FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What is disc repair?
- Who needs disc repair?
- What is the difference between disc inspection and disc repair?
- How are discs made?
- What types of media can I fix?
- How can I tell if my disc needs repair?
- What types of damage can be repaired?
- What types of damage cannot be repaired?
- How many times can I repair a disc?
- How much does it cost to fix a disc?
- How do I care for my disc repair machine?
- Are the machines easy to use?
- How can my disc repair the machine pay for itself?
- Do I have to change pads or polish compound during a repair cycle?
- How much can I charge to repair a disc (CD vs. DVD vs. video game)?
- How do I choose the best machine for me?
- Do the supplies smell bad or toxic?
- What do I have to replace and how often?
- Can the machines fix the new BluRay or High Definition Discs?
- How big are each of the machines?
- How many discs per hour or per day will the machines repair?
- Who should I contact with questions or technical support once I have purchased a Disc Go Tech machine?
- Do Disc-Go-Tech Disc Inspection machines scan BluRay or High Definition Discs?
Disc repair is the process of using a combination of compound (wet or dry) and polishing pad(s) to remove damaged layers of a disc to make it playable again.
Back to top
Disc repair is both a commercial and a consumer solution.
Commercial users include: Video Stores, Libraries, Pawnbrokers, Used Music, Video and Game Stores, Disc Repair Service Companies, Data Recovery Agencies, Information/Data Storage Companies, Intelligence Agencies, Forensic Data Specialists
Consumers who have extensive DVD, CD and Game Disc collections can choose to invest in a disc repair solution rather than bearing the hight replacement costs of their damaged discs.
Back to top
Disc inspection uses Disc Go Tech Inspection Machines (Disc Go Check and Disc Go Check MAX) OR Disc Inspection Computer Software (Disc Check Up Software) to scan a DVD, CD or Game disc to determine whether or not it will play in any given machine (99.6% accuracy rate).
Disc Repair Machines are engineered to perform the actual physical repairs on the disc by removing scratches that have made the disc unplayable.
Back to top
A Disc is made up of four layers. The first layer is the thickest and easiest to repair. However, the other three layers combined (reflective foil, lacquer, and graphic) are only as thin as a human hair and offer little or no protection to the data beneath them. You can see the different layers as shown in Fig 1. – Disc Layers.
 Graphic Layer (fourth layer)
A layer of ink is screened onto the lacquer layer for dynamic graphic and/or sales impact. (Recordable CDs don't have this layer.)
Lacquer Layer (third layer)
Lacquer is dripped onto the disc and spun at high speed to create a thin layer of sealant for the foil layer. This seals in the foil layer, but offers little or no protection for the data beneath.
Reflective Foil Layer (second layer)
A micro thin layer of aluminum (copper, silver or gold on higher quality CDs) is applied to the top of the CD covering the data. This layer reflects the laser beam back through the plastic disc, allowing the stamped data to be read.
Polycarbonate Plastic Disc (first layer)
Data is stamped on the topside of a plastic disc creating millions of “on” and “off’s” or zeros and ones. On recordable CDs, data can be burned in at different levels within the plastic disc, for multi-session recording. Please note that recordable CDs have a much thinner layer due to the manufacturers name printed on this layer.
Back to top
As long as the disc is not warped, cracked, broken and has no damage to the foil layer (see below – What is Foil Damage?) Disc Go Tech machines repair:
- CDs – Music, Data, RW, R formats
- DVDs – Blu Ray, HD DVD, Single and Double Sided
- Video Game Discs: Playstation 1/2, Xbox/Xbox 360, and Nintendo Gamecube (special adapter accessory required for Game Cube)
Back to top
If the disc will not read on your machine or has started to skip or freeze when you listen, watch, or play it, then chances are the disc needs to be repaired.
Back to top
In most instances light, medium and heavy scratches can be repaired (provided there is none of the types of damage to the disc listed below).
Back to top
Foil Damage occurs when the graphic side of a disc has been scratched. Severe foil damage can easily be seen by holding the label side of the disc up to a strong light source and observing the shiny side of the disc. If light can be seen through the disc then the disc has definite foil damage. Light foil damage can also prevent the disc from playing, but it is much harder to spot with the naked eye. One easy way to see light foil damage is to first inspect the label side for any type of scratch. If a scratch is located on the top side, view the bottom side to see if the same scratch appears on the optical (shiny non graphic) side. If the disc is dark, such as a Playstation™ or PS2™ disc, assume the disc is damaged. Another method of viewing foil damage is to look at the scratches on the optical side of the disc. If you can see a reflection of the scratch in the “mirror” of the disc, the disc can be repaired. If you cannot see a reflection of the scratch, the scratch is likely to be foil damage on the top side.
