Web2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: Web2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008
DATE: 04/27/2008 16:24:17
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Sun
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

In the past few days I temporarily put aside the never-ending day-to-day work and attended the Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008 with free Expo Hall Pass. The pass allowed attendees access to Keynote Sessions, the Expo Hall and Sponsored Sessions. Even though it doesn't provide access to Technical Sessions, it allowed the attendees to gain insight to more than an overview of the Web 2.0 technologies.

Some people tagged the static web pages that people browsed as Web 1.0. It was comprised of static pages linked together. There may be forms to be filled out that get sent to the server, but it lacked real-time interaction or feedback to the users.

In contrast, Web 2.0 is highly interactive. The users don't just browse the web pages anymore, they interact, or even create the web contents. A few examples of Web 2.0 include online maps and social networking sites.

Tim O'Reilly praised Sun Microsystems's vision "Network is the Computer" from a decade ago as foresightful. Sun's vision of being able to do anything or run any applications over the network has already become a reality years ago. Today, Jonathan Schwartz (and also other speakers) talked about a different concept, "Data is the Currency". For a detailed transcript of the interview of Jonathan Schwartz at Friday's Keynote session, please look at this unofficial page.

There are a few buzz words that have been mentioned again and again during this event. For someone who is not yet an expert of Web 2.0 technology, "mashup" was the word of the day for me.

According to wikipedia, "a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source".

On the Expo floor, Microsoft was demonstrating their popfly application. In the demo, it was used to mashup flickr pictures with "beach' keywords and google maps to create a new application that can display pictures taken on beaches around the world shown on google maps.

Another mashup example was demonstrated in a Sponsored session where a social networking site was mashed up with product review site so that the user can request user reviews of cameras from their contacts who were known to be camera users or photo lovers. The reviews get posted to the product review site for all to view, but they also represent more trustworthy opinions for the particular user who requested the reviews.

Friday's keynotes also included a hilarious session from Fake Steve Jobs where he talked about how he became the Fake Steve Jobs and did his job to make fun of the famous. He was funny in a goofy sort of way. The session was a success. It helped the audience to get energized again after 2 days of dry technical sessions. For the video of this session, please check this out.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: NewsBlaze Breaking News
EMAIL: support@newsblaze.com
URL: http://newsblaze.com/web2.0.html
DATE: 04/27/2008 20:00:42

Good post.

I made videos of several of the sessions and will be posting them over the next few days at http://newsblaze.com/web2.0.html

At least you get what 2.0 is - CNET completely missed the point and in a story says Web 2.0 is mature!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 04/28/2008 10:27:27

Thanks for your comment. I will be sure to check out your posts in the next few days.

Who Killed Electric Cars?

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: Who killed electric cars
DATE: 02/19/2008 11:28:17
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

Do you know that electric cars were available for lease to consumers 10 years ago in California? Between 1998 and 2003, over 4000 battery powered ZEVs were placed on the road of California by major automakers. There were GM's EV1, Toyota's RAV4 EV, Honda's EV Plus, Ford's Ranger EV just to name a few. What happened to them? Some of them were crashed and recycled, some of them shredded into small pieces. Not many of them survived. Who killed electric cars?

There are a few main suspects.

Consumers: Car companies blamed comsumers for not accepting the increased cost and decreased driving range. In reality many consumers were unaware of EV availability, due to car company's proposterous negative advertising and many consumers only needed to drive an average of 30 miles per day, and there are already charging stations in many places such as Sun's campuses and Costco.

Batteries: The early EV1's have limited range of 60-70 miles per charge. Then improved to 110-160 miles per charge on the second generation. According to studies, Lithium Ion batteries would have allow EV1 to reach 300 miles range at a higher cost.

Oil Companies: There is approximately $100B worth of oil still to be drilled from Alaska. Fearful of profit impact, they bought pattents of the more advanced NiMH batteries to prevent car companies from using them on their cars.

Car Companies: GM officials claimed that they stood no chance of ever making a profit on the EV1. Each EV1 costs about $80,000 to research and build, but GM was leasing them out for between $299 to $599 per month, based on the suggested retail price of $34,000 to $44,000. Furthermore, car dealers make a lot of profit from their service departments. With fewer moving parts to go wrong, the 5000 miles service for EV1 only required tire rotation, adding washer fluid, and safety inspection. There's no oil or oil filters to change, no smog inspection, no transmission service, no engine repairs.. It's a losing proposition for the car industry.

California Air Resources Board, who established the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate of 1990, caved to industry pressure, and also lost the law suit from automakers, oil industry, and George W Bush administration to revert the ZEV mandate.

So, who is guilty of killing the electric cars? The oil companies, car manufacturers, and the government all had their priorities toward their own profitability and lost their interest in EVs. Only the consumers and batteries developers still were willing to continue to flight for EVs to become a mainstream reality. So, we have a verdict.

Consumers- not guilty.
Batteries - not guilty.
Oil companies - guilty.
Car companies - guilty.
California Air Resources Board, and federal government - guilty.

Even though the previous generation of electric cars are dead, I am glad to see a new generation of electric cars being developed. If the production cost could be reduced, there is still opportunity for electric cars to become a reality for most consumers.

PS: this is a partial summary of the movie "Who killed electric cars" to fit a 5-7 minute speech for Toastmasters International.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Nico
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/nico
DATE: 02/19/2008 12:04:19

Economics. Battery technology and prices then vs. oil and gas prices then -- there was no match for oil then. Now things look different. We'll probably not see cheap oil for long enough that economies of scale for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and maybe even all-electric cars will have a chance to set in, and if that happens then even if oil prices come way down the hybrids and electrics will be here to stay.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Bill Rushmore
EMAIL: bill@rushmores.net
URL: http://rushmores.net
DATE: 02/19/2008 13:37:51

I would only blame one suspect for killing the electric cars, the Prius. Before the electric cars only made sense for people in urban areas on the coasts. Here comes the Prius at a reasonable price and a technology that will work for a wider set of people. It's pretty tough for electric cars to compete with that.

Soon we'll see plug in Hybrids which gets things a little closer. Then as technology advances and costs come down we'll see a comeback of the electric car.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko/
DATE: 02/20/2008 17:56:01

Thanks Nico and Bill for your comments.

I agree Hybrid is now more mature and practical than pure electric cars. At least it's much more affordable.

But I still have a feeling that there was conflict of interest and also conspiracy among the government and auto/oil industries.

I am glad that other than the $100,000 Tesla, I am able to find converted used Porsches EVs for between $42,000 and $66,000 offered by a company.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: GD
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 04/12/2008 13:30:24

The New York Times recently published a short article by Eugene L. Meyer about a U.S. community that is filled with electric carts, rather than cars: "Drive Carts, Not Cars"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/realestate/keymagazine/406hspeach-t.html

As long as people can afford to buy gas-guzzling cars, we'll have them. But if communities can build roads that are best for slower-moving motorized vehicles like golf carts and bicycles, even people who own cars may choose the slower, cleaner, and cheaper alternative.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 04/15/2008 17:14:39

That's interesting idea and much more affordable EV option than the $50-100K EVs. I have also looked into this option (Chrysler GEM), but they only travel up to about 25mph, which wouldn't work for my trip to work that includes both highway and local roads.

Sun's Menlo Park and Santa Clara campuses have EV charging stations. I have only seen 1 EV being charged there, a RAV4 EV produced by Toyota many years ago.

Electric Vehicles

This blog was exported from: http://blogs.sun.com/miko/entry/ev


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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: Electric Vehicles
DATE: 10/05/2007 17:57:14
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

Marcos's informative speech about plugin-hybrids and electric vehicles at speakeasy@sun Toastmaster's Club led me to the Electric Auto Association's Rally in Palo Alto in late August, where I witnessed various electric vehicles first hand.

My favorite EV from that Rally was the Tesla Roadster (pictured below). It reminded me of the Lotus Elise.

The Lotus Elise (below)

These two pictures were taken from roughly the same angle. The overall size and shape are similar. The light at the rear wheel arch looks the same. On Tesla Motor's FAQ page, it mentioned: "Lotus Cars is assembling the Tesla Roadster under contract to Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors has also hired Lotus Engineering for certain design and engineering tasks". No wonder!

The Tesla has many attributes that attracted me. First of all, it looks stunning! The look is not only skin deep. Behind the sharp look, it has a zero emmision motor that is capable of pushing the 2-seater from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph and a range of 245 miles.

Now, the negatives. The base price of the car is $98,000. That's more than twice the cost of a Lotus Elise (sticker price was $48,880 for the 2005 model pictured above), and it's not available yet. It's scheduled for delivery in July 2008.

Anyway, I can see potential success for this EV. Even though $100,000 is a lot of money, but there are a lot of people who can afford $100K+ cars, especially for a car that can reach 60 mph in under 4 seconds, which is an acceptable price point for such performance.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: ST
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 10/08/2007 10:27:38

I was interested in getting a Tesla, but the 125 mph top speed was a deal breaker. Plus, there's an issue about the battery life and the cost for replacement. I think there's a better place to spend the $100k.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 10/08/2007 11:37:48

Thanks ST for your comment. I can imagine the lithium ion battery can be expensive to replace. Well, the Tesla will probably be a toy for the rich or the environmentalists who wouldn't think about the maintenance costs :)

Since you are interested in bikes, you might find the Yamaha Lightning E1 or Vectrix ($11,000) interesting, though they cannot compare with your Ducati:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1141/1244260215_60d3587ffc.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1167/1244260147_431f6b3de9.jpg?v=0

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Love the EV technology
EMAIL: someone@somemail.net
URL: http://www.goss132.com
DATE: 07/23/2008 22:54:36

tesla motors is nice and all that, but i can get goss132 for a quarter of that

price. what a great company! love you goss132! what a relief actually.

i'll have more money for clothes, and my sons sports! hope they will sell a bunch

of them in miami!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sam
EMAIL: sirshoelace@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 07/25/2008 20:06:06

I live about a mile away from Tesla headquarters in San Carlos, and work only a few blocks away, and so know quite a bit about the tesla cars. you should indeed be reminded of the lotus elise, because the roadster is built on a slightly longer lotus elise chassis. In fact, it is built overseas in the lotus factory for now. in the next year or two, however, they are planning on putting a dedicated production facility in the san francisco bay area.

Taste of Lexus

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: Taste of Lexus
DATE: 08/23/2007 12:52:33
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

In the past few years, I have always been too late to register for Taste of Lexus event. The open slots filled up quickly. This year, I didn't plan on going, but when I logged into the registration web site 2 days before the event, much to my surprise, there were still 3 open time slots available. I immediately grabbed the Saturday 4:00 pm slot and registered a guest.

The event was held at Alameda Point, a former Naval Air Station. When we arrived at the entrance, it was about 4:15 pm. A few new guests were arriving and signing the waiver forms.

After the registeration, we were directed to a small group introduction area where the speaker introduced the layout of the site and the rules of the event. There were Hybrid, Luxury, Performance areas, and some entertainment and food areas.

Because the event ends at 5:30 pm, we didn't have a lot of time to explore all areas. We decided to go directly to the Hybrid area to learn and test drive the hybrids, since it's new to us. There were 3 models for test drive: RX400h, GS450h, and LS600h L. We were able to get on the appointment to test drive LS600h L and RX400h.

First, we waited in the line for LS600h L since it was the shortest line at the time.

At over $100,000, it was the most expensive car from Lexus. "h" in the model name stands for Hybrid, "L" stands for extended wheelbase. This particular car has a 4-seat package where there were only 2 seats at the rear. One of the seats has power footrest and massaging feature.

Then, we went on to wait in the line for RX400h. The line is much longer.

Here is the picture from the rear seat of the car.

After the drive, we still have a few minutes left, we quickly went to the Cucima cafe to get something to eat. The choices were certified angus sliders, grilled lamb, or grilled organic vegitable & goat cheese focaccia. The food was much better than at the C Drive. No wonder the event included the keyword "Taste" in its name. It's quite tasty.

We quickly finishing up our mini dinner and went through the different areas. We only had time to experience about 20% of the event. Next time, we need to register early and grab the earlier time slots. We could spend the whole afternoon here.

My overall impression of the event: food is great, but driving course is short and most of the time is spent waiting in the lines. I prefer the 15-20 minutes of Street Drive from Mercedes C Drive where you get to drive the car for longer and your passenger get to play with the toys inside the car.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: NJ Lexus
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 09/22/2007 17:51:11

I attended the Taste of Lexus event today at Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ.

Got to drive all the hybrids, and the reservation system was brand new which gave the impression of the lines being shorter.

Food was just okay, and allowed only one meal.

The big disappointment was no free gift at the end. The very first year that Lexus had "Taste of Lexus", they gave a way Coach Leather CD case.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL: michael.fang@sun.com
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 09/24/2007 10:49:21

Thanks for your comment. About the gift, Lexus representative told me instead of giving gifts, they are donating in participants' names to organizations that help to improve the environment.

2008 Mercedes C Drive

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: 2008 Mercedes C Drive
DATE: 08/08/2007 16:10:01
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

In recent years, automobile manufacturers have been promoting their new products with a new kind test drive experience, the kind of test drive events with no sales pressure, freedom to push the cars hard on the track, and party like ambience and food. Lexus has been sponsoring "Taste of Lexus" and Mercedes has "The C Drive" and various other events.

This year, I have been invited back to the Mercedes event, the "C Drive". The event is a little bit different this time. Mercedes used to host test drive events at the Alameda Point where there is space for multiple track courses, and this time, it's at the "Left Space Studios" in San Francisco. It has a "Street drive" and a "Close-course performance drive". Unfortunately, I attended the first day of the event, and they were not ready for the "Close-course performance drive", blaming the traffic between the Studio and the AT&T Park.

After checking in and signing a waiver, we were given a badge to wear around the neck. It was made with JavaCard technology for data storage. It was later used for accessing the survey and claiming of the gift pack.

Unsurprisingly, the event attracted a crowd of young attendees, who are the main customers of the entry level C class models.

Most people went for the food as they enter the studio. There wasn't a lot to choose from this year :(

Then, we stayed for a brief presentation of the features of the new models.

This year, besides the 2 different engine options (C350 and C300), there are also 2 distinct models "Luxury" and "Sport". The model on stage is the "Sport" model. It features the bold AMG aerodynamic package and AMG wheels (optional). There are C300 Sport and C350 Sport models available to choose from.

The most distinctive feature is in the front end. The grill has been replaced with the style that's found on other Mercedes coupes. It has a big Mercedes star and a flat emblem atop the hood instead of a standing star.

The other model is the "Luxury" mode (the silver car in the photo below)l. It features the traditional sedan grill and standing star. The Luxury model is only available in C300 engine size.

Now the "Street Drive" began. The attendees got into the test cars (pre-production cars, as pointed out by my friend's friend who works for Mercedes as regional manager). Each fleet of five cars were led by a pacer in the front, communicated with walkie talkie. The pacer ensures that the cars following him knew the next turn ahead of time.

Two drivers were assigned to each car. They switch seats in the middle of the course. My co-driver was cut off by a big rig toward the end of the street drive. We couldn't see the car in front of us and missed a turn. We used the walkie talkie to communicate our location with the pacer and he found us quickly and took us back to the finishing point.

We went back into the studio and hanged around for a little while. Guess what's going on inside this booth?

My guess was a massaging stand. Last year, Ritz Carlton Spa was providing massages on site :)

Here's the correct answer.

It's a photo booth provided by Nokia. The face of the person has been blurred intentionally to protect his identity.

Will I trade in my current model for the new model? Probably not. I need a bigger car :)

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 09/13/2007 13:30:37

6

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: co-driver
EMAIL:
URL: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/Pallas-Chen/
DATE: 10/07/2007 14:32:43

I like the C-drive but I like Lexus more this year.

BMW Ultimate Drive

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: BMW Ultimate Drive
DATE: 06/19/2008 18:03:50
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

BMW Ultimate Drive is a fund raising event that donates $1 for every mile driven to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help fight against breast cancer. The goal is to raise $12 million through the drive across the U.S.

