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Windows 10 installation (Net MD): 1) Download the files in description 2) Double click on "SS43_Ultimate.exe" and install the "SonicStage" program. 3) Go to Program Files (x86) -> Sony -> Personal Audio Drivers -> Sort by type -> Highlight all the ".inf" files, right click on one of them and hit install. 4) Unzip the second attached file "sony-net-md-drivers-win764.zip" and open up the folder "Sony Net MD Drivers". 5) Right click "NETMD760.inf" and hit install. 6) Go to Program Files (x86) -> Sony -> SonicStage-> Right click on "Omgjbox.exe -> Click on Compatibility -> Under the Compatibility tab, click the box and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)" Launch SonicStage, plug in your Walkman and a "NET MD" tab should show up in Sonic Stage. If the "NET MD" tab does not show up for you, then you need to find the correct driver for the individual Microdisc player You may receive an error when starting it, just click "next" and agree" and open it up a 2nd time without problems. Learning how to use SonicStage is very easy. SS43_ULTIMATE.exe sony-net-md-drivers-win764.zip

Since the "Ultimate" 4.3 version seems to have gained quite a popularity, and appears to be less glitchy than any previous one, I decided to build a second release. This is purely a cosmetic update. What's changed from the first release: 1. Updated Registry Information Setup is used now. This doesn't affect minidisc functionality in any way, but may add support for some newer ATRAC phones (you still need to provide the respective drivers). 2. The link to Minidisc Community Forums in the Help menu is replaced with a link to Sony Insider Forums. 3. Installation package extraction path is no longer saved to registry. 4. Windows Installer 2.0 distribution package is not included. The complete list of changes from the official VAIO version (including changes introduced in the first release): 1. System prerequisites from Microsoft (Windows Installer 2.0, DirectX 9.0c, Windows Media Format 9, Windows Media Format 9.5, Data Access Components 2.5) are not included. 2. OpenMG Secure Module version 5.0 with the respective Registry Information is used instead of the original patched version 4.7. 3. Sony CONNECT Store support is no longer installed. 4. SonicStage Security Update is installed automatically. 5. Latest Personal Audio Drivers for SONY devices are installed automatically. 6. The VAIO support link in the Help menu is replaced with a link to Sony Insider Forums. NOTE: If you have applied the experimental SonicStage patch 4.3.02 for Vista/Windows 7, you'll need to re-apply it after installation. Download links: SonicStage 4.3 "Ultimate" Release 2 for Windows 2000/XP/Vista (you must register at Sony Insider forums to download) Mini-mode skins Recommended PxEngine update

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, and let me say that I love to see the love and conversation about MiniDisc keep going on I'm popping in just to let you know that I've recently released an app for NetMD devices. I wrote the app mainly for myself, but I thought it might be useful for some of you too! So, and here's the link to use it -> https://stefano.brilli.me/webminidisc/ And here's a short demo of how app works Any feedback is welcome! Stefano

As promised in one of my previous posts, here is the trailer for 'The Field Recordist' which features some of the mini disc recorders, together with recorded tracks: UPDATED - HERE IS THE COMPLETE FILM: Best heard with headphones.

Hello! Just thought I'll report it here, if you're trying to create an account without a connection with an already existing account like Google or alike, it's simply impossible to do so, because of incorrectly loaded reCaptcha. To make this account I had to rewrite the part of the site responsible for the captcha. If anyone else is experiencing the same difficulties, here are the steps I used to create my account: Go to https://forums.sonyinsider.com/register/ In devtools, open the `head` tag and remove all the scripts that mention recaptcha Add a new script, with `src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js"` Execute the following JavaScript code: const captcha = document.querySelector("[data-ipscaptcha]"); const parent = captcha.parentElement; captcha.remove(); const newCaptcha = document.createElement("div"); parent.appendChild(newCaptcha); grecaptcha.ready(() => grecaptcha.render(newCaptcha, {sitekey: "6LdgERMTAAAAAC4kTmm7BH1laShX3teATAV_6FIY"})); After that, you should be able to click on the captcha and create your account by executing the following JS code (the submit button is broken): document.querySelector("form").submit();

Finally, my homebrew laser power meter is put together. It cost $3 worth of surface mount components, a used disc sacrificed for the shell, a piece of pcb, and some other stuff I found in the back of my drawer. Initially I tested it with my digital multimeter hooked on those test terminals, but then I found this neat little five-digit Volt-meter I bought some time ago on ebay, I think it was five bucks or so with free shipping from China. Without much fine tuning, I popped this little probe into all the decks I had at hand, and measured the laser power. From the mV readings and the nominal laser power values I calculated the mV-to-mW multipliers, and I took the average of a unit I trusted the most, a 940. Using this sole multiplier as the "calibration", I recalculated the measured mW figures and compared to the factory recommended range. Most of the other units were nicely within specification, but this 530 in question, that immediately popped out, being near 40% below the necessary values, i.e., 0,55 mW and 4,32 mW versus 0,9 mW and 7,0 mW respectively. Now, it might be that easy, but before changing anything, I want to check the IOP, to see, whether that meets the specs, and set the measured value for further adjustments. For this I will need that rig connecting to the drive, currently waiting for the special connector to arrive. So much for now, I will update the thread as I progress. Some photos attached below, just for fun.

