System Manuals
| Date/Code | Document | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DRB1141 | Pioneer CLD-A100 - Operating Instructions | Pioneer | |
| ARP2757 | Pioneer CLD-A100 - Service Manual | Pioneer | An official, complete, comprehensive service manual for the CLD-A100 player, including schematics, parts lists, calibration steps, troubleshooting guides, and a logical description of how the player operates. |
| Pioneer CLD-A100 - Service Information Bulletins | Pioneer | This is a compilation of various supplementary service bulletins and other service materials. It was not published as a single document, this is simply a compilaton of a material gathered from an individual repair centre where this information was obtained from. | |
| Pioneer PAC-K1 - Operating_Instructions | Pioneer | ||
| Pioneer PAC-N10 - Operating_Instructions | Pioneer | ||
| ARP2763 | Pioneer PAC-N10 - Service Manual | Pioneer | |
| Pioneer PAC-S10 - Operating_Instructions | Pioneer | ||
| ARP2779 | Pioneer PAC-S10 - Service Manual | Pioneer | |
| RRV1012 | Pioneer GOL-1 - Service Manual | Pioneer |
Other Player Manuals
This is a collection of player manuals and service materials for other Laserdisc players other than the CLD-A100. This will be helpful if you are using one of these players for creating RF Laserdisc backups, as well as for a technical reference on player operations and commands. The programming manuals for these players in particular contain details on player states and system commands, which have overlap in some cases with the registers and commands in the low-level register interface provided to the PAC modules. See the Dragon’s Lair Project for a more complete compilation of materials across a broader range of manufacturers. Documents lited here will be limited to those of interest.
Standards Documents
Two main sets of standards cover the LaserDisc format, and by extension the LaserActive system - the “Laser vision” IEC standards for PAL/NTSC and their amendments, and for the digital audio/data portion, the Rainbow Books, specifically the Red Book and Yellow Book. Additionally there is the CD-V variant, which is a hybrid CD and LaserDisc format. I would love nothing more than to post the full IEC standards documents here, as the documents themselves contain vital information to understanding how these systems work, and in particular how to decode the data. Unfortunately, although these standards are thoroughly obsolete, standards bodies can be aggressive at enforcing copyright, no matter how irrelivent or obsolete it may be to industry. These documents are still available to purchase by the publishing standards bodies, as long as you have deep pockets. That means they cannot reasonably be construed to be abandoned. The relevant standards documents will be listed here, however download links will only be provided to documents externally hosted on archive.org, as we consider they have already obtained permission or qualified for an exemption allowing them to host these materials. Where a document is known but not currenly available on archive.org, the name will appear with no link provided.
Technical Reference Materials
| Date/Code | Document | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| No 1 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 1 | Pioneer | Some discussion of FM techniques, but not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| 1980-04 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - Digital Supplement | Pioneer | Digital electronics primer. Included here for completeness. |
| No 2 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 2 | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| 1984-03 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 2 Supplement | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| No 3 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 3 | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| No 4 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 4 | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| No 5 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 5 | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| No 6 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 6 | Pioneer | Thorough introduction into the Laserdisc format, and the principles and technology underpinning Laserdisc players. |
| No 7 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 7 | Pioneer | Thorough introduction into the CD format, and the principles and technology underpinning CD players. |
| No 8 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 8 | Pioneer | Brief introduction to NTSC and PAL, and thorough introduction to NTSC VHS, and the principles and technology underpinning VHS players. |
| No 9 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 9 | Pioneer | Diagnostic and calibration information for servicing LD and CD players. A thorough discussion of the Z80. Coverage of PAL VHS principles and technology. |
| No 10 | Pioneer Tuning Fork - No 10 | Pioneer | Not much relevant for Laserdiscs. Included here for completeness. |
| 1984-11 | Digital Audio Modulation in the PAL and NTSC Optical Video Disk Coding Formats | Philips | Engineering paper proposing the addition of digital audio to the Laserdisc format, which was ultimately carried out as described. It gives a good breakdown of the approach used. |
| 1989 | Basic Laser Disc Technology Guide - 1989 | Pioneer | A good grounding of the Laserdisc format and operation of Laserdisc players |
| 1990-05 | Basic Laser Disc Technology Guide - 1990 | Pioneer | Adds a description of CD-V and describes “trick play” techniques such as reverse, slow-motion, and still frame. |