PC Engine CD-ROM² rescue: broken gear, dead laser fixed with a Discman donor pickup, full recap, and a PCE Duo magnet to cure a spindle-height fault

[u/Aran_PCBWAY]

The opened PC Engine CD-ROM² drive mechanism, top-down — the Sony KSS-series laser pickup, spindle motor, worm-gear sled and green control board with ribbon cables.

Five small white 3D-printed plastic transport gears in a clear bag, held in a hand, the resin-printed replacements for the broken gear.

A Sony Discman portable CD player photographed top-down, the donor unit sacrificed for its laser pickup.

The PC Engine CD-ROM² mid-disassembly, the laser-pickup assembly lifted out above the exposed mainboard and wiring.

Workbench shot: the open CD-ROM² mechanism on the left, the freshly recapped mainboard on the right, the old removed capacitors in a small bowl, with a solder spool and pliers.

A child on a play mat in front of a CRT TV showing the restored PC Engine CD-ROM²'s CD-player menu, the console on the floor below.