The problem is with the tiny button that tells the CDX that the platter is engaged. Take the face of the unit off by unscrewing the screws of on the circumference of the bottom of the unit, then locate the copper T shaped piece touching the spindle of the platter. Unscrew the little circuit board (this houses the on/off soft switch for the scratch mechanism) covering the bottom of the T and the T itself. Try powering the unit up and play a CD with the scratch mode activated. Push the grey soft switch to see if the music stops and move the platter back in forth to see if it scratches. If so, all you have to do is bend the copper T trigger to a position where it hits the soft switch just right; off when you don't have the platter pushed down, and on when you do. If the scratching doesn't work when you push the grey switch down, you have a problem I don't know how to fix. Hope this helps!