cleaning Discs.

Not on MD, not on CD/MO.

Remember, the lens is plastic, not glass as it was in the first CD-Players.

The other reason is, that depending on the way the cleaning disc is constructed, it can damage or disalign the laser pickup.

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  • 1 month later...

I wonder, if the disc itself is polycarbonate, and formulated to withstand the heat of the laser, wouldn't it be possible to clean it with regular CD cleaning fluid, and tissue for camera lens? If it can't damage a CD, I don't think it can damage a MD.

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