Big John posted:

I have a Hitachi CX-W700 but the CD no longer works, any chance of a replacement laser unit?, everything else on it works fine, does anyone know the laser unit model number?

Nope.  Your best chance, is to take apart your model and find the serial model from the motherboard that supports this module and then google that part number until you find it somewhere.  Or search for your model boombox for another same one that has a working cd and change out those parts, to make yours work again. 

Hmm, ok, too much monkey business!, think I'll give it to a charity shop, I already prepared for this eventuality by buying a double cassette radio (Hitachi 3D8) with AUX inputs for CD, bit lighter too, rerecorded a cassette the other week from a borrowed CD

Offer it here for £20 or something Big John. Someone might use it for parts or have a crack at fixing it. There are a couple of good collectors here who love those old 3D's

Took it out to a charity shop on Monday but didn't get there, gave it to a builder round the corner who showed an interest, it wouldn't be worth selling because the CD no longer worked and the left hand cassette deck kept clicking off during a tape making me think it'd chewed the tape up but luckily it hadn't.  I've got a French Hitachi 3D8 now with the European 2 pin plug for which I bought an adaptor.  The ends of this are blue, not sure if that's a paint job or if it was bought like that.  AUX sockets on the back allow playing or recording of CDs through it, I re-recorded a cassette album from a borrowed CD last month and it's come out fine 

I did have a CX-W800 as well as the 700 but that ended up in the dustbin in pieces because I'd taken it apart to find out the model of the CD laser in that and when I put it back together no sound so I thought "sod this!".  I could have another 800 if I so wish but with my experiences with portable CD machines I'm in two minds, it's in Italy and is €129, also a Philips D8958 CD double cassette for £149 - I'd had that model before in white but that got nicked in Weston Super Mare in May 1988, I'd had it for a year, I reported it to the police but they're as much use as a chocolate teapot. 

Ooh, the CX-W800 was a heavyweight machine. It's top of the range position of the first gen 3Ds made it worth half decent money if in good shape. 

Trouble is those CD lasers just don't last the decades. They said the CDs would last forever, but forgot to tell us about the players, eh?

The 3D8 is a decent machine. Same amp & speaker setup as the original 3D7 (which is a good thing - that centre woofer really kicks) but with twin tape, 3 band eq (not 5) and the all important proper aux in. Nice one

Another one.
JDM, Made in Korea.

HITACHI CX-CD2

This is a truly interesting topic especially for those with a technical and/or musical background but without the wherewithal to appreciate that such issues were the subject of discussion and technological advancement at the time.  Differently packaged I half expect to see this as a programme on BBC 4 in support of the 1970s rock programmes they often show.  Indeed, one was on last night?

Good reading and thanks

Shouldn't that be a K(perhaps D)M instead of JDM?

NevOne posted:

Shouldn't that be a K(perhaps D)M instead of JDM?

Nope, don't think so.

JDM = Japanese Domestic Market, i.e. for sale there only.

Not made in Japan.