This mechanical and optical assembly spins a polycarbonate disc while tracking microscopic pits and lands with an infrared laser. Reflected light hits a photodiode array to decode the digital audio or data. Though largely obsolete in new computers, these drives are still serviced in legacy industrial equipment and audio gear.
Heard on the job
The laser sled on this old CD drive is jammed, so it just spins up and fails to read the disc.
Also heard as
- compact disc drive
- CD-ROM drive