I've never heard of that being done - is it really
feasible to find a
replacement for a 15+ year old CD-ROM head assembly?
15 years is "new" talking about CD-ROMs. I replace heads sometimes
older...
(I'm scared to touch it for fear of knocking it
out of alignment, never
mind trying to find a drop in replacement and doing surgery.)
It is already broken, isn't it? :o)