Meridian 508.24 problem

I have a 508.24 and because the laser lense is mounted on the tray, and exposed each time you change the CD. I've always wondered if the lense is more suseptible to becoming dirty than units which have it (ie the lense) sheltered inside.

So far I haven't had any problems, but I think Timrhu's suggestion would be the first thing I try. It's cheap and quick. I hope it works for you . . .

Ryder, I believe the compressed air Timrhu refers to is the spray can you can purchase at office supply and computer stores. On the 508.24 it's simply a matter of opening the CD drawer and spraying air on the lense asm.

My experience was a simple fix on a Sony cdp, don't recall model. I removed the cover, located the lens and sprayed the air can at it. It did not look dirty but when I turned it on and put in a disc the player worked for the first time in a month and has been going ever since.
It was the compressed air in a can that is available at most office supply stores. Never be without it.
With the lens exposed on the drawer, it sounds even simpler.

Yesterday, I went out to get an air pump one might find at a camera shop for blowing dust out from camera lens. For some reason, compressed air in a can is impossible to find where I live.

Carefully regulating the pressure from the pump, I aimed it on to the lens at a 45deg angle and gave it a few puffs. The lens seem to be "suspended" by some mechanism, so some caution may be needed in applying the amount of air pressure vs. the nozzle-lens distance.

After that, I played a CD (that skipped before) for about 60mins. During the time, no skip occured. However, it may yet be too early to tell for sure, so I will post my feedback after I put more playing time into it.

Thanks for all your helpful inputs.

Hello everyone!

As a follow-up to my earlier post, I regret to say that the skipping problem came back after a few days of playing.

Each time I used the compressed air to clean the lens, the player would play fine for a couple of CDs. And then the skipping would happen again.

Now, indeed I'm contemplating about replacing the lens. However, would this problem be commonly associated with the lens? Or could it be some other part of the tray mechanism that has worn out?

Strooper, it's not the lens it's the laser. Usually the entire CD mech is replaced, as they are inexpensive (under $100). You'll mostly pay for labor for a job like this. I'd give Meridian US a call for an estimate.