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Fixed - Ruark Audio R4i won't eject CDs

JohnB47
Posts: 2,639 Forumite


I just thought I'd post this in case anyone else who owns an R4i music system sees it and it helps them save money by fixing the problem easily themselves.
Just the other day, I inserted a music CD and it wouldn't eject. That should happen when a small silver button on the front panel is pressed.
I did lots of searching and found very little information about fixing this type of equipment - this make anyway. Similarly, I couldn't find a circuit diagram or a spare parts supplier.
I thought then that I would dismantle the thing and see if I could spot what the problem was. The one snippet of information I found on the web was that the metal front panel is held on by magnets. So, rather than work from the back, I got one of those little suction things, gave it a lick and stuck it on the top right hand side of the panel and gently pulled. The panel popped off easily and was connected by around three ribbon cables, with enough slack to leave them connected. There are small magnets at each front corner, holding the front panel on.
I saw that the silver eject button was connected to a small switch fitted to a circuit board. I measured 3.5 volts across the switch contacts. This voltage didn't change when I pressed the switch.
I had some contact cleaner (bought for use on a carburettor sensor in a car I used to have), so with power off, I sprayed some in a little cup and used a brush to douse the switch with it while pressing the button multiple times.
Needles to say, that has solved the problem. I then found many sites showing that this tiny type of switch is known to go dirty and if cleaning doesn't help, replacements are available and cheap. If the problem returns, I'll go the whole hog and replace the switch.
So if anyone has a similar problem, it is easily fixed.
Just the other day, I inserted a music CD and it wouldn't eject. That should happen when a small silver button on the front panel is pressed.
I did lots of searching and found very little information about fixing this type of equipment - this make anyway. Similarly, I couldn't find a circuit diagram or a spare parts supplier.
I thought then that I would dismantle the thing and see if I could spot what the problem was. The one snippet of information I found on the web was that the metal front panel is held on by magnets. So, rather than work from the back, I got one of those little suction things, gave it a lick and stuck it on the top right hand side of the panel and gently pulled. The panel popped off easily and was connected by around three ribbon cables, with enough slack to leave them connected. There are small magnets at each front corner, holding the front panel on.
I saw that the silver eject button was connected to a small switch fitted to a circuit board. I measured 3.5 volts across the switch contacts. This voltage didn't change when I pressed the switch.
I had some contact cleaner (bought for use on a carburettor sensor in a car I used to have), so with power off, I sprayed some in a little cup and used a brush to douse the switch with it while pressing the button multiple times.
Needles to say, that has solved the problem. I then found many sites showing that this tiny type of switch is known to go dirty and if cleaning doesn't help, replacements are available and cheap. If the problem returns, I'll go the whole hog and replace the switch.
So if anyone has a similar problem, it is easily fixed.
8
Comments
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Great work, I love to see proper money saving investigations of tech problems resulting in keeping good quality goods working again.1
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Thanks for putting up the info - very few people tell of successes. well done.Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0
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What's a CD ?
Sorry, couldn't resist it 🙂0 -
Chicken Dinner?
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I thought you might like to know that I had exactly this problem with a Vita Audio/Ruark R4, which ate a CD this weekend.
Fearing a complicated afternoon of screwdrivers and fraying temper, I Googled for repair tips and this post came up.
Got the front off the unit in 20 seconds (magnets! who knew?), sprayed contact cleaner on the back of the Eject button and it all works perfectly. Total time taken, less than 5 minutes.
As someone who hates being ambushed by unexpected techy complications, I can't thank you enough.2 -
supercity said:I thought you might like to know that I had exactly this problem with a Vita Audio/Ruark R4, which ate a CD this weekend.
Fearing a complicated afternoon of screwdrivers and fraying temper, I Googled for repair tips and this post came up.
Got the front off the unit in 20 seconds (magnets! who knew?), sprayed contact cleaner on the back of the Eject button and it all works perfectly. Total time taken, less than 5 minutes.
As someone who hates being ambushed by unexpected techy complications, I can't thank you enough.
I didn't mention in my original post that I had contacted two repair agencies, one of them being Ruark themselves and they both quoted around £80 to fix the problem.0 -
JohnB47 said:supercity said:I thought you might like to know that I had exactly this problem with a Vita Audio/Ruark R4, which ate a CD this weekend.
Fearing a complicated afternoon of screwdrivers and fraying temper, I Googled for repair tips and this post came up.
Got the front off the unit in 20 seconds (magnets! who knew?), sprayed contact cleaner on the back of the Eject button and it all works perfectly. Total time taken, less than 5 minutes.
As someone who hates being ambushed by unexpected techy complications, I can't thank you enough.
I didn't mention in my original post that I had contacted two repair agencies, one of them being Ruark themselves and they both quoted around £80 to fix the problem.In the future if you have an electrical or mechanical issue that isn't covered by a warranty I'd very much recommend taking the item to a Repair Cafe, where it's very likely that someone will be able to have a pretty good shot at fixing it free of charge (you might like to make a donation to help with running costs). I've had a couple of problems investigated at one near me, one they confirmed that there didn't seem to be a fault (they were right, user error!) and the other they found what needed to be done and referred me to a repairer who was able to fix it at reasonable cost.PS I should add that I first went to a Repair Cafe after seeing it mentioned in a post on this board, so I'm repaying the favour.1
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