Posted on by Hartley

How to Repair a Yamaha CDC-565 CD Player That Will Not Read Discs (Replace The Belt!)

I was recently given a Yamaha CDC-565 CD player that would not read discs. The unit would power on and the drawer would open and close, but the laser mechanism would not engage when CDs were inserted into the unit.

I noticed the laser mechanism was attached to a series of gears and a belt was hiding underneath. I removed the necessary parts, replaced the belt, and the laser mechanism started working properly and reading/playing CDs again.

Below are instructions and photos on how to replace the belt.

Time to remove this old belt!

How to replace the belt in a Yamaha CDC-565 CD player and repair a unit that is not reading discs:

  1. Remove the screws necessary to remove the top of the unit.
  2. Power the unit on and push the tray open button so the tray will extend out of the unit and then power the unit off, keeping the tray in place.
  3. Remove three screws, two to keep the arm that holds the CDs in place and one that removes the laser mechanism.
  4. In order to remove the laser mechanism, adjust the gear with your finger to move the mechanism up at which point it will come lose.
  5. Remove the old belt and replace with the new one.
  6. Make sure when installing the laser mechanism back in place, the plastic guide is back inside the gear necessary to move it up and down.
  7. With your finger, move the laser to the bottom position.
  8. Power the unit on and press the drawer close button.
  9. Insert CDs and press play!

A reader purchased THIS BELT KIT and informed me all the belts fit properly and his player was repaired.

See photos below:

CD tray after removing the top of the unit.
If you power the unit on and press open, the drawer will move out the way and give you access to the belt area.
Remove these three screws.
Maneuver this gear by hand so the laser mechanism moves upward and it will eventually pop out of that large gear holding it in place. Make sure this is back in place properly when you put it back together!
You can now move the laser mechanism to the side and replace the belt circled here.

But this site is called Forever Analog man…

I understand this is a site for fans of analog gear, records…maybe even cassettes! But I have a few other “digital” oriented posts on this site, including how to add an external DAC to a CD player.

I grew up in the 80s and 90s and therefore I listened to mostly CDs as an adolescent. When I started college and moved to Nashville, I suddenly had access to records stores selling using vinyl records very cheap! I bought a record player and started picking up classic rock LPs for $3 or $4 each.

Today vinyl records are averaging closer to $30 each and CDs are $15 brand new. Sometimes I’d rather buy two CDs for the price of one LP and make sure I get the best sound possible out of them (hence hooking up an external DAC to my CD player).

I find these CD carousel players often and most of the time they just need belts replaced to get them working again. I’ve had several friends ask for CD players as of late so who knows, maybe those shiny discs are making a comeback?

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