Philips CDI 660 Troubleshooting Guide
Philips published no service manual for the Philips CDI 660, so fault-finding draws on three sources: the owner's checklist in the user manual, Philips' service manual for the CDI 220/80, which uses the same Mono IV main board family, and the repair notes at retrostuff.org.[1][2][3] One difference matters straight away: the 660's ROM has no service shell, so the usual test plug does not work on it.[4]
Before you start
[edit | edit source]- Unplug the player and let the power supply's filter capacitors discharge before working near the supply.[5]
- Back up the NVRAM over a null-modem cable before any work on the board; removing the SRAM from its socket wipes it.[6][3]
- Philips' manual advises connecting and switching on any peripherals on the rear ports before switching on the player, and never making or changing connections with the power on.[1]
Owner's checklist
[edit | edit source]Philips' "Before requesting service" table in the user manual covers the faults that need no tools:[1]
| Symptom | Remedy given by Philips |
|---|---|
| No power | Check that the ON/OFF button is on, that both ends of the mains lead are pushed home and that the socket is live |
| No picture | Check that the television is on and set to the right input, and check the video lead |
| Tray will not open; "TRAY LOCKED" on screen and no open icon | Switch off, then switch on while holding PLAY for at least five seconds |
| Disc will not play | Label side up; clean the disc; try another disc |
| Disc will not play and a "no entry" sign appears | The player has been locked by or for the supplier to play only certain discs; check the lock mode |
| No sound | Check the audio leads; try another source on the amplifier |
| Distorted sound from a hi-fi | Make sure the player is not connected to the amplifier's phono input |
| Start-up screen does not return when the disc is removed | Switch off and on; check whether the program wants another disc |
| Remote control does nothing | Aim at the IR eye, remove obstacles, change the batteries, and unplug any wired pointing devices |
| Wired controller does nothing | Check its connection; switch off and on |
| No options icon | Protected mode is on, or the supplier has disabled the option |
| No start-up screen, or a different one | Changed by or for the supplier |
| Copy to other players fails | Check the links between players, that no CD-i program is running, that all players are on and that there is only one master |
| Copy to disk or memory fails | Check that the disk is formatted, not write-protected and has room; files copied to memory must be smaller than 32 KB |
The "TRAY LOCKED" remedy is the same key combination that switches protected mode on and off.[1]
How Philips divided the Mono IV board
[edit | edit source]Philips' service manual for the 220/80 splits the main board into two kinds of circuit. Faults in the servo, analogue audio and analogue video sections could be repaired to component level. Faults in the microprocessor, CIAP or digital video sections meant replacing the whole board and returning it for central repair. The silkscreen on the board marks the sections, and the board's own diagnostics, the low-level test and the service shell, show which one is at fault.[2] The CD servo and analogue audio sections work like those of any CD player, and the CDM 12 mechanism was replaced as an assembly.[2]
If the low-level test will not start, Philips' instruction is to check the power supplies and the main clock signals of the processor section first; if they are all present, the board is at fault.[2] The hosted scan of the 220/80 manual stops after section 6.2.1, so its later measurement sections are missing, though the layout of the main board's measuring pads (section 7.5.7) survives.[2]
Low-level test
[edit | edit source]The low-level test is built into the boot software. Philips' procedure for the 220/80 is to connect a VT100 terminal (or a PC running a VT100 emulator) to port 2, then hold down the space bar on the terminal while switching the player on, and follow the menu.[2] The 660's manual does not say which of its ports carries the test.[1] retrostuff.org notes that a Digital Video cartridge ROM with a wrong checksum still works but makes the low-level test report an error.[4]
| Item | Test | Error codes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Leave the test and boot the player shell | – |
| 1 | Write powers of 2 to a chosen RAM word address and read them back | The system hangs if the address is unused |
| 2 | System ROM: identification, release number and checksum | 05 ROM checksum error |
| 3 | NVRAM: non-destructive test, or two destructive tests | 09 NVRAM error; 10 NVRAM error with inverted data |
| 4 | DRAM, both banks together and then each bank (destructive) | 11 to 16 DRAM errors (bank 0, bank 1 or both, normal or inverted data) |
| 5 | CIAP: identification register (CD01 is CIAP 1.0, CD02 is CIAP 1.5) and built-in self-test, signature 07C1 | Test stops with the error shown |
| 6 | IKAT: the eight data lines and the IKAT software version | 20 IKAT error (wrong echo from the slave) |
| 7 | Clock calibration; needs a frequency counter on the CIAP chip select and should not be run otherwise | – |
| 8 | Chip select pattern for DRAM 1 and 2, system ROM, CIAP, IKAT and NVRAM, for an oscilloscope | A missing DTACK hangs the test |
| 9 | VDSC: writes to the display decoder registers and reads the control status register | – |
[2] Memory errors are printed with the address, the data read and the data expected; RETURN reads the next address. After an error the test asks whether to restart; "N" moves on to the next test.[2] If you run item 7 by mistake, switch off and start the test again.[2]
Service shell
