Fixing My MiniDisc Recorder
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- Опубликовано: 14 фев 2019
- There's a common problem with some Sony MiniDisc decks where they'll spontaneously power on or eject a disc. Can I get mine operating properly again?
VWestlife's video about JIS vs Philips screwdrivers: • Why you need JIS screw...
Repair guide from a long time ago (I mean seriously, it's hosted by Tripod): snnake11.tripod.com
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Music: "Man Cheeney", "Belly Breathing", "Summereyes" and "Shakedown" by Birocratic (birocratic.lnk.to/allYL).
Intro music by BoxCat Games (www.box-cat.com). 
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For those who are impatient, here's the TL;DW version: ruclips.net/video/niHXoZtJ6ZU/видео.html
OK. Video released today
Colin: posted the TLDR for the crybabies everywhere... post is three days old
i watch most things on youtube @2x speed lol
I have a Sony mdlp mindisc je480.
My problems with it, that when I put a CD in... it will not rejected without me making it come out.
Do you think that maybe it has the same problems that you just fix on the je510? I really like this je480 because you could set it to LP2 or LP4 to where you can record up to 70s something song's on a 80 minutes disc. 😊
@@davidguillory4311 Probably the carriage belt becoming loose due to age. I've just replaced mine (on a 780) - it didn't have enough tension to eject the disc. Check out our on-line friends at Fleabay - there's lots of belts available and some good videos on RUclips on how to change them out.
Muchas gracias amigo aprendí mucho
You found my repair guide. I had no idea that it still existed. I still have the Sony Minidisc that is seen in the repair guide. It sure was a long time ago.
John B i used it too, about 3 months ago. Appreciated!
Another thanks from me John - just used it, and this video to fix up an MDS-S38 😁
@@jasejj Amazing that something I did so long ago is still helping a person here and there. Long live MiniDisc.
Hell ya. Love minidisc. The format never should have died.
Had a similiar problem with my JE-320 that had been in storage for over 10 years. Put the first disc in to test it and the disc would play but would not eject and make a terrible mechanical sound when trying to do so. Couldn't get the disc out so looked on RUclips and found this video of a similar although not exactly the same problem. I wanted the disc out so I decided to do this fix while I had the unit apart to see if it would solve the problem. This video showed me the steps to disassemble the unit to get to the transport. With a little effort I was finally able to get the disc out. Don't be aftraid to tackle the disassembly. It's reasonably straight-forward if you follow the instruction in the video and don't force anything. Put the two layers of heatshrink on the post, put everything back together and it worked flawlessly. Thanks for the video!
I picked up a “junk” minidisc deck just to see if I could bring it back to life. Later stumbling onto your video was a pleasant surprise since i had picked up the same unit. There is at least one more working unit out there in the wild.
What I did to my MDS JE510 was to glued a squared piece of hard plastic to the post making sure the micro open and close the circuit with the ohmmeter. I used Crazy Glue for the task and it’s been two years since then and still working well. I also used D5 to clean the inside contacts for good measure!
Excellent! Thank you so much! 👍
I just got a MDS-JE510 from a friend, which had a similar problem: it kept running the eject-motor all the time unless a disc was inserted. It made a loud rattling sound.
Since the mechanism is the same (looks the same), I applied the same fix and now it fully works. 🥳
In the 90s I got a je500. Three years ago i repaired it just the way you did. Now I've got the same issue again: loop on eject. Bad thing as I already thought I#ve done everything to get it working again. In your comments I read the about contact spray (W40). It worked! It's all about the microswitch: It needs heat shrink on the metal cage to get it pushed in the right way. In addition to that the contact spray was needed.
Ahh, this reminds me of ripping CD's from my PS2 to a portable MD player over toslink back in the day. Great video!
I did the same thing !
I use my PS3. The PlayStations have really nice CD drives in them.