On 6/8, the fleet of BMWs arrived at Concord BMW dealership.

Most of the model lineups were available for the drive: 1 series, 3 series, Z4, 5 series, 7 series, X3, X5, and the new X6.

There was a route map on the cabin of each car that took the participants through about 20 miles of combination city streets, highway, and scenic routes.

Since the X6 was a new model, I took one out for a spin.

That's me behind the wheel.

The X6 is a 4 passenger luxury sports activity coupe. It rides high like a SUV (BMW calls it SAV), yet, the interior gives an intimate feeling of a sports coupe. The engine smothness and handling was first-rated. However, the rearward vision was almost none. The rear view mirror shows you a small strip of rear window, due to the highly sloped rear-end. Even when I turned my head left to watch out for the blind spot, the vision was also extremely limited. It does have a fancy backup camera and parking sensors to aid parking. Some kind of blind spot sensors or collision avoidance sensors would be useful on this car.

We also drove the X5.

It has more interior space, and the outward vision is much better than the X6. We missed a highway exit and had to drive about 10 extra miles to get back to the dealership with the help of the GPS. The iDrive joystick (or what Motor Trend called "Tumor") took some experiment to program the GPS to take us back to the dealership.

Due to the waiting line and the hot weather, we only drove the X5 and X6 and contributed about $50 of fund rasing to support The Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The event will be happening at Washington state during the weekend of 6/20-6/23. Then continue to Minnesota (6/26-6/28), South Dakota (6/30), Iowa (7/2, 7/16), Nebraska, and other midwest states and the rest of the country.

Hirschmann Auto Antenna Replacement

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: Hirschmann Auto Antenna Replacement
DATE: 07/01/2008 15:43:48
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

With the CD changer fixed in one car, now it's the time to tackle the radio reception problem on the other car. Physically, I noticed a broken antenna neck/nut that was probably damaged during a car wash.

I did some research on replacement parts, and found that I needed a Hirschmann AUTA 6000 KE. The antenna mast goes for about $90, but I need the whole assembly including motor (actually only the top tube of the assembly is broken, but I couldn't find anyone who sells just that part). The part goes for about $255 on some online stores and $330 at the dealer.

I searched ebay and online retailers and repair shops, and found that R&R Import Parts was selling a similar antenna mast on ebay. The company happened to be located very closely to my place, and the owner Roy Tucker was nice enough to be willing to help me replace the part for a small fee. From talking with him on the phone, I could tell that he's knowledgeable about this part and knew what it takes to replace it. So, I asked him to order the correct parts for me (antenna assembly plus upper and lower seals) and help me with the installation.

The parts took about 1 day to arrive. I then made arrangement to go to Roy's place on Friday to get the part replaced. Before heading to Roy's place, I have already removed the trunk's carpet and the liner blocking access to the antenna. Here is how.

First, remove the carpet that sits on the floor of the trunk. There is nothing special, just pull it up, the whole piece just comes out.

To get to the antenna assembly, I had to remove the trunk liner on the left side of the trunk. It was held in place by a round retainer. This part is easily broken. I remove it by carefully inserting a chisel under it and slowly pop it up.

With the liner out of the way, the antenna assembly can be accessed. There are 2 screws to be removed. The top one holds the ground wire in place, the buttom one holds the antenna assembly in place. There is also an amplifier there making access a bit more crowded. It could be removed to make the work easier.

With the screws removed, wiggle the whole antenna assembly and pulls it down to remove it. Below you see the old and new antennae sitting side by side. At this time, we unplugged the wires from the old antenna and reconnected them to the new antenna assembly. The most difficult part of the work was to insert and tighten the lower screw, because it was blocked by the amp and it's helpful to have an extra hand to align and hold on to the position of the antenna assembly while another person tighten the screw.

Now, it's time to test it out. Hmmm.. the radio reception was still poor. What happened? I compared the connections on the old distribution box (or antenna signal booster) with the connections on the new box and found something weird.

Here is the connection on the new distribution box:

Here is the connection on the original distribution box:

The new distribution box's labels were wrong. How could this be? The cover panel was assembled upside down! (Hmm... what happened to precision German engineering...). So, the connection from the antenna mast was incorrected connected to the cell phone port! Anyway, I had to pull out the antenna and reconnect the wires. Now the radio reception has finally been regained.

Now, it looks like my original antenna was still in partial working order. The motor and mast still work, just the 'protective tube with neck" on top of the motor assembly was broken. I will try to sell it on ebay to recover some of the costs for the replacement part, and help someone else with a bad motor or mast.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: agusta
EMAIL: a_prakersa@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 04/26/2009 18:44:02

hi,

just wondering, i just got a used hirschmann antenna from ebay, and there are 4 or 5 pins (don't remember exactly), which will connect them to ground, positive, and remote....

the antenna just like yours ( the last pic / http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2629289534_a22d755d16_b.jpg )

can you tell to me regarding which pin will lead to positive, ground, and remote??

thanks

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 04/28/2009 14:50:27

The labels in red on this picture is the correct one: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2628456677_f1c3254c64_b.jpg

This is also correct: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2628457967_c90a30041c_b.jpg

The ground wire is the exposed copper wire.

