Philips CDI 601
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| The CDI 601 in Philips's brochure. No freely licensed photograph has been found. | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Philips Interactive Media Systems |
| Type | Professional CD-i player |
| CPU | Philips SCC68070[1] |
| Memory | 1 MB RAM; 8 KB non-volatile RAM[2] |
| Storage | Compact disc in a caddy, CDM 9 mechanism[3][4] |
| Display | RGB (9-pin D-sub), Y/C and composite video, PAL or NTSC[2] |
| Sound | Stereo line out, 2 V rms; headphone socket[2] |
| Power | 100 to 120 V or 220 to 240 V ± 10 %, selectable; about 35 W without extensions[2] |
| Dimensions | 420 x 90 x 400 mm[2] |
| Weight | About 7 kg[2] |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Model no. | CDI 601/00[3] |
The Philips CDI 601 is a professional CD-i player. ICDIA describes it as Philips's first stand-alone CD-i player for professional applications; the same player with a floppy disc drive was sold as the Philips CDI 602.[5] Philips's brochure calls it "one of the first single-unit CD-I systems for professional and institutional applications", loading discs in a caddy and supplied with a CD-i mouse.[2] ICDIA says it could not be extended with a Digital Video cartridge.[5]
History
[edit | edit source]Wikipedia places the 601 in Philips's 600 series of professional players, alongside the 602, 604, 605, 615, 660 and 670.[1] Before it, Philips's professional CD-i system was the modular CDI 180/181/182, developed with Kyocera, in which the CD drive and the MultiMedia Controller were separate units. The 601 has both in one case.[5][2]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Disc loading | Caddy |
| Memory | 1 MB RAM; 8 KB non-volatile RAM |
| Audio | L and R on RCA sockets, 2 V rms into 10 kΩ; 6 mm headphone socket, 8 Ω to 2 kΩ, 30 mW into 32 Ω, with volume control |
| Video | NTSC and PAL: RGB on a 9-pin D-sub, 1 Vpp into 75 Ω; Y/C, 1 Vpp into 75 Ω; composite on RCA, 1 Vpp into 75 Ω |
| Port 1 | 8-pin mini-DIN on the front, for a pointing device |
| Port 2 | 8-pin mini-DIN on the rear, for a pointing device or CD-i keyboard |
| Port 3 | 9-pin D-sub, RS-232; the default terminal port |
| Port 4 | 9-pin D-sub, RS-232 |
| Extension | Two extension slots, for SCSI, Ethernet, a Centronics port or 1 or 2 MB of extra memory |
| Options | Infra-red remote control; wired remote control through an infra-red "eye" |
| Power | 100 to 120 V and 220 to 240 V ± 10 %, selectable; about 35 W without extensions |
| Approvals | FCC, UL; VDE, FTZ, CSA, Nordic, U.S. and German laser safety regulations |
| MTBF | 35,000 hours |
| Size and weight | 420 x 90 x 400 mm; about 7 kg |
ICDIA's comparison table gives the 601/00 the first-generation player shell, RC5 infra-red, 8 KB of NVRAM, no Digital Video cartridge, caddy loading, 1 MB of main RAM, I/O arrangement A (front port for pointing devices, rear port for pointing devices or RS-232), the CDM 9 mechanism and the Maxi-MMC board.[3] The brochure says the player is "prepared" for full-screen full-motion video in an extension slot, while ICDIA says it could not take a Digital Video cartridge.[2][5]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]Retrostuff, a CD-i repair site, lists the 601 and 602 as the only players on the Maxi MMC board and notes that little is known about it.[6] Their NVRAM is a Dallas DS1216C SmartWatch RAM socket carrying an 8 KB SRAM chip, for example a Philips FCB61C65LL-70P; retrostuff says this arrangement is found only in these two players.[7] The supply is a switch-mode unit with a mains voltage selector, which retrostuff says only the professional and authoring players have.[8][2]
The rear panel carries the 110/220 V selector, two extension slots, the four serial ports, the three video outputs, a 525/625 line selector and a connector for a remote infra-red receiver.[2] Retrostuff's RGB SCART adapter, built for the CDI 605's 9-pin RGB port, also works with the 601.[9]
Philips's 1992 technical documentation for the 6XX series describes the start-up software, the serial ports and the input devices; it notes that the 601 has no floppy drive, so small applications have to be loaded through the serial download routine instead.[10]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- CDI 601 Professional CD-I System, Philips brochure: File:Philips CDI 601 Brochure.pdf.