Cracks - Inspect the disc first for any cracks. Typically, discs will start to split from the inside ring, and work towards the outer edge. Give the disc a very slight bend (be careful not to break the disc) to see the cracks more clearly. Occasionally, cracks will start from the outer edge, or may be located in the centre of the reading area. If any crack is found, the disc cannot be repaired.
Dents – Dents are large indentations on either side of the disc. Dents will sometimes appear to be deep scratches; however they have caused irreversible damage to the disc which cannot be repaired. Dents are caused by blunt force to the disc, such as being stepped on, being bitten by a pet, or placing heavy sharp objects onto the disc. Dents can sometimes be seen protruding through the other side of the disc.
Warping – Warping is when the disc, which should be perfectly flat, has been bent or warped due to heat damage. This type of damage will typically be seen around the entire edge of the disc and can be seen in the reflection of the disc. To inspect for warp damage, look at the reflection in the mirror side of the disc. Reflect a straight edge, such as a fluorescent light tube in the ceiling and tilt the disc back and forth while looking at the reflection of the light in the disc. If the light tube appears to be distorted, the disc may be warped. Warp damage can occur due to leaving the disc in sunlight, or inexpensive repair methods.
If the disc is damaged in any way described above, the disc cannot be repaired.
Back to top
This depends on how deep the scratches are and how many layers need to be buffed down to repair the disc. A disc has a polycarbonate later 1200 microns thick. A light scratch is 5-10 microns deep. With this in mind, any given disc can typically be repaired many times. However, if the disc has foil damage or is cracked, it cannot be repaired.
Back to top
Each machine comes with supplies to repair up to 100 discs. Based on the cost of reordering polish and polishing pads the average disc repair cost is 25 cents.
Back to top
Each machine is very simple to care for.
Manual Machines: after each session of use, simply remove the polish, circulate lukewarm water through the lines and wipe clean.
Automated Machines: Insert Cleaning Cartridge and begin Automatic Self Clean Cycle.
NOTE:: All machines come with a step by step instruction manual to guide you through the use and care of your disc repair machine
Back to top
Absolutely! Follow the instructions in the owner’s manual and virtually anyone can operate the machines with ease.
Back to top
The machines will pay for themselves in a short time through repairing (repair cost =$0.25 per disc) their discs instead of buying replacements (replacement cost = $20.00-80.00) you can see the numbers will work in your favour quickly!
Libraries, Pawnbrokers, Video, Game and Music Stores who have discs being circulated out to the public constantly recognize immediate benefit of being able to repair frequently damaged discs and keeping their circulation rotation and profits at a maximum.
Back to top
All Disc-Go-Tech machines run on one set of pads and one type of polish compound making the repair process the most simple and efficient on the market. Some machines on the market require the changing of compounds and pads throught a single repair cycle. This increases the amount of time, money and effort it takes to complete every repair.
Back to top
This is an important question to many video store and pawn shops (and even libraries doing disc repair as a fundraising initiative). Some repair services use a flat fee (i.e. $2-5 per music cd, $5-10 per dvd and up to $10 for Video Game discs) based on the original value of the item being repaired. You are the best judge of your customers and market conditions – so determine a fair price and let people know you can offer this as a service. Disc-Go-Tech can help with highly visible repair posters to advertise your service offering.
Library Fundraising: Certain libraries simply charge per donation and find that their fundraising is more successful than using a flat rate model. Use whatever method you believe to be the easiest and most profitable way for your library!
Back to top
A great first step is to think about the following: Roughly, how many discs are you going to be repairing now and in the future? What is your budget for a machine? How much time to we have to invest in labor to run the machines? Are there any space restrictions you have to be aware of?
Once you think about these factors have a look at our product matrix to see which machine best fits your needs. Feel free to call our toll free number to discuss your needs or ask any questions to our sales executives 1.866.237.3724 or email at sales@discgotech.com
Back to top
Not at all! The polishing compounds have virtually no smell and our finishing spray (called Final Spray) has a fresh, lemony scent. All compounds are water soluble and MSDS sheets are available for all products. To receive a copy please request which product in an email to customerservice@discgotech.com
Back to top
The items that need replacement are the polishing pads, polishing compound and final spray. How often you need to replace them depends on two factors:
- How many discs you repair
- How long you run the repair cycles for (longer repair cycle = more polish used)
To find out how long a particular size polish will last please email us at sales@discgotech.com
Back to top
They sure can! Disc-Go-Tech Disc Repair machines can repair commercially available Blu Ray and HD DVD's which get scratched just like all other types of disc media.
Back to top
Please refer to our product matrix for this information.
http://www.discgotech.com/products/DGTProductMatrix2006.pdf
Back to top
Please refer to our product matrix for this information.
http://www.discgotech.com/products/DGTProductMatrix2006.pdf
Back to top
Call Disc Go Tech directly from 9am – 5pm Pacific Standard Time at 1-866-237-3724 or by email anytime at service@discgotech.com
Back to top
We are currently working on these inspection platforms and they should be fully compatible very soon!
|
