The DIY Discman Repair Thread - Page 20

New Guy Enquiring About Sony D303

OK Guys. Just like some of the other posters I have read on this site - I got online to see if I could find a place that would repair my Sony D303 portable CD player and found this site.

Can someone humor me and tell me what they THINK might be wrong with it? It doesn't spin up. I've had the unit since it was new back in 92. It never has been used just a whole lot. I pulled it out the other day to use it and discovered this problem. The unit seems to be fine besides this - I see the red light shining where the digital signal connector is, the LED displays "no disk" whenever I close the door.

I consider myself to be somewhat handy but not sure if this is something I can tackle. Do you guys have a pretty good success rate with newbies like me?

I see on Sony's site that they will repair if for around $100.00. Has anyone used their service? I would like to try and fix it myself. I think I could do it with the proper guidance...

Thanks for your help,

Kevin

Well considering no one was able to help me or either everyone just ignored my post with my d-ej01 i decided to take the plunge myself and crack it open.....well....turns out i was half right....there was a heap of battery acid on the connectors and that probably explains why it kept saying lobatt while it was still working when i first got it........but yeah i think the major prob was the negative connector plates were a little bent or not bent enough???......so the battery wasn't making proper contact....

haha...and it's funny how i figured it out....no ammeter or voltmeter and ur fancy stuff since i don't have any....i just used some LED i stole during physics in high school...and stuck it between all these different points and see if it lit up....and yup....i just bent the contacts more so it will make contact...though at the time i was still kinda worried since even though it lit up...the motor wouldn't start.....but then figured that the motor probably doesn't start until you insert one of the screws back (and that pushes some button maybe????) since even DC pwr didn't work.....

anywho for anyone else who wants to open their d-ej01....it realli is quite simple....except taking the top lid off is a bit tricky....u gotta either flick these two side hinge things open....or unscrew two screws that i can't seem to access without removing the lid first.....

Simple Fixes can and DO work

Hello, I am new here too! Like many other users before me, I found my way here through google searches relating to old vintage Sony PCDP’s.

I recently got an old Sony D-141 (argh I know, inferior compared to all the great models, yet as Duncan says in his review of it, surprisingly good sound… indeed) from a cash converters for $5. The low price was because it was “broken” and could not spin up and read a disc. So I offered 5 bucks for it…

Symptom: flickering motor sounds, no spin up.

Once opened up, I could see that it was dried up worm gear grease and over tight gear screws. By relieving that stalled jammed up motor, the unit regained full functionality.

Resuscitated by no more than some lithium grease. (it was all metal parts in contact with the gear, so why not? I should get some of this LaBelle grease from a hobby shop in future)

It took some time to work back in, or break in the grease. Move the optical pick up head assembly along the gear from one extreme to the other by playing a CD, moving from tracks 1 to the last track constantly. It worked for me.

I just with I had known this and other tricks when I passed up a D-33 for $20 Canadian =( I will always regret not having bought it at the time, when it appeared “broken”.

Anyone ever tried to repair any of the most recent models?

I have a D-CJ501 (same as the 500, only in silver) since it came out, until it gave up the ghost a tad ago.

I used to have the common "no disc" errors, which I usually dealt with by opening and cleaning the discman and optical head, but this time I bumped in a more difficult problem..

The motor sometimes doesn't spin the cd, which has pretty much rendered the unit useless. I have an older D-F411 and I was thinking of checking if its motor would fit, or maybe getting a replacement one... is it worth the hassle?

Any other idea or recommendation is welcome as well..

FiX

Ok, opened it up again and finally fixed it about an hour ago.. tried all the advice on general maintenance, as lubricating the worm mechanism, and when I was about to check out the mottor, I noticed something weird under the rubber/plastic end where the cd rests.

Well, the mechanism jammed (in quite random intervals, to answer your question) because of 2-3 hairs (Me being a somewhat long haired bugger) that had been almost knit around the metallic edge that spinned the above clip (and cd)..

Had a laugh, cleaned up the bugger, finished up the rest of the cleaning/lubricating and it started playing with the first go.

Now, the "no disc" error should be a laser issue, but since I didn't bother to check for pots or anything similar (and since I can't get my hands on a bloody service manual :/), I went back to my plain old cleaning CD and solution that came with it..

So far so good, hope that was the real problem

EDIT: After using an mp3 cd and the cleaning disc, I tried to played another cd, and the motor stopped spinning again. There's also a high-pitched noise coming from the head, so you were right.. anyway, the parts from the other discman are not compatible, so I'll just have to get a new discman... *sigh*

FiX

imp-350 battery problem

iRiver imp-350 with two NW14-type NiMH batteries (1.2vdc nominal).

I fully recharge the batteries and when charging is completed they read about 1.33 vdc. They work fine (about an hour) until the voltage drops to about the nominal 1.2vdc, (and the voltage indicator drops) then the iRiver indicates low voltage and quits. I wouldn't expect the battery to be at 1.3vdc for very long. The nominal voltage is where the battery should last for hours but this is where the iRiver quits.