-miko

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: agusta
EMAIL: a_prakersa@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 04/28/2009 18:30:54

No no no...

not the adapter, yet the antenna's pin

the picture :

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb155/prakersa/antenna/c.jpg

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL: michael.fang@sun.com
URL:
DATE: 08/06/2009 22:02:15

sorry, I don't think I have disconnected that part, so I don't know.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: chris
EMAIL: clroutzohn@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 09/30/2009 03:27:10

Hi there I just got a new power ant for my 87 jag and I hooked it up where the old wires went but it don't do nothing.Does the code on the radio have to be set first? I had to disconnect the battery per instructions not the code comes on, How do I reset the code?

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 09/30/2009 06:50:07

I did not disconnect the battery when I did the installation. The radio code could be in a plastic/paper card in your car's manual. If not, you need to check with your friendly dealer. Some dealer gave it out when you purchased the car, some didn't.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Ted
EMAIL: tagteam5@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 10/24/2009 08:43:53

Miko,

Would you sell me your old antenna? I have the same antenna (and also a 1997 C230) that has a broken gear inside. Between your unit with a bad mast guide and mine I can make one good one. Please let me know.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 10/24/2009 15:23:43

Sorry, I tried to sell it on ebay with no success, so I threw it away since I have no space to store it :(

-miko

CD Changer Repair

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AUTHOR: miko
TITLE: CD Changer Repair
DATE: 06/20/2008 18:06:55
PRIMARY CATEGORY: Personal
STATUS: publish
ALLOW COMMENTS: 1
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BODY:

The CD Changer installed in the glove compartment of my car has ceased to function for several years already (it failed to recognize CDs in the 6 disc magazine). Today, after a few google searches, I found a discussion forum that has just the information I was looking for, a potential fix for the problem a lot of people have experienced in their Alpine CD changers. So, I decided to give it a try! For better or for worse.

First, I removed the changer from the glove compartment. That was a fairly easy task of unplugging 2 wiring connectors, since my changer wasn't properly secured to the glove compartment (missing mounting bracket/screws).

Now, with the changer sitting on my desk, remove the screws on the side of the changer as shown below.

Then, pop out the plastic clips to remove the front panel.

Then, remove the springs that suspends the internal casing for anti-vibration using a long nose plier.

Then, remove the 4 rubber bushings by hand, and open up the case as shown below.

Now, the actual repair/adjustment. On the lower left hand side of the picture below, you will see this worm/wheel drive gear. There was a small gap between them, causing the worm to not driving the gear, and therefore, failed to pick up the CD.

To adjust it, I first loosen the screw that's holding the gear in place, using one screw driver to push it closer to the worm gear, while using another screw driver to tighten the screw. I used my hand to rotate the worm a little bit to test out the operation.

Then, I reversed the steps and closed up the case and place the changer back into the car. It worked! Now, I can listen to CDs again :) All-in-all, it took about one hour of work, and saved myself about $300 of repair bill.

Now, if I can find a way to repair the power antenna in the other car... part of the antenna was broken , so radio reception was extremely poor... I have found some exploded views of the parts, and hopefully I can take it apart and be able to order just the required parts, to save me another $350 (or save me $600 if I let my friendly dealer do the honor).

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR:
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 06/21/2008 17:03:33

Thanks, I followed your repair it worked great. You should really say the repair saved you $300 on a new unit, I doubt a repair facitity would charge that much to fix it.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 06/21/2008 18:29:53

Thanks for your comment! Glad it worked out for you! For 1 hour of work, shops should probably charge $75-150 based on their hourly rate. But, I found this place that repairs this particular changer for a flat rate of $295 http://www.carstereohelp.com./ Ouch! Maybe I can also make some money repairing changers :)

I purchased my changer for about $350 5-6 years ago. Probably due to the weak dollar, the price of a new unit has climbed to about $800 (from performanceproducts.com).

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Hennie
EMAIL: hennie.serfontein@btgroup.co.za
URL:
DATE: 06/22/2008 09:07:06

Thanks for the posting. It will be very helpful, if only I can get my CD changer out of the glovebox. Can somebody please tell me how to remove it. I also have a CD holder with pop-out shelves next to the changer in the glovebox.

Thanks

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 06/23/2008 11:17:07

Hennie, not sure if this is similar to what you have, there is instruction to remove the cd holder on http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w245-b-class/1356322-cd-holder-removal-info-required-3.html

"For any one interested the CD holder is held in by plastic clips in square holes and to remove the holder all you have to do is push the 'lips' on the front 2 clips and the back ones 'Hinge' out of their location holes."

Here are the pictures (in case you are not a forum member and cannot view them)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2605042798_9f97a15e82_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2605042862_d09afb7a8c_o.jpg

I am not sure how to remove the cd changer itself. Supposely, they are held by 4 screws on 2 brackets that look like this http://www.adelcom.net/MERCEDES_merc-brkt.htm.

If you don't mind paying $2.99 there are instructions for many cars at http://www.carstereohelp.com./stereoremoval.htm. I am not related to this web site and don't have experience purchasing from them.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jody
EMAIL: nabokovshark@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 06/27/2008 13:03:57

I am having a VERY SIMILAR problem with the same model cd changer, as it doesn't seem to be

recognizing the cd's, but with mine each cd is being loaded and returned back to the magazine

until all 6 have gone through. Then it stops and altogether and doesn't run through them

again. It looks like the the gears that move the (laser track?) are moving but the tracking

mechanism doesn't move back and forth. Obviously I don't know ANYTHING about electronics but

after reading these posts I do know that I'm not having the same problem with the same worm gear.

Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED ! b/c I've HAD IT with this and I'm sure it's an easy fix

for anyone out there reading this :)

Thanks!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 06/27/2008 15:15:20

Jody, you might be having the same problem as I did. I failed to mention, for me, each cd was being loaded and returned back, and at the end, it displayed "magazine empty" (or something like that). Not sure if you also have the "magazine empty" message. If you did, then the problem could be the same. Hope it helps!

-miko

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jody
EMAIL: nabokovshark@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 06/27/2008 16:45:14

THANK YOU for replying! After it runs through all 6 disks it says Disk 0 Track 0.

But that worm/wheel drive gear is aligned and functioning as it should, it just

looks like the other gears aren't working properly (where that one piece slides

back and forth) It's not a worm/wheel drive gear, but looks like 3 'regular'

gears lined up next to each other. (sorry for this vague description!!)

I've been on the internet for hours and your site is the very closest I've come

to my problem.

Thanks for your input and time

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 07/01/2008 13:40:45

You are welcome Jody! I wish I could help you more, but I only know what I know :p

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Graeme
EMAIL: gra22a@hotmail.com
URL:
DATE: 07/04/2008 07:39:58

Jody, did you manage to fix your problem? as it sounds like you have the same problem as me

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jody
EMAIL: nabokovshark@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 07/04/2008 12:08:31

Actually no. The tracking mechanism doesn't move the laser back and forth, although if I move the gears manually without the motor on, they do work and the laser lens moves back and forth like it should. The 3 gears that move the tracking mechanism don't

move. So could it be that motor? It's hard for me to explain when I don't know anything about electronics! The 3rd gear, that's attached to the tracking mech. spins

for a second, then stops, but the two that it's attached to (1 of them being attached to the motor) don't move at all. Maybe the way to fix it is to go on ebay and get a stereo with an iPod hook up!

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jody
EMAIL: nabokovshark@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 07/04/2008 13:48:26

Actually no. The tracking mechanism doesn't move the laser back and forth, although if I move the gears manually without the motor on, they do work and the laser lens moves back and forth like it should. The 3 gears that move the tracking mechanism don't

move. So could it be that motor? It's hard for me to explain when I don't know anything about electronics! The 3rd gear, that's attached to the tracking mech. spins

for a second, then stops, but the two that it's attached to (1 of them being attached to the motor) don't move at all. Maybe the way to fix it is to go on ebay and get a stereo with an iPod hook up!

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 07/04/2008 23:07:10

I found some ipod interfaces available here: http://www.logjamelectronics.com/ipodproducts.html. Some of the interfaces on this site allows you to connect alpine cd changer with mp3 capability.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 07/04/2008 23:08:39

well, there may be more similar products available from other companies. Please do some researches first to find the best suitable one for your application.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jody
EMAIL: nabokovshark@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 07/05/2008 04:40:32

Hey thanks so much !!!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Phil
EMAIL: pvorwerk@newulmtel.net
URL:
DATE: 08/02/2008 13:57:00

I recently purchased a 99 C230 for my son. It was missing the cartridge for the cd changer, so I bought a new one thinking that would take care of it. The changer powers up and loads a cd when I insert the cartridge, but if I select cd at the head unit I get the message "NO CD Changer"

Any ideas?

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 08/03/2008 16:03:23

The changer for 99 is different than the one I have. Yours is mounted in the trunk and is probably made by Becker.

There are a few things to try:

1. Check out http://www.mercedesforum.com/m_56107/tm.htm Disconnecting it from the power source and reconnecting it 1-5 minutes later. OR, unplug/replug the fuse corresponding to the cd changer/radio if you can find it. You may need to have your radio code in case it was requested after power disconnect (theft deterrant feature of the radio).

2. Try to disassemble the cd changer like what I did.

3. Take it to a audio store. Not sure how much they will charge to look at it. The stores around here ask for $75-150 to look into it.

4. search ebay or craigslist for a used changer for around $200-250,

A203 820 9089 MC3010

A002 820 7989 MC3198

and replace it. some info at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w202-c-class/1176005-mc3010-cd-changer-install-99-c230k.html

Good luck!

-miko

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Randino
EMAIL: cooprh@hotmail.com
URL:
DATE: 08/14/2008 18:30:16

I have everything apart, on the workbench. Ready for reassembly. What is the trick to get the rubber bushing vibration isolators back on their posts? They won't go on! Everytime I think I have them on the right side correctly they pop off when I start to work on the left side!

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 08/14/2008 19:34:47

I remember the 4 rubber bushings were easily held by the small metal posts. The part that took me the most time was to put back the little springs for the suspension. I used a long nose plier for that.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: michelle casper
EMAIL: mbcspr@charter.net
URL:
DATE: 08/30/2008 10:58:30

I have a 2004 clk 500 and i got no cd changer code on stero. so I tried to eject cd magazine and it wouldn't come out. After playing around with it for a few minutes, I lost sound to my entire stero. Any suggestions?

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: David
EMAIL: justin000@peoplepc.com
URL: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audio-telematics-forum/1399828-cd-changer-002-820-7989-re.html#post3079204
DATE: 09/25/2008 04:13:04

Hi I disassembled my CD CHANGER slightly different case construction 2 plastic clips fell out on the interior of the case. I have only a guess as to where they should be on re-installation.

Please see the following post for photos of the missing clips.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audio-telematics-forum/1399828-cd-changer-002-820-7989-re.html#post3079204

If anyone has seen where these definitely go that would be great!

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Tom Ard
EMAIL: tomard@earthlink.net
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko/entry/cd_changer_repair
DATE: 11/17/2008 05:12:50

Miko - looking at your pic of cd changer anti-vibration spring locations, is yours a horizontal (glove box setup) or a vertical (down in the trunk wheel well setup)????

I have messed with mine and not sure which way it goes ......

Thanks

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL: http://blogs.sun.com/miko
DATE: 11/17/2008 10:24:07

Tom - my changer is horizontal mounted in the globe box. I don't have the spec, but from the look of it, if you have vertical trunk mounted changer, you should set the spring on the other end. The springs are uses as suspension and should look vertical when the changer is mounted. Hope it helps.

David - Becker and Alpine are 2 different part suppiers of OEM cd changers. Sorry I don't have those 2 clips on my changer.

Michelle - Sorry, I am not sure, but sounds like the connection to the stereo system was unplugged.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Craig H
EMAIL: craighollett@freedomatlantic.com
URL:
DATE: 12/29/2008 09:43:37

I have a 2003 ML350 that keeps coming back "Mag Empty" with the mag full of CDs. I followed your instructions to the letter and when I reinstalled it it said "no cd player installed" so I powered off the headunit and then back on and the cd started playing. I selected cd2 and nothing then cd3 nothing. It came back with the same error of "mag empty" again. The fact that it worked for a second tells me that it can be fixed but before I go through the process again, is there something I may have missed to that I can do to keep the thing going?

any help you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks

Craig H

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Toby D.
EMAIL: trandme@hotmail.com
URL:
DATE: 01/10/2009 21:55:52

I bought a 99 Honda Accord and it had this unit in the trunk. It even came with CD's from that time frame. I followed your instuctions and I could tell that the worm gear was the problem. I found it easier to install the rubber stabilizers on the unit before putting it back in the frame.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Gary
EMAIL: gejp48@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 01/22/2009 21:24:36

Miko:

Do you know where I can buy parts for a mc3198? I need to purchase the piece on the bottom of the mc3198 cd changer that reads "CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT: This is where the female power and fiber optic slots are. One would plug the male power and fiber optic cables into it. Mine has rusted out and I need to purchase one. If someone has a mc3198 they are throwing away I will but it for parts.

Thanks

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Taz
EMAIL: mbhimji@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 02/16/2009 13:28:38

I had same problem but in the process messed up the ribbon cable on the otherside connecting the circuit board toi the smaller board that connects to the din.

Now i need help knowing which direction it should connect in and also where to get replacement ribbon cable.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 02/16/2009 16:53:10

Sorry I don't know where to get the parts... I was only following the directions to fix the issues after searching different forums.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: mick
EMAIL: mickandlindariley@hotmail.co.uk
URL:
DATE: 02/22/2009 02:24:22

HI ALL, can anybody tell me if the fibre optics found in my boot should have a plug attatched to them or do they just push into changer,i do not have a changer yet so have noway of solving this other than asking? AUDIO 10.....possible MC3010

Thanks Mick

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 02/22/2009 12:01:30

Hi mick, which "boot" are you referring to? If I remember correctly, when I purchased the CD changer, the fiber optics cable was another part I needed to purchase.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Robert
EMAIL: robert.shimko@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 03/13/2009 17:23:57

I have re-aligned my worm gear twice, but now I've noticed that one of the teeth is missing from the smaller vertical gear. Anyone know where I can get one or even what thhis part number is??

Thanks

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Gary
EMAIL: gejp48@gmail.com
URL:
DATE: 03/15/2009 08:00:35

Hi Robert:

I have a mc3198 that I bought from a local yard for parts. I have canabilized it for parts. Which gear do you need. I may have one.E-mail me gejp48@gmail.com. If anyone else needs parts let me know.

Gary

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: John
EMAIL: xiaojian39@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 03/20/2009 19:34:54

I did mine as guided, it works now. Only a minor recommendation that you may remove the suspend springs after removal of 4 rubber bushings, as the spring fall off themself. The gap is so tiny not obvious at all, but it is there. Once you had all of steps done, it works.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: John Hagopian PE
EMAIL: jkhag@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 04/06/2009 07:48:16

Does anyone know the wiring for the 3 pin plug that goes into the head unit,model MC3010 CD Changer,its the small jr connecter.

John H

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Georj
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 05/10/2009 21:44:28

I had similar problems. I have a 1999 C280, and the CD changer right from the beginning was flaky. The problem started when the car was still under warranty and the CD changer would intermittently report NO CD in a slot when there was a CD. I took it to the MB dealer who did not find any problem with the CD. But last week, the CD quit completely always reporting "Magazine Empty". Today I finally had the nerve to take apart the CD changer following Miko's directions. I did not find anything obviously wrong. I moved all the gears by hand, especially the big black one that loads and unloads the CD into the changer. I put it back together and it works like a charm.

I think there was some dirt in there that stopped the loading mechanism from moving.

In putting back the covers. I ruptured two of the rubber bushings that hold the changer in the assembly and some white gooey stuff came out. I hope it will not cause any problems.

I would like to thank Miko for the excellent directions. I guess I saved myself few hundred Dollars! Thanks Miko!

Georj

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Suz
EMAIL: skores@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 05/14/2009 08:47:32

Adjusted CD player as outlined. Now instead of "No Magazine" message I get "No CD Player" Followed suggestion to turn on radio, turned it off, remove power and fiber optic cable, turn on and off radio. Replaced both cables. Still get the same "No CD Player" message. Also pulled fuse and replaced it. Same problem.

Is there a way to reboot the radio? I have the code to reset it.

Suggestions appreciated.

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Steve
EMAIL: intruder60@excite.com
URL:
DATE: 05/17/2009 11:21:39

I can't thank you enough for this information. While the model CD player I have is slightly different than yours (mine is from a 1997 Jag XK8), the problem was the same and the model of the CD players were close enough that I figured i had nothing to lose.

The fix I needed was slightly different as well. Instead of having to get the wheel gear closer to the worm gear, the worm gear had actually slipped further away from the drive motor than it should have been. This caused the whole CD loading drive mechanism to lock up totally. A slight push with a small screwdriver on the end of the worm drive popped it back into place and the whole thing is working perfectly again.

But I would have never even gotten to that point (or even had the courage to try) without the information above. Thank you again and I know you just saved me at least $600, if not more.

By the way, now my wife thinks I'm a genius. So let's keep this whole thing between us, 'k?

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mitchell
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 07/15/2009 00:02:48

Thanks Man, I used your guidelines to fix the stuck #2tray in my wife's BMW 328i. Also

a 6 disc changer. Although I just removed the front plastic plate by pushing in the 4 tabs on the bottom and then removed the 4 top screws. The whole top then come be pulled off (no removal of spring or rubber dampers was necessary). Then turned the big black plastic gear which reinserted the tray . Then turned the smaller plastic gear behind the cartridge all the way until the cartridge popped out. Sweet.

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Curtis
EMAIL: clee993876@aol.com
URL:
DATE: 08/02/2009 17:35:22

My alpine optic changer skips and does not play cds at a quality level. HELP!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandi
EMAIL: sandi.gibson@hotmail.com
URL:
DATE: 08/23/2009 20:09:03

My husband removed my CD Changer from my 2001 Jaguar XK8 and it was the same as yours. He followed the Instructions and plugged it in and what do you know, it worked. It hasn't worked fo several month, I don't know how long because I haven't used it for awhile but when I went to use it I was surprised that it wasn't working. I just wanted to thank you for the information, it really helped and saved me time and money. Thanks again, Sandi

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Zoe
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 08/25/2009 19:59:28

WOW!! I had the exact problem as others. It would not receive the discs, but just run through saying "empty mag". I would have never even thought to do my own electrical repair unless you had posted this! I was about to give up, but this is exactly what mine looked like. It took about 1.5 hours to do the repair, put it back, test it, realize it had broken again... take it apart and redo the repair, replace it - test it and TADA!!! SUCCESS! Finally off of my to do list. (And we thought it was because I put the magazine in wrong - even though the little tab at the end was completely broken off!) THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: richi
EMAIL: richard@pearsonpresslimited.co.uk
URL:
DATE: 09/04/2009 02:59:11

Hi I've got a :

ORIGINAL Mercedes 6 CD Changer, Connection type: Fibre optic, A 002 820 7989

Model No. MC3198

When in my car it switched between CD's with no problems plays fine but every time i turn the ignition the cartridge is ejected... has anyone else had this problem and any suggestions...

Many thanks

-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: ual inspector
EMAIL: jkilliri@sbcglobal.net
URL: http://jkilliri@sbcglobal.net
DATE: 11/25/2009 20:31:19

replacing suspension springs---------fabricate a 'J' shaped hook out of 3 or 4 inches of stiff wire--I used .032 diameter aircraft stainless steel saftey wire.---copper may be too soft--with 4 rubber isolators off--attach the spring first---attach the 'J' hook to the upper pin groove and keep it on the inside of the case---next have a small pair of flat nose pliers on hand---pull up lightly to keep tension on the spring --with left hand--when pin is exposed in the upper adjustment slot grab the tip fairly hard with the pliers---- LOWER WIRE AND REMOVE--insert pin into adjusting slot--'V'is position for vertical changer installation and 'H' is for horizontal installation--install isolators-

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Amy
EMAIL: lu2x4ah@pacbell.net
URL:
DATE: 12/08/2009 14:58:42

I just found your blog. I'm wondering if my cd changer is having the same problem (glove compartment 6 disc changer in a 2003 c230k.. is that alpine?). For awhile now it might skip during songs, and not due to bumpiness of road or anything. Then it would be fine for another long while, then skip a lot or go silent for a good few seconds in the middle of songs. Now it seems to be having trouble recognizing there's CDs in the magazine. Does this sound like a similar problem? Should I try to take apart the changer as you did? No experience fixing any car stereo problem at all, but if this is what I must do, then so be it! Do not want to give someone several hundred dollars if it's something fairly easy to fix. =)

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: miko
EMAIL:
URL:
DATE: 12/08/2009 16:16:33

Amy, my car is 2001 C320, so it might be the same or similar unit. Skipping might be due to dirty lens that could be cleaned with CD lens cleaner disc or other products. If the CD fails to recognize there are CDs in the magazine (probably says magazine empty or something like that), then you can try to follow my instructions.

-miko

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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Glen
EMAIL: glenn_mcperson@yahoo.com
URL:
DATE: 01/16/2010 17:18:46

I have followed the instructions in this post and it really worked for me. The only problem is that after a few days woorking fine, the charger fails again. I have opened it a total of 6 times so I guess it may be worth changing that part for a new one.

Does anyone know where can I order this part or the part number please?

Thanks