CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 41

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 41 • 10/11/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

October 12, 1983:
* In Chicago, Illinois, Ameritech launches Advanced Mobile Phone 
Service, the first commercial cellular phone service.
* Former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is found guilty of 
taking bribes from Lockheed Corp. in exchange for arranging the sale 
of the U.S. company's TriStar jets to All Nippon Airways.

October 13, 1983:
* Grenada's army seizes control of the island nation and deposes 
Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
* U.S. National Security Adviser William Clark is the surprise choice 
of President Reagan to succeed James Watt as secretary of the 
interior. Watt resigned October 9 in the face of growing pressure.

October 14, 1983:
* The Soviet space probe Verena 16 achieves orbit around the planet 
Venus gathering data on the planet's surface and atmosphere.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: Never Say Never Again.

October 15, 1983:
* The FBI arrests James D. Harper, Jr., a technician working in 
California's Silicon Valley, on charges of selling sensitive military 
research data to a Polish spy for $250,000.
* The South African Grand Prix is won by Riccardo Patrese marking the 
end of the season. The overall season winner is Nelson Piquet.

October 16, 1983:
* In what is regarded as a last-ditch effort to promote a settlement 
in the U.S.-Soviet arms reduction talks in Geneva, the foreign 
ministers of West Germany and the USSR, Hans-Dietrich Genscher and 
Andrei Gromyko, end two days of negotiations, with no progress 
reported.
* Pope John Paul II proclaims Leopold Bogdan Mandic, a Croatian monk, 
a new saint of the Roman Catholic Church.
* The Baltimore Orioles shut out the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0, in 
Game 5 to win baseball's 80th World Series.

October 17, 1983:
* President Reagan formally notifies the U.S. Federal Election 
Commission that he is forming a reelection campaign committee, but he 
puts off a final decision on his candidacy.
* Special Middle East envoy Robert McFarlane is named President 
Reagan's national security adviser, replacing William Clark.

October 18, 1983:
* General Motors agrees to pay $42.5 million, the largest job-bias 
settlement in history, to resolve a complaint of racial and sexual 
discrimination.

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Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 04:05:44 -0700
Subject: Cleaning Discs
From: James Curiel <jacuriel>
To: digest@cedmagic.com

Dear CED Enthusiasts,

Recently there was a letter asking about the pros and cons of using 
machines to clean discs.

Does cleaning the discs remove the thin lubrication film on the 
discs?  What are the long term effects of cleaning the discs on 
machines?

As the inventor and main proponent of using machines to clean the 
discs, I unfortunately do not have information to answer either of 
these questions.

I do not have the equipment to answer the first question on is the 
film removed, and the practice of cleaning the discs on machines has 
not been around long enough to study the long term effects.

I can tell you what I do know about cleaning the discs on machines 
such Nitty Gritty machines and the KAB EV-1.

First, you should sweep the disc of debris with a carbon fibre brush. 
Second, do not apply pressure when using the 78 adaptor and the hand 
cleaning brush.(The hand cleaning brush is only with the KAB EV1). 
In my first experiments I crushed the grooves by applying too much 
pressure, and the discs were effectively destroyed.

It was after I found that by just holding things lightly in place 
that the discs could be cleaned on a repeated basis that I began 
recommending using the players.  All you have to do is to lightly 
hold the 78 adaptor and, on the KAB EV1, lightly hold the hand 
cleaner brush in place.

The picture and sound qualities improve dramatically after cleaning 
discs, especially discs with skipping problems and very few scratches.

This past week, for example, we opened a sealed copy of Spartacus. 
My family typically watches 2-5 CED movies in a given week, and most 
sealed CED in the shrink wrap provide trouble free viewing.  However, 
Spartacus was skipping quite frequently.  I ejected the disc and then 
swept the disc with a carbon fibre brush.

I did not notice much dust or lint on the disc, for, in fact, there 
was very little to brush off.

I then re-inserted the disc, and there was virtually no improvement. 
The repeated skipping and total picture drop out was frequent and the 
movie was not worth viewing.

I removed the disc and reinspected the disc.

The disc had what look to be very light or faint discolorations from 
what appear to be droplets of water resulting from condensation. 
These were almost imperceptible, and were only noticeable by viewing 
at the right angle to catch the light coming off the disc at the 
correct angle.

I cleaned the Spartacus discs on a KAB EV-1.

We re-inserted the disc, and the skipping was gone, and the picture 
quality was superb and what you expect from a NOS shrinkwrapped disc.

I have noticed that my cartridges last twice as long as since we 
started using the machines to clean the discs, and I no longer have 
to clean my stylus every month or so.  Prior to the machines, I was 
using a sewing needle to remove gunk from my stylus on a regular 
basis.  It was most annoying, but I no longer need to perform that 
maintenance.

One thing we have noticed is that once a disc has been cleaned on the 
machine we do not need to clean it again on the machine.  Sometimes 
there is a problem with the felt strips on the inside of the caddies 
decomposing and leaving particulants on the disc, but these can be 
removed by using a carbon fibre brush to sweep the disc.

I think that the best storage  after cleaning would be to put the 
CED's in a plastic bag with a zip lock to stop dust from entering the 
disc over a long period.
Maybe something from Bags Limited would be appropriate, although 
Laserdisc protective sleeves are too small.

Back the question of using machines to clean the discs.

Without the machines, we have found many discs are not worth viewing 
even after sweeping with a carbon fibre brush.  Sometimes the 
condensation deposits are quite noticeable, and sometimes 
condensation deposits are almost imperceptible when looking directly 
at the disc.  The machines with vacuum capability are the only 
effective means of cleaning the discs rendering them viewable again.

For me the questions of long term effects and lubrication become moot 
if the disc is unviewable even after sweeping with a brush.

Another point to consider is that particulants and condensation 
deposits will damage discs the longer that they are left on the disc.

Particulants will fuse, and if large enough they will cause damage to 
the groove, and deposits will become more difficult to remove or 
clean the longer they are left on the disc.

When it comes to deciding which is better for the disc, cleaning the 
discs or leaving the particulants and deposits on the disc, there is 
no contest.  It is better to clean the disc and remove the 
particulants and the deposits.

Would it be best to keep cleaning discs on machines to a minimum? 
Yes,  I think that is a very good idea.

Peace.

signed James

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Tiger895
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 07:00:42 EDT
Subject: looking for space shuttle missions sts 5, 6 and 7
To: digest@cedmagic.com

hello, if anyone has the space shuttle missions videodisc for sale, 
please let me know. thanks, mac
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