I use a dvp-642 dvd player
This is a palliative solution, in fact the problem is the micro switch itself , usually (many years ago, when all parts were still available) we use to replace all micro switches, or -in the last years, with no more spare parts- we use to unsolder all micro switches , disassemble them and manually (or using ultrasound ) clean all contacts and other parts and re-grease the contacts, this is the best solution, but is very delicate, you need experience, otherwise is quite sure you will loose some small part, especially the micro spring . Using contact spray without disassembly the micro switch does not solve the problem, sometimes seems that works, but in few weeks/months the symptom occur again. For some models there was even a Service Bulletin that advice the replacement of all micro switches AND the same time to replace the 4 rubber suspension with improved model, because seems that the rubber contains (or produce ) some corrosive gases which affects all micro contacts , so just replacing micro switches is not a solution. So, if the solution of this video works, i recommend it, is very simple.
Hey, great video! I found the MDS-JE510 in not-so-great condition a few days ago. The transport was making pretty bad gear noises when inserting and ejecting a disc. I downloaded the service manual and was able to set the gear in the proper position, and it started working fine. However, I was getting a Disc Error when it tried to read the TOC. It turned out to be faulty capacitors. They were SMC, and they're known for being faulty from that era. After replacing them on the BD board, it started reading and writing discs just fine. So, my advice to anyone is to replace them. It was pretty straightforward, and you won't have to take the whole transport apart to access the BD board.
Which capacitors did you replace? I have a new in box unit with this issue
Can you explain which capacitors you changed?
@@markusrichterfotografie7484The PCB has some surface mounted caps, for what I can remember, there're just a few like 8 or so, with 2 different values. The PCB that I'm talking about is the one for the transport (the drive), it has a PCB at the bottom. The PCB is double sided so you'll need to remove it from the drive in order to work it out. A few months has passed since that so I don't remember values, but what I can tell you is that mine is going strong.
@@Secretweapondoze somehow I missed your question, but look at my response to another comment.
this might be helpful to replace:
www.minidisc.wiki/guides/repair/mdsje5x0chuckinswitch
I had the exact same problem with my JE510 and I was able to fix it thanks to this video!
Thank you for this video, it just helped me fix my MDS JE-510 that was having the same issue!
A couple of notes:
1. Either this specific model or its European version has a slightly different cage around the mechanism. Instead of a single piece of bent metal with 4 screws on the sides, it’s made of 4 separate parts. This means that you’ll find 1 additional screw near the back on each side, and 4 extra screws on top.
2. Be careful with the heat if you’re using a heatshrink. I wasn’t and my switch got melty. Fortunately it was only the plastic tip that was affected and after scraping it back to shape, so it wouldn’t get stuck, it works fine.
There were many things to love about the minidisc format. It’s size and durability made a portable player far more practical than cd: if it doesn’t fit in your pocket it’s not that portable in my mind. Re-recordable discs were cheap compared to cd and more flexible. Even the portables had editing features. I used to record from the radio 2hr+ continuous mixes and then after, edit all the track points and enter names of tracks etc. It was all so simple.
Thanks for this video. I successfully repaired my JE-700! same issue.
Thanks for JIS vs Phillips tip. The difference is subtle, but real.
I might and I stress might have gone with PTFE. Then you said heat shrink and I thought immediately that would be a better idea. Mines an MDS JE-530... and I'm still in love with it and Minidisc. The best music format ever made.
I have an old Sony DHC-MD500 mini stereo system with an MD recorder deck (MDS-S707) that I thought was a lost cause because of this same issue. The unit has been sitting in my basement for the past 12 years. Thanks to finding your video, I was able to fix my MD deck, and I even had the heat gun and heat shrink tubing on hand. Thank you so much! Great content
Great guide. Just fixed an MDS-JE510 with this problem. Chose to just bend the metal tab toward the microswitch. Sorted. Thanks!
That’s exactly what I would have done!
This helped me out SO much! Thank you. So glad to have it accept discs and not wake up in the night!
Thank you. Picked up a used unit after selling my high end model 3 years ago. Decided I wanted the nostalgia. I had this issue and I fixed it. I didn't have the same materials, but yes one small piece of black electricians tape around the post worked. I made sure it stuck well by using my little screw driver to make sure it was applied all the way down each side of the post. My 40 dollar unit now works flawless!🤘
Ey, it's great that you are spreading your content! I'm a fan of Techmoan, LGR, 8-bit Guy, Technology Connections etc. Great to see that you are interested on more vintage tech!
