Kenwood CD deck problems
 

Hey all,
I recently picked up a Kenwood KDC-MP522 deck from a friend. He had it in his 2.5RS for about 8 or 9 months before it started acting strangely. It started giving a "TOC Error" occasionally, but after a while it did it all the time. Even if the CD was completely new, it would give the error.

He did some googling and found close to nothing. I did the same, and found the same. He called Kenwood, and they said that it needed to be "reset". Apparently, they would not honor the manufacturers warranty because he purchased it from eTronics. :rolleyes:

I picked it up from him in hopes of doing more research, and then installing it in my car. It is an upgrade from my current deck because it is MP3 compatible.

Anyway, does anyone know anything about this? Specifically, what does "resetting the unit" mean? I see no reset switches anywhere, and have already opened the unit only to find no switches inside either.

Through my research, some people have had Kenwood tell them that the "laser needs to be reset." :confused: How the hell do you reset a laser?

Any ideas?

most likely realigned...after awhile and sometimes due to quailty some cd players lasers no longer line up correctly to read a cd..common problem for some dvd players and ps2's..when I worked in a car stereo store we had many of Kenwoods products coming back in for warranty repairs and such...to be fair most brands and their 'lower line' products can and do fail early..id look up a audio-video repair shop and get a quote on fixing your Kenwood..it may just be better to buy something else depending on the repair costs..there are how-tos on fixing the ps2's laser but I would doubt it would apply to your case, and without the proper knowledge I wouldnt dig into it..its that little rule 'they come apart but dont go back together'..have a repair shop look at it and then determine if its worth it to you to repair it..theres no 'easy' fix on this kind of problem

Re: Kenwood CD deck problems
 

I think Weasel 22's guess is probably correct.

However, is there a removable face plate? Usually behind there is a tiny place for inserting something about the size of a pencil point that triggers a reset.

Re: Re: Kenwood CD deck problems
 

good point if that hasnt already been done..do try that before you read my 'babble' :D afterwards if you have no luck..read my 'babble' :D

Hmmm.....

I've had that deck for 18 months and have yet to see that problem....

Re: Re: Kenwood CD deck problems
 

I looked pretty carefully for a reset switch, but I will check again tomorrow.

On another note, I hooked up the unit to my battery, and stuck a few CDs into it. About 90% of the CDs did not work, and would eventually show a "TOC Error". So, of course, everything he said was correct and didn't magically go away. I was hoping that it was some type of volatile-memory software error, and would eventually clear after being unplugged for so long. But, of course, why would my luck be that good?

"TOC Error" stands for Table Of Contents. Are you possibly having this problem playing CD-Rs or CD-RWs? It is possible that your CD has an open session that didn't get closed when you burned it?
If you burn a CD on your computer without closing the session, it won't write the table of contents to the CD. That could be causing the problem. If its a CD-R, does it happen with commercial CDs, too?

I hope this helps...

I understand what TOC stands for. I know that you didn't realize this, but you're talking to a consultant here. :) ;)

I always finish my CD-Rs, so there should definitely be a TOC. I haven't tried any new CDs, but my friend said he tried some brand new ones, and they didn't work either.

Yeah, I'm a SysAdmin, myself. So sorry for the dumbed down explanation!

Good luck with getting your stereo working!

i'd try lee's suggestion - can't hurt. should be a tiny hole or button with the faceplate open you can stick the end of a paperclip in. i always though these were a 'manual eject' for getting out stuck CD's, but its a 'soft reset' on my AutoPC. given the amount of processing in newer headunits, i wouldn't be surprised if its a 'soft reset' as well. good luck.

As I had thought from checking earlier, there is no reset switch anywhere on the unit. I've checked quite a few times now. I think the next step is to call Kenwood and ask them what a TOC error might mean, and what they do to fix it... Then hang up, and run for the hills! Cause those bastards won't honor their own manufacturer warranty! BAH! :D :rolleyes: