Audio Systems: Honda CD Player, semiconductor diode, optical pickup

Question
Hello, and thanks for volunteering for this program.

I have a 2000 Accord with an AM/FM CD unit (single disc player).  It was working fine until about 4 days ago.  Now, when I insert a disc, I get the LED readout that says, "P-EO".  According to the manual, that is telling me that the disc is defective.  However, every disc I insert does the same thing.  I tried disconnecting the battery and letting the unit reset, then of course I had to enter the code to get it to come back on.  That did not work. The car, and the unit, is 10 years old, so maybe it's just it's time! :(  Obviously, every disc I have is not defective, so it must be the unit.  My question is: Is this common?  Is there anything else I can do or try?  Thanks again for your time.

Answer
Most common cause for this kind of failure - in older vehicles - is the optical pickup not working up to its design purpose.  And, the most common failure within the optical pickup is the laser diode getting too weak.   The laser is a semiconductor diode that puts out a standard red beam for reading the pits on the disc.  If the level of its output is not strong enough the reflected beam cannot be detected or decoded properly.  The set registers this condition as no disc since it is not able to read its contents.

The cost of replacing the optical assembly is often equal or greater than the cost of a new head unit.  Sorry for the bad news.

You can try cleaning the optical lens to see if that will help, but don't expect miracles.  Clean the lens with a cotton q-tip (no chemicals is best).  Just flick it across the lens a few times to dislodge any microscopic, invisible debris.

Hope this helps.