[edit | edit source]On most CD-i players the service shell starts when the RXD2 and TXD1 pins (2 and 3) of the front input port are linked, or Philips' test plug 4822 264 50263 is fitted, at power-on.[2] On the 660 this sends the player into a reset loop, because the service shell module (sv) is missing from the 660 and 670 system ROM.[4] retrostuff.org found two ways round it:
- Fit a CDI 490 system ROM temporarily. This means opening the player and digging the ROM out from under the DVC each time.[4]
- Copy the sv module from a CDI 490 ROM dump into the spare space in the 660's DVC ROM (a 27C1024 on the 22ER9956/40 cartridge), fix the module header and checksums, and program a new EPROM. The DVC's ROM is usually soldered in and has to be removed and socketed first.[4]
Once started, the service shell offers a 75 % colour bar test image and a CD drive test. The drive test needs a CD-Audio disc and steps through four modes: sledge in and out (mode 0), focus (mode 1, "IN FOCUS" or "NO FOCUS" after three tries), turntable motor (mode 2, "MOTOR OK") and radial servo (mode 3, "RADIAL TEST OK"), then normal play. Errors during play show as "CD error x":[2]
| Code | Meaning | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | No error | 5 | Search time error |
| 1 | Focus found | 6 | Subcode error |
| 2 | Focus error | 7 | TOC error |
| 3 | Radial error | 8 | Fatal sledge error |
| 4 | Turntable motor error |
[2] Switch the player off to leave the service shell.[2]
Symptoms and causes
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Likely cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| No sign of life | 20PS307 main fuse 1101 (T1.0A) or the +5 V fuses 1200 and 1201 (MP315) | Measure the outputs at both ends of the cable between supply and main board[5][7] |
| No or rolling picture, tray opens by itself, spindle keeps turning, "cd" flashing, while the low-level test passes | −5 V fuse 3255 (MP100) on the main board, grid square F1 | Measure −5 V on extension connector pins A1–C1[7] |
| Pointing devices or serial devices get no power | Resettable PTC fuse (RXE065) in grid square C1, which feeds +5 V to the controller and serial ports and the RF modulator socket | Remove the short; the fuse resets itself[7] |
| Settings, files or clock lost at power-off | Flat cells in the DS1216C socket | Replace the socket or fit a DS1244Y; see Philips CDI 660 General Maintenance[8] |
| Reset loop with the test plug fitted | No service shell in the 660 ROM | See the section above[4] |
| Infra-red remote ignored | A wired controller is plugged into input 2, which disables the remote | Unplug it[1] |
| Black and white picture after a 50/60 Hz change | Expected on outputs without RGB | Use the RGB Euroconnector, or change the crystal oscillator as well[6] |
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Philips CDI 660
- Philips CDI 660 General Maintenance
- Philips CDI 660 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Philips CDI 670 Troubleshooting Guide
- Philips CDI 615 Troubleshooting Guide
- Philips CDI 740 Troubleshooting Guide
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Philips Interactive Media Systems, CDI660/CDI670 User manual, 3104 125 2229.1, © 1998: front and rear of the player (PDF p. 2); interfaces and parallel port (PDF p. 7); options and tools screens (PDF p. 8); protected mode, lock modes and group working (PDF p. 10); file download (PDF p. 11); "Before requesting service" (PDF p. 11, printed p. 19); specifications (PDF p. 19); accessories (PDF p. 20). Hosted here as File:Philips CDI 660 and CDI 670 User Manual.pdf.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Philips Interactive Media Systems Service & Support, Service Manual CDI 220/80/85/97, 4822 725 24774, imprint P.S. 0995: survey of players and main panels (PDF p. 1); contents, including the sections on servicing surface-mounted devices (3.2) and handling static-sensitive parts (3.3) (PDF p. 2); technical specification of the 220/80 (PDF p. 3); central repair procedure, section 3.5 (PDF p. 11); exploded views, sections 4.1 and 4.2 (PDF pp. 12–13); low-level test and error codes, section 5.1 (PDF p. 14); service shell, section 5.2 (PDF pp. 15–16); key components, section 6.1 (PDF pp. 17–18); troubleshooting and repair, sections 6.2 and 6.2.1 (PDF p. 18); main panel layouts, section 7.5 (PDF p. 25); main panel measuring pads, section 7.5.7 (PDF p. 30); main panel parts list, section 8.4 (PDF pp. 36–37). The scan passes from section 6.2.1 straight to section 7.1, so sections 6.2.2 to 6.3 are missing. Hosted here as File:Philips CDI 220-80 Service Manual.pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Modifications for Philips CD-i Players, retrostuff.org, 12 January 2020, revised 2024—link(accessed 2026-10-20) Sections "Mono IV (large players)", "Brooktree BT9106 & BT9107 / BT9108" and "ROM/Software modifications".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Philips CDI660 Service Shell, retrostuff.org, 14 March 2021—link(accessed 2026-10-20) Why the CDI 660 resets with the test plug fitted, the missing sv module, the 22ER9956/40 mini DVC and its ROM.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Philips CD-i Power Supply Units, retrostuff.org, 29 September 2024, revised 10 July 2026—link(accessed 2026-10-20) Sections "20PS307" and "20PS308", and the general warning on filter capacitors.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Philips CDI660 Mono IV NVRAM and 60 Hz Modification, retrostuff.org, 14 October 2019—link(accessed 2026-10-20) Owner's strip-down of a CDI 660/00 to the Mono IV board, the 32 KB NVRAM socket and the 50/60 Hz switch.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Philips CD-i Mono III / IV Fuses, retrostuff.org, 29 November 2021, revised 1 October 2024—link(accessed 2026-10-20) The −5 V fuse 3255 and the resettable fuse 3277 on Mono IV boards, the symptoms of a blown −5 V fuse and where to measure.
- ↑ NVRAM+RTC Solutions for Philips CD-i Players, retrostuff.org, 31 December 2021, revised 25 November 2025—link(accessed 2026-10-20) Section "32 KB (SmartWatch)": the DS1216C socket, its batteries and replacements.