For those who are impatient, here's the TL;DW version: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pM94i9KL2bCaiok.html

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.

Hell ya. Love minidisc. The format never should have died.

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.

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 KZfaq 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.

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. 🥳

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!

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

Great guide. Just fixed an MDS-JE510 with this problem. Chose to just bend the metal tab toward the microswitch. Sorted. Thanks!

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!

This helped me out SO much! Thank you. So glad to have it accept discs and not wake up in the night!

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

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.

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.

On that orange ribbon cable is a soldering point to make a short out for esd protection while working on it.

Thanks for this tutorial. You saved another machine from e-waste today!

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.

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.

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)

Great video! It's a crying shame Sony never produced a Hi-MD Deck.

I just watched Techmoan's old video about MiniDiscs before I saw your video. Funny how KZfaq's algorithms work.

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.

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.

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.

The cinematography in this looks amazing! Keep up the great work

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.

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

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.

You just reminded me that I should get a JIS set for when I take apart japanese electronics. 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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fixed my MDS-EX770 of EX770MD Hifi system. The micro switch was the culprit which made the MD-player stuck in eject constantly. Thanks!

I still have my Sony MDS-JE530 Minidisc Recorder and still functions flawlessly!

Interesting. I might keep an eye out on ebay for a broken deck with that problem. Could be an easy fix.

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.

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...

Thanks for the video! Helped me save some cash getting a "defective" unit.

Nice job fixing your mini disc player

I have the JE510. Hoping to find a fix :)

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!

I have the 510 model, and that same red mini disc. Sweet!!! 👍🏼👍🏼

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!

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..

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.

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.)

Awww Colin said shit... guess this is why I didnt see an ad ;)

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.

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

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.

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

Just playing Huey Lewis Sports on my JE330 tonight and saw this in my feed! nice

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 .

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

that micro switch was probably the problem, not making good contact inside, they get oxidized over time, a bit of contact cleaner would have worked too.

Nice video and demonstration. Thank you for sharing.

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.

Yes! Another repair/teardown/mod video! I'm bumpin' into shit!

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.

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.

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 .

Please feature the other minidiscs 🙂❤️

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. ;))

Great video - thanks! I have an MDS-JB940 UK Special edition that has been real joy to use over the years. Recently it stopped ejecting the minidiscs properly - everything else works fine. Is this likely to be a microswitch problem again, or more likely to be something to do with the tiny rubber belt drive thing that sits buried somewhere inside the mechanism..? By the way, my deck has a whole lot more circuit boards inside the chassis than Colin's!

Colin, 3:08-3-09 is now the sound my Mac makes when an application crashes.

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.

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 ?

@ThisDoesNotCompute, I have the JE510 deck as well, with the same eject problem. Been that way for years, but the player still works. However, the display is very dim, probably because it needs new resistors to restore the proper voltage to the display. I have never done anything like that before. Do you do those types of repairs for other people? Could I mail you my Sony MiniDisc player to have you fix the eject issue and the display? You could even film it for your channel. What would that type of repair cost? Thanks.

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.

Estoy seguro que me dará un buen resultado, lo pondré en práctica

Anyone know what the soldered battery is for?

I *almost* bought a new to me portable Minidisc recorder/player from Amazon recently, but I think the format would just be too much trouble these days. I can't find any HI-MD decks at all. Even Japanese high end consumer-oriented models aren't HI-MD capable.

Very nice illustration thank you for the info

You might want to check your CPU back up battery on the power supply if you are having a machine that is misbehaving The back up battery is labeled in a light blue cover and this is what keeps the memory alive for the cpu...Give it a check with a tester..

VWestlife is bae

I didn't realize mini disc was anyting but mobile! Cool

Muchisimas gracias amigo mio, lo hice tal cual lo esta en el video, y me ha dado un exelente resultado. Greeting from Chile

I had this same exact model back in 1999. Purchased as a bundle at Best Buy and decided to get extended warranty. That mechanism was prone to brake repeatedly, and I managed to go back to Best Buy 3 times for fixing. Policy was, after 3 times, I will just get my money back, which I did. Kept the portable version though with no recording capabilities. Really miss the deck. I wish I would've kept it. Not hard to fix.

Could you have bent the post very slightly? Maybe not ideal and I like your solution, but wondering if you think that might have worked...

I am owning a JE510 model with exactly the same behavior... i wonder if i should try to risk it to fix it myself...

I sprayed the switch with aerosol electrical switch cleaner on mine and that worked like a charm.

I've got a 510 with that problem. Took it back to Circuit City for repair. They replaced the switch which did NOT fix the problem. My solution was to buy a 520. Still got the 510 and may try this repair. MiniDisc should've been more successful. I like the format.

hi had the same model je320 it was doing the same it's the mini button inside the deck

Hello ! Is mono as good sound as atrac3plus? Do I need to buy the SONY MDS-JE780? Have a Pioneer MJ-D508 MD. Can the SONY MDS-JE780 record LP / Vinyl / analog to attrac3plus format?

Olá! Possuo um CD-MD Sony MXD-D3. Ele não está girando o motor do MD! Se tiver alguma dica ficaria muito agradecido. Obrigado 👍🏼

Do you know if this is the same mechanism as the MDS-SE9?