DAB CD Radio Alarm Clock

[Griffin NoName]

I have had, for more than 30 years a totally brilliant Radio Alarm Clock which you can set to wake you with music from CD, or with the radio, or normal bleeping. It is like a very tiny laptop. ie. large screen and speakers in the lid which opens up (obviously) and then the flat part has the CD player and all the buttons. The nice thing is, because the push buttons for snooze and alarm off are on the flat part on the bedside table, and they are therfore table height, you press them down to work............ much better than having to push sideways against the machine or whatever. Another "feature" is because the flat part is, well, flat, you can put things on top of it, thus gaining space where they would otherwise be on the bedside table (eg. a jar of face cream), though depending on where you place them, you may have to take them off to open the CD player.

So, two days ago, I knocked over a bottle of water which I had forgotten to put the cap on, and the water shot all over the Alarm clock. I socked up what I could and I think it is all dry inside and out now, but the CD player won't work. It spins the disc, gets up to speed, displays 00 on the screen (which is normal, before it registers track 1, 01). But then it stops and the diisc spins down to stopped.

I have been looking at possible replacements and I can't find anything as clever in design. Bascally I've only found 2 that have the functionality and one of those has terrible reviews saying the CD player is crap and buzzes loudly and clciks and so on, so that one is out. They are both bulkier being broadly cube designs. I'm not that keen on the one that gets good reviews. Some people say it is fiddly but it is hard to judge if they are people who have no electrical talents.

I don't suppose anyone knows a way to encourage my existing clock's CD player to go the extra mile and find track 01? Or knows of a devine model I could purchase?

I am very sad.

[Bluenose]

Hi Griff, the most likely culprit is the laser assembly..  These face upwards and it may have water sitting over the lens or may have become covered with the dust that usually gathers there obscuring its operation. This part is usually a round thing, with a small lens in the middle, that sits on a radial slot from the centre to the edge of the disc tray. If there is some water there, try carefully dabbing it with the corner of a tissue. If it is dry, try cleaning the lens surface with a soft lint free cloth. You can buy lens cleaning kits for cd players but I have never been very convinced of their efficacy. Let us know how you go

If this does not help see if you have any silica gel sachets of the kind you often get with new electronic equipment, try putting the unit in a plastic bag with one or more of these sachets and sealing it up for a day or two to absorb any residual moisture.

[Griffin NoName]

Thanks Blue.

I've tried that (except the sachet) to no avail. I've found a company that repairs CD players and had a long chat, telling them exactly what happens - sequence of events - when I press the start CD button. They think it is one of the boards, which they may be able to mend, or faling that get the part from Hong Kong. They will tell me the cost of repair and I can agree to go ahead or not. They provide a free courier service which is perfect for me. They sounded like decent people.

[Aggie]

Good luck on the repair, however....

Why CD, these days?  Surely one can find an mp3 model that will suffice. 

I understand that the form and function is something you like, but a much smaller unit that takes up less desk space might be available. I use an old mobile phone as my alarm clock, which doesn't require a constant plug in and (hypothetically) could wake one up to whatever song one likes. I dislike light when I'm sleeping, so I don't like a clock display; with the phone I can just pick it up when I need to check the time without even sitting up or rolling over.

[Griffin NoName]

The one I've sent for mending actually takes up less space than current ones on the market and is a good deal more attractive and better made.

I have piles of CDs I like waking up to. I don't have any MP3s.

I am converting my tapes to mp3 (they are all much older than my CDs) but it is taking for ever as there are loads. None of them are anything I'd like to wake up to.

One day I might convert my CDs but that day is a long way off.

[Aggie]

Ah, I see. While a lot of my old music collection (that I listen to infrequently) is on CD, most of my new music purchases get ripped to mp3 immediately, so that I can make a copy and save wear and tear on the original disc. Provided your device has a CD-ROM drive, ripping is easy and quick, and can happen while you're doing other things.  Tape to mp3 is more ambitious!

[Griffin NoName]

Nothing is easy or quick for me. Not to be rude, but it isn't....... the easy thing is to continue as I always have with my pile of CDs by my bed and my CD player. I doubt I shall live long enough to find the CDs deteriorate significantly.

I have in the past copied a CD to mp3 file so I know the process is simple, but organising it isn't simple for me. For example I need to be awake to start with

[Aggie]

Easy and quick as in, you take a CD from the pile beside your bed, pop it in your cd drive, hit rip, and then when it's done it automatically ejects, at which point you place it in a separate pile.

Easy in relative terms (with a nod to the standard personal limitations) and it can be fairly annoying if you are trying to accomplish anything else.

I've got a dozens of CDs that have remained unripped for many year, so ymmv.

[Griffin NoName]

But then I'd need to burn the mp3 back to a CD to be able to play it as a wake up alarm.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

There are some alarm clocks that can use a phone for music:

http://www.amazon.com/Jensen-Universal-Bluetooth-Charging-Smartphones/dp/B00BCA40U8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1433744194&sr=8-9&keywords=alarm+clock+phone+dock

If you use a CD player it means that you can rip that one CD and play MP3s in the phone for that purpose. No need to do the whole library.

[Aggie]

But then I'd need to burn the mp3 back to a CD to be able to play it as a wake up alarm.

Unless you happened to find an appropriate mp3 alarm clock that met your needs, which is why I mentioned it in the first place (prior to you finding a repair option).

[Griffin NoName]

Have just heard the main board is a complete write off due to water damage and they can't get one from Hong Kong. So that is that. However, apparently there are a lot of the same model on e-bay. I may be tempted. I've never used e-bay as I consider it a new-fangled way of life.

I've just taken delivery of a new cell phone, so the option mentioned is possibe as it has more capacity than my current one, which is the main reason for upgrading.

[Bluenose]

Generally, I find the alarms on smart phones to be not much use for waking up.  They tend to be not loud enough and don't go on for long enough to wake me up.  Of course, your mileage may vary. 

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

It depends on how loud the phone is, what ringtone you use, how close you leave the phone and how light or deep is your sleep. In my case it has been more than adequate.

[Aggie]

I wake up on a hairtrigger, more or less, so the lowest setting on any alarm usually works for me. Louder and more abrasive alarms put me in a foul mood on waking.

[Griffin NoName]

I tend to overdose on the Snooze function whatever the machine producing the sound.

I particularly hate those alarms that increase in volume the longer you leave them ringing. It's like being nagged.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

If you need an alarm to wake up it means the hour is ungodly to begin with so of course it will feel like nagging.

[Griffin NoName]

Yes, but not to the extent that the clock begins to morph into my father.

I have found and bought the identical model on ebay. Fingers crossed it will be ok - it arrives Friday from Germany.