Thanks for this tutorial. You saved another machine from e-waste today!
On that orange ribbon cable is a soldering point to make a short out for esd protection while working on it.
The eject problem with Sony decks is so bad that I’ve always avoided buying them. I have a few Tascam CD/MD rackmount recorders that I paid a hefty premium for (because you can use PS/2 keyboard). Thank you for uploading a repair guide for Sony decks. Now I can shop around for Sony decks.
Great video, yes I still love the minidisc format too. I believe the extra shock absorbtion is to protect it during recording; as you mentioned, there is a big playback buffer but during the writing process the system is very vulnerable to vibration.
Great video! It's a crying shame Sony never produced a Hi-MD Deck.
HiMD was dead out of the water
Do a little research , i think they did , in fact i am pretty sure they did , hang on . Yes , there is a 1gb mini disc on ebay , $34 . I thought it seemed familiar and looking at the picture has reminded me , i had one , you could put about 35 albums/ cd,s on that one disc
I've got a 510 cheap with a jammed mechanism (wouldn't accept discs) and as soon as I fixed it I found it couldn't read the toc. I went into the service menu to verify the laser worked and eventually tracked the problem to one of the flex ribbons between the mechanical assembly and the main pcb having a number of conductors broken (looks like someone was in here before me). I kinda got disinterested by that point and shelved it. I really should try tracking down a new ribbon or if I'm feeling masochistic enough try to repair the cable or replace it with some ide wire.
I was able to fix a 510 by taking the mechanism apart and spraying down every switch in Deoxit and exercising them ~100 times each. Bad microswitches seem to be a plague in Minidisc and DAT decks.
10:53 Those two little solder pads on the ribbon cable are shorting links to protect the laser diode from static. It is advisable to bridge these with a blob of solder before disconnecting the ribbon cable.
And don't forget to remove the solder when re-reconnected! ;D
It was quite lucky the laser didn't get ruined. I've totalled couple of optical blocks back in the days due to rushed jobs.
The cinematography in this looks amazing! Keep up the great work
Man I started to freak when you pulled out the heat gun, that metal tab bends out of shape, can easily be bent back. Kudos for keeping yours running... When the issue is ignored it breaks the loading gear trigger (vinyl)
Minidisc is my no.1 favourite recording and music archiving format. But full sized minidisc recorders were a stupid idea and contributed to the failure of the format, minidisc was designed to be small simple as that, a full sized deck never made any sense to me, these sonys were 90% empty space inside, a real space waster for no good reason, this is why i LOVE my Onkyo FR-X7, sony machines suffered from two design faults, 1, their VFD screens faded like crap in a very short time due to being overdriven by the wrong resistor fitted to the VFD tube, and 2, their mechanisms were very poor, my onkyo is the best sounding minidisc machine ive ever heard.
I just watched Techmoan's old video about MiniDiscs before I saw your video. Funny how RUclips's algorithms work.
Yeah, it’s an interesting coincidence that both of us did MiniDisc videos this week too.
Same!
The "main" PCB is busier than it looks. On the underside of that orange PCB is the control CPU for the deck - the giveaway are the 4 holes you can see which give the CPU some heat escape. The upper side is analogue circuitry as you describe. The front board is just buttons, AMS knob and fluo display controller. However the audio "magic" is on the PCB that is part of the drive unit (seen briefly at 6:31). That has the CXD digital ATRAC encoder/decoder DSP plus the CXA analogue chip to perform laser and servo interfacing. Nonetheless as you said, quite a masterpiece of integration and reusable subsystems. Also one correction, at 9:01 you're pointing at the laser focus coil. The floppy white arm that sits above the disc is the magnetic overwrite head (OWH). During playback the laser reads from below. During recording the laser heats from below and the OWH polarises the magnetic domains in a special layer in the disc. (Sorry if you now know this or someone already commented below).
That off the cuff "bumpin into shit" line had me laughing.
Thanks for this video, I've got a Sony MDS-S707 which is affected by this issue as well which I'll eventually repair, and your video will be immensely helpful. Great idea to use heat shrink tubing.
Thanks for sharing. I have an eject issue (and a slight catching on insert too) but mainly just with Sony Neige discs. Its a JE510. Your video highlighted where its probably catching but I'm not confident of repairing it.
Nice video and demonstration. Thank you for sharing.
worked like a charm on my Sony MDS-S38 - same problem, same fix, but I had to remove an extra top plate which was over the write-head - thx for the guide
You just reminded me that I should get a JIS set for when I take apart japanese electronics. Thanks
Was thinking the same thing
I had this issue with my JE510 less than a year after purchasing it in 1998. I took it back and it was repaired. A week later, it happened again, so I gave up and lived with the issue. I just kept a disc in there at all times. Last summer it finally died. I have since bought another one that doesn’t have the problem. Same model, but in black (mine is silver). I’ve transferred the front fascia from my old one to the replacement as I prefer the silver look. If the issue appears on this one, I now know who’s to resolve it. Thanks.
Oops I did it again =) Manage to fix this problem with minimal tear up and bending the plate steel part.... Thanks a lot for this good video!!!
Loved the video. My Sony minidisc player (MDS-S9) is awaiting a loading belt which is very small. I ordered one on eBay yesterday. I have subscribed. I liked the heat shrink trick. I love that stuff.
Top man, I've actually bought a heatgun and tubing recently to take back to Bangladesh, I'm actually packing my MD unit too to try this at home.
Very nice illustration thank you for the info
awesome video well done - i got a sharp md-x5 im about to pick up thats apparently having eject issues - might be able to use this video
Nice job fixing your mini disc player
Sony MDS - JE320 here .
Thanks for the video and info !!
Going to try the "spray contact cleaner" method posted
by Lee Dean 2 weeks ago ,,, before going your route .
Estoy seguro que me dará un buen resultado, lo pondré en práctica
Muchisimas gracias amigo mio, lo hice tal cual lo esta en el video, y me ha dado un exelente resultado. Greeting from Chile
I still have a Sony microhifi that I bought in the 1990’s, that had a CD player, a minidisc player, and radio, with an AUX in and out. It had the same problems you mentioned, with the minidisc not ejecting properly, getting stuck, waking up when it was powered off, and so on. About a month later, the vertical loading CD drive got stuck and then wouldn’t eject at all. I plugged in a portable minidisc player to the AUX-in jack, and kept using it for a few more years until a thunderstorm fried it completely.
I still have my Sony MDS-JE530 Minidisc Recorder and still functions flawlessly!
Yep, mine too, still going strong.
@@jasonclary5072 Me three
I have the 510 model, and that same red mini disc. Sweet!!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Also a portable one too.
I've had my je-780 for 20 yrs .the problem when you hit eject it gives a high pitch like it's just spinning and the machine reads it and thinks it's ready to play. Is there anywhere to get these fixed??
When I had this problem decades ago, I interrupted the eject motor lead with a momentary switch so it couldn't spit the thing out unless I really wanted it to. I was a kid and didn't have the skills yet for more, or internet resources. It bought me a few more years. Eventually it stopped playing even without ejecting and I gave up. If I ever saw one cheap now, I'd probably buy it. All I have are the original play-only portable and one of the first record/play portables, both Sonys, which are better than nothing!
Very nice repair.
I think I still have the paperwork from Best Buy for when my JE-320 was sent in for service. I'll have to dig around and see. It was so long ago, I can't say for sure that it was this same issue, but I think it was.
Fixed my MDS-EX770 of EX770MD Hifi system. The micro switch was the culprit which made the MD-player stuck in eject constantly. Thanks!
Great video! My 510has been possessed by a ghost for some time now. Thanks for the fix! Would love to see you delve into car player problems. I own 2 Sony/Ford stand alone MD players, one works and the other is for parts. I have an intermittent ‘will not play‘ that is driving me nuts...
a while back I had bought the mini disc je510 found out that it plays the disc but no sound comes out at least when the power's on there's no light coming out of the optical section and also no coaxial sound wondering if you can make a small video of what it could be I know you don't have the 510 and only one optical output but maybe you can explain
Thank for your video. I have a Fujitsu MO drive. Which sometimes has a problem with ejecting and inserting. Probably it is the similar issue. Probably I would give it a shot!
Great video. I did notice though that the rear solder connection to the pcb of that micro switch appeared to have failed. Maybe it was an extra that did not need to be soldered? The heatshrink would put more pressure on the switch which could "make the connection" of the failed solder joint temporarily..
Interesting. I might keep an eye out on ebay for a broken deck with that problem. Could be an easy fix.
OMG my Technics did exactly the same in 98, it was insured so had it fixed. But it started doing it again a few years later and wasn't insured, then got quoted £200! Left it ever since. I loved the MiniDisc, I think I was the only person amongst everyone I knew that had this tech. Also had 2 pocket MD players and one for my car which were all Sony.
Great Vldeo, now I know what to expect if mine develops thsi problem!
Thanks for the video! Helped me save some cash getting a "defective" unit.
bought that unit at a boot sale 15 years ago for 10 bucks so with no issues i guess i'm lucky even if i think i paid too much then.
it's worth more now to me anyway . as its part of a set i own and still use .today . i love my sony system . it is still very good . i paid 50 bucks all in for everything . and 100 for my speakers . which are awesome eltax big bookshelf speakers . happy days . i dont envy your work here .
but i do like the video a lot it shows me what i bought in a well thought out way and i hope i dont have to use your knowledge to fix mine anytime soon.
kind regards .
Thanks for this video - I used it (and the website from John B) to fix up an MDS-S38 that's been playing up like this (far worse actually) for quite some time.
I chose to just use a 2000w hair dryer (jeez using that thing is painful with electricity being as expensive as it is now!) to shrink the tubing as the temperature is lower - took a bit longer but safer.
Putting heat shrink tube on the lever to further push the eject position switch in obviously cures the problem. But real cause of the problem isn't wear of the drive loading mechnism (at least I've never detected wear in my repairs), but contact oxidation inside the position switches. My solution always was to desolder, disassemble and clean the tiny switches - a bit challenging due to the very small size of the switch internal parts.
While the same type of miniature position switches are used in other Sony MD decks and even other brands and work flawlessly there, mostly the Sony decks with MDM-3 mechanism were affected by this problem. There was also a Sony Service Bulletin that describes to replace all four position switches in the MDS-JE320/-JE500/-JE510/-S38/-S39 decks with improved version switches.
Just playing Huey Lewis Sports on my JE330 tonight and saw this in my feed! nice
Good video, well done!
I have just plugged in my old minidisc player after years of it gathering dust. It played the first disc fine and then I started having the same problem with the mechanism. It started making a loud clicking noise. I took the minidisc out and the machine keeps making the noise. The model is the MDS-JE510 you mentioned. I don’t have specialist tools to take it apart and am wondering if I’d know where the fault is anyway. Hmm...
Mine won’t accept a disc and appears to be perpetually trying to eject a disc.
I had a 510. Got it 2nd hand from Goodwill. It had an old service tag on the side indicating an Eject Mechanism issue was fixed. But, the unit still did the same thing. I got rid of it after it stopped recording discs.
All minidisc players have a memory buffer because they read data more like a hard drive than a CD player, and often have to seek to different tracks several times in the course of playing a song, depending on the fragmentation of the disc when the song was recorded. A player like this would not have additional memory for shock protection, so that's probably why it has vibration dampeners.
Another great video. Keep up the good work!
What's that rod at which you're pointing repeatedly at 8:39? over write head, got it. Because I broke off the tip of it.
Thanks for an excellent video, and for highlighting the problem ,i part disassembled the unit and sprayed contact cleaner.,then pressed the switch repeatedly with a small screwdriver, works ok know
Thanks for the info .
Going to try your sprayed contact cleaner method first ,,
before taking apart the whole unit and proceeding .
Yes! Another repair/teardown/mod video! I'm bumpin' into shit!
Good video man. I have a Sony. MDS-JE330 that gives me a C71 ‘din unlock’ message when I try to record. Also it reads the disc, and plays, but no output.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Do you have a diagnostic/FIY (fix it yourself) video for when the disc gets jammed inside and won't eject at all? I had that happen on a couple of those earlier decks. The disc goes in fine, plays fine, but then the deck won't spit it out upon ejecting - it either jams in the slot, or starts to eject but then something gets triggered and it injects the disc again.
