It is almost certainly the belt either worn loose or stuck in the "default" shape that it's been sitting in for so long and not wanting to rotate.
Some people report boiling the belt in water helps tighten it up. I usually just take them off, roll them between my fingers a bit and put it back on inside out from the way it was originally installed.

jmarsh wrote on 2024-05-17, 15:28:

It is almost certainly the belt either worn loose or stuck in the "default" shape that it's been sitting in for so long and not wanting to rotate.
Some people report boiling the belt in water helps tighten it up. I usually just take them off, roll them between my fingers a bit and put it back on inside out from the way it was originally installed.

And why does it work just fine when a CD is inside?

And why does it work just fine when a CD is inside?

Because the upper part of the mechanism that holds the CD in place is magnetic. With a CD inside, the magnetic force on the lower part is less than when both parts make direct contact without a CD between them.
Had the same problem with my DVD player. The belt was out of shape, thus the tray would only open when there's a DVD inside or if I gave it a slap on the top (which helped overcome the magnetic force). After having replaced it with a new belt it's been working flawlessly again.

I am nearly certain that it must affect all Plextor drives out there, so you will likely have seen it too, if you have a Plex.

I do have a Plexwriter 12/10/32A, but I believe it doesn't use a rubber belt for the tray mechanism (have to check it once I'm back home). It is still opening fine without a CD in it.
EDIT: Took me a while, but I opened my Plexwriter 12/10/32A, and indeed there's no belt. The motor drives the tray via some cogwheels.

OK, makes sense.

Moved the belt a bit out of "phase", so the assumed sharp bend is now elsewhere. Seems to work for now.

Thanks!

My oldest is the one before the "premium", the 48/24/48A, and I have observed it with basically all the drives since.

In addition to some Plextors, I have also seen this with an LG DVD-ROM. I t was less than 5 years old at the time.

Dear all,

This is a fix for those having the same problem above.
It has fixed my old plextor burners. (Also,there are no belts in the plextor just gears, and you should have no issues here)
Best,
Paolo

Dear all,

First post wonder and for anyone who has had issues with Plextor Burner not able to eject tray with no disc in and making whirring noises the fix is as follows.
Open the device
Where the magnetic puck is located there is a metal frame
Bend this frame (concave) by arching it slightly with the puck (highest point) and side frame (lowest)
This allows the motor to dis-latch the laser from the magnetic puck without much force (cognizant when no disc is inserted)
The inserting of a disc increases the magnetic latch point hence it is easier to detach in this setup .

Hope this helps the community.
Best,
Paolo