I have tried the battery indicator adjustment at both high, middle, and low range. No change in battery behavior.

I tried using another pair of NW14 (real Sony) and the same behavior happens.

Anyone aware of an adjustment (or service menu) for the imp-350 player?

Thanks,

Paul

Sony D-66 (pcdp) - Plays for 5mins (any tracks) then stops

Sony D-66 manufactured Oct 1991.

For quite some time the unit would skip alot when horizontal. One day a few minutes into play the unit just switched itself off. If it is left for a while I can get about 5mins play before it turns off (it will seem to play any track I select). Just before turning off the disc stalls and then tries to spin up again along with a clunking sound several times.

Why would it play fairly flawlessly for several minutes and then turn off!!

Also, when flat there is a knocking sound about once/rev, but when unit is at 45deg or in vertical position it is quiet (has been like that a long time).

I tried to open up the player, there were 6 screws underneath, and I found one more screw inside on the board where the power socket is. I cannot get any further or find any more screws to get the board out so that I can look at the mechanism. The board is loose at the above socket but fixed solid everywhere else. Looking from underneath, there are some plastic clips fixed to the board in the bottom right corner but they don't appear to be responsible for holding the board in place?

There seems to be no way in from the top of the unit i.e from the CD area?

I have'nt tried using alakline batteries yet instead of mains supply.

Can anyone tell me how to get this player apart to see the mechanism.
Do you think adjusting the pots will save it considering that it plays fine for 5mins?

I have scanned all through this thread, there is not much on a D-66, and most peoples problems seem to be skipping or not reading the CD at all!

Sounds like a capacitor issue. Could be in the power supply area. I have several machines which have similar problems. The first step is to is to identify if any capacitors have leaked on the circuit board.

Thanks for your thought there Memepool, it could be the answer. All I need to do now is work out how to get the bottom circuit board out so I can see everything.
Is it easy to identify bad caps (i,e if they have not leaked), easy to get hold of them and fit?

You need to test the circuit. I am not that really an electronics whizz but I have had enough of these things fixed in the past and that always seems to be the issue. I think sony used quite basic capicitors so most people round here seem to advocate changing them to audio grade ones. Read the rest of this thread...long i know.

D-777

Hi, guys

I've bought a D-777 but it has a spoilt line-out. There is sound but the right channel is a lot softer than the left channel. Any ideas as to what's wrong? The ESP toggle switch is also busted..even when I turn it to the off position, the ESP stays on. I think the switch has been worn out. Where can I find a replacement switch..?

In addition to this, I came across a D-50mkII at the flea market the other day and bought it. It powers on, but the motor won't spin...The worm gear and laser pickup seems to be moving just fine. It's just the motor that spins the cd that isn't working.. I opened it up and...Wow..have never seen a "PCDP" that runs on pulleys/rubber bands...if I could get it to work, it'd be great! Anyone..please help!

Being that this is the repair thread I'll put down my experiences to date.
I bought a D-828K ( 828K , 828 , D828 or D828K for the search engine) Car Discman from a pawn shop for $5.

I thought the Amber/Green lights didn't work, but discovered that they only work when running off an external power source.

The Line out did not work at all.
There is a small, long, and skinny circuit board that connects the pwr/line-out daughter board to the main board. The boards are connected through some small square 6-pin connecters. Apparently, there is some stress on the 6-pin connecters when pressure is applied to the pwr or line-out jack. This cracked the solder between the 6-pin connector and the board. I resoldered the 6-pin connecters to the board and now it works! Be sure to use a small tipped soldering iron as the pins are very close together. Solderwick is also a big help when you accidentally solder two pins together.

Also worth noting:
It doesn't seem to be "delicate".
The plastic case does hold the circuit board in place so all the stress is not on the 6-pin connector. I'm not sure how mine ended up needing to be resoldered. But, no telling what the poor PCDP has been subjected to.
The lid is broke on one side also. I just use a rubber band to hold it together.

Broken Sony D-515 (1992)

UPDATE - - - Problem has been solved thanks to the intervention of user DeeJayBump !!!
Thanks DeeJayBump for opening up your D-515 to find out where the wire went!!!!

I have acquired a Sony D-515 Discman. From about 1992.
It was not in working condition when I got it, and, once getting it home I opened it up to discover that a wire was broken off and loose inside! Photos below. [[Removed due to hosting having expired]]

If someone else out there with a D-515 (an old broken one will be fine) can open it up and see where this black wire goes I would be able to solder it back on and repair this D-515 !!!!

UPDATE - - - Problem has been solved thanks to the intervention of user DeeJayBump !!!
Thanks DeeJayBump for opening up your D-515 to find out where the wire went!!!!

hmmm is this the d-515 from eBay not long ago..?

Coincidentally, there was d-515 that just sold; Lost this auction to someone, a newbie with zero feedback, so did not want to drive up the auction. By chance from item 5876247165?
Just curious, because the pcb on the 515 relative to the 303 is very similar, and thought I may have a chance to fix'er up, but lost the auction to someone..
small world if the case or if you are hyperscope..
howfunny