I have the same problem. I would appreciate a fix for someone who is not electrically competent.
What size shrink tubing size did you use? I have the exact issue. Also what are the differences in screwdrivers. I have a few portables, but would like to try fixing my JE-320 Deckck. I won't buy a 2nd JE-320 Deck. It seems to be a common problem & issue. Most use your fis. Thanks. WLB
I am owning a JE510 model with exactly the same behavior... i wonder if i should try to risk it to fix it myself...
Awww Colin said shit... guess this is why I didnt see an ad ;)
Ah, I'm bumping into shit lmao
having issues with my Sharp MX-X5 accepting minidiscs....any idea what the issue could be? to get the MD component out of the unit its not very easy :(
Wow. I have two of these with the same problem. One had the transport bite the dust from inserting and ejecting the invisible MD for days on end.
me puedes ayudar tengo el mismo minidisc Mds w 1
Pero introduzco el disco pero cuando quiero sacarlo queda atascado y no lo devuelve
Do you know if this is the same mechanism as the MDS-SE9?
I believe mine was a sony mds-39 that I got with a combo sony stereo. Within 3 months of ownership under warranty, the machine started to do the eject eject eject situation. The sony authorized repair shop had it for over a month and said they fixed it. For about 9 months it was ok, then it occasionally started doing that again turning the machine on randomly. I've not taken it apart to see what they did and they didn't share what they did on the repair. I have 2 other systems doing something similar (don't have model numbers handy at this time.)
Ya Did it! Whah Hoo!!! One thing I would of done while the unit was apart would of been to spray contact cleaner into that switch and clean the Lazer optics.
Oww... Remind me my Sony MZ1, back in 1994... Same principle for the transport, but.. How many times I had it stuck! lol First time I hold it to repair shop, but they ruined the plastic cover over the display (!!) but the next times I was doing it by myself. I'd love to find one again just for the pleasure
I did the same on my 530 and everything worked. Thanks for the video. Unfortunately I have another problem, my 530 doesn't want to burn discs. Maybe you have a video with a solution to this problem ?
Anyone know what the soldered battery is for?
I had the same problem with my Sony MDS-JD980 so I took it apart and replaced the rubber band and it now elects and plays fine but when I record it it blanks the disc without writing to it?
That's an overwrite head issue - the floppy white arm seen 8:17 onwards. If this is damaged or bent then it's probably game over for recording. The easiest fix is to source another drive. The cheapest way to do this is to find an otherwise scrap MDS-JE480 and to swap the drive (4 screws and 2 ribbon cables) - 480, 780, 980 use the same drive, the MDM7A1S which is Type-S, CXD2664R DSP.
Hi Colin Nice fix with that shrink fuze where it is already not good for almost anything just as convenient as duck tape. .. I have never had a MD maybe because was busy with computers already found them pretty cool friend of mine was driving me mad freak studio were also expensive things in Europe think that's why been achieved, players were just too expensive. And Yes take apart is always easier that put it together with him again have fun again. ;))
I had that same one the JE320. Unfortunately when I lived in Florida it took a hit from lightning and could not record anymore. Still played but once it wouldn’t eject (did the same thing yours did) I tossed it in the recycling. The LCD display started going bad on it too from what I recalled. It wasn’t one of their better models. Shame because before CD-R’s were mainstream it was a great alternative to cassettes.
Hello are you familiar with the aiwa am-f65. I found it a year ago in one of the boxes with old stuff from my dad.
He has a big collection of (live) recordings but we can't play them because the only thing the aiwa am-f65 does is showing the error "no adjust". Some people say I have to put the bios on the eeprom but I don't have the equipment.
Could you please help me with this.
I have the JE510. Hoping to find a fix :)
I was looking for a way to fix my minidisk not being able -after many years not being used- to read any disk (TOC Reading and ejecting stating "Disk error") on all my disks i watched this video because mine also does this. Could you help please?
Hi. There is no power getting to my MD deck. Could the problem be something as simple as a fuse having blown? If so, where would such a fuse be located? I've looked and looked and can see nothing resembling a fuse. Maybe a condenser type fuse ...???