- CDI6XX Technical Manual (Technical Documentation for CDI 605 Users), Philips Interactive Media Systems, 1992: File:Philips CDI 6XX Technical Documentation (1992).pdf.
- No service manual for the 601 has been found. ICDIA's list of service manuals has none for the 601 or 602.[11]
General maintenance
[edit | edit source]The parts to look after are the SmartWatch NVRAM socket and its batteries, the CDM 9 mechanism, and the mains voltage selector. See Philips CDI 601 General Maintenance.
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]The start-up software reports errors on a terminal connected to Port 3. See Philips CDI 601 Troubleshooting Guide.[10]
Capacitor replacement
[edit | edit source]No capacitor values have been published. See Philips CDI 601 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
Front and rear panels, numbered as in the brochure key
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Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Philips CDI 601 General Maintenance
- Philips CDI 601 Troubleshooting Guide
- Philips CDI 601 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Philips CDI 602, the same player with a floppy disc drive
- Philips CDI 604
- Philips CDI 605
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wikipedia, "CD-i" (retrieved 2026-10-20): infobox CPU Philips SCC68070; the 600 series of professional models (601, 602, 604, 605, 615, 660, 670).
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Philips Interactive Media Systems, CDI 601 Professional CD-I System, brochure, pp. 1, 2 and 5: features; "principal components of Compact Disc Drive and Multi Media Controller/Processor"; technical data; front and rear panel keys. Hosted as File:Philips CDI 601 Brochure.pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The New International CD-i Association, "Comparison table of all Philips professional and authoring CD-i players" (retrieved 2026-10-21): row CDI 601/00 and the notes on the terms used.
- ↑ The World of CD-i, "Chronicle #32: CD-i player CDM substituition", 30 October 2020 (retrieved 2026-10-21): professional player CDM versions, 601/00 CDM 9.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The New International CD-i Association, "Philips professional and authoring CD-i players" (retrieved 2026-10-20): the CDI 180/181/182, developed with Kyocera in 1988, modular, with the CD drive (CDI 180) and MultiMedia Controller (CDI 181) as separate modules; the CDI 601, "First stand-alone CD-i player for professional applications. Available with a floppy disk drive as CDI 602. The system could not be extended with a Digital Video cartridge."
- ↑ Retrostuff, "Modifications for Philips CD-i Players" (retrieved 2026-10-20), section "JNMS, Maxi MMC and Mini MMC (prof.)": 601 and 602 professional players with the Maxi MMC mainboard; "Not much is known about the first two".
- ↑ Retrostuff, "NVRAM+RTC Solutions for Philips CD-i Players", 2021, updated 2025 (retrieved 2026-10-20), section "8 KB (SmartWatch)".
- ↑ Retrostuff, "Philips CD-i Power Supply Units", 2024, updated 2026 (retrieved 2026-10-20), section "Maxi MMC / Mini MMC": switch-mode, multi-voltage; only professional and authoring players have a voltage selector.
- ↑ Retrostuff, "Philips CDI605 RGB SCART Adapter", 27 January 2021 (retrieved 2026-10-21): "This adapter also works with the 601 and 602 professional players".
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Philips Interactive Media Systems, CDI6XX Technical Manual (Technical Documentation for CDI 605 Users), 22 June 1992, chapter 4, Download routine, section 4.4: "loading small applications on CDI players without a floppy drive (like the CDI 601 and 205)"; chapter 5, Sysgo. Hosted as File:Philips CDI 6XX Technical Documentation (1992).pdf.
- ↑ The New International CD-i Association, "CD-i Service Manuals" (retrieved 2026-10-21).