Don't worry about it - I got myself a Sony LAM for testing and ended up falling in love with the whole LAM series of devices. I have 3 now, so I use that functionality regularly 😆

Over the past couple of months, I've been bitten by the MD bug again. I hadn't visited this forum in a VERY long time. I've used one of my MZ-NH900s at my work desk on almost a daily basis for 10+ years. It sits it's original cradle, powered from the AC adapter because the battery long since gave up the ghost. I have about 20 disc's (a mix of Hi-MD and standard MD My other NH900 has been broken for years after it fell out of my pocket and a disc got jammed. Was able to get the disc out by disassembling the recorder but when I all went back together the buttons were no longer responsive... So I put it in a storage box with my other MD stuff that wasn't used anymore. FF 1month ago, I was digging thru some things and came across my box MD recorders. Pulled out the NH900 and took it apart again. Long story short, it's had been returned to service! While looking for info on repair, I came across this site and an intro to Reddit MD. My interest stoked again, burned some new disc's, reorganized some of my favorites, and am trying my hand at labeling. I've also managed to buy a couple of new Hi-MD blanks and some used standard MDs. It's always fun to go thru used disc's from someone else to see what's on them 🙂 My MD arsenal consists of: MZ-R500, MZ-N707 (eprom nodded), MZ-N920, IM-DR420, MZ-NH600D, 2-MZ-NH900s, 2-MZ-RH10s (both with bad displays), and a MZ-RH910. 150ish standard MDs and 15 Hi-MDs. Most of my standard disc's are Hi-MD formated and most of the music is burned in ATRAC3plus @256k. I simply LOVE this format!

Nice to see SIF back up. Why was it down? It was quite a long time. I think many people have given up on it. That http://www.minidisc.wiki has turned out pretty nice btw. Still has a ways to go, but it has data on some devices not found anywhere else in English.

I don't have a question, just wanted to post a brief "ode" to my Sony MZ-R90 which I got, unexpectedly, as a birthday present in 2000. It transformed portable audio for me, but six short months later, my MZ-R90 was stolen by an opportunistic thief. Not long after that, I moved on to MP3 players, but just recently I have been reminiscing wistfully about that beautiful little piece of music technology. I had the black version, and I think the industrial design is really magnificent.

Back in 1997, long before MP3 was anything more than a concept, I was serving in the Air Force and frequently deployed overseas. Some guys on the squadron introduced me to a strange format for making music portable. MiniDisc. I soon got to learn that those tough little discs survived the rough-and-tumble of life in a kit-bag. We each bought portable players, and would ‘pool’ our discs together to make little music libraries, would trade discs with one another, and would copy CD’s for one another back home. No matter where we were in the world, AA batteries were easy to obtain, and just a handful of batteries would literally last weeks. It was a pocket-sized bit of luxury that we could carry with us, and I loved it. ......then, along came MP3 players and the ubiquitous ‘iPod’. Suddenly we could carry all of our music in a small space, and it seemed that the MiniDisc was dead. Within about 3 years everyone I knew had ditched the format and were literally giving away their discs and players, as were oil-rig workers, fishermen, and other locals who worked away from home for extended periods. I too, confined my MiniDisc collection to a box in the loft, and bought an iPod Classic. Fast-forward to 2005, and I deployed for a 4-month tour to Iraq. My iPod came with me, and I had the small luxury of my music collection to fall back on, OR SO I THOUGHT. By the second week I had the sickening ‘Sync Reset’ display (which of course was impossible without my PC) and in one fell swoop I lost my music. Other guys had problems with the portable power-generators cooking their wall-plug chargers, and soon quite a few of us had lost the use of our players, just when we would have appreciated them the most! Back home, and I was quickly falling out of love with my iPod. It seemed that whenever I updated my collection there would be issues with mixed/missing title-tracks and artwork. Any albums entitled ‘Greatest Hits’ would become an amalgamated mess, and whilst the battery-life seemed to get ever shorter, the demands for a ‘sync reset’ increased. The love was fading. I noticed something else, too. My listening habits were changing. My seemingly endless access to music made me a lazy listener, and I would frequently jump from album to album, track to track, and would often skip mid-way through a track. My days of listening to an album the way that the artist intended, had gone. This wasn’t music enjoyment. ....and so, by 2008 I was back to my MiniDisc, and what I revival it was! Equipment that had previously been prohibitively expensive was now dirt-cheap, and I was living the hobby like a millionaire! I soon had units for every occasion with Sony JA20ES and JA50ES decks for hifi use, numerous portable players, and a Pioneer MEH P9000 head-unit for the car. I could afford to be extravagant with discs, and my well used dozen or so swelled up to over 1,000. That was 10 years ago, and nothing much since then has changed. I still indulge in the childhood enjoyment of putting a ‘mixtape’ together in real-time, copying music from my CD’s and vinyl to Type-R SP to listen to in the car, or out walking the dog. Because space is at a premium my playlists are more carefully considered, and I listen to each track in full. My listening-habits are back to where they should be. In 20 years I can count on one hand the number of corrupted discs I’ve suffered, only ever having to re-copy one album. I keep discs and a spare player at work, in the summerhouse and in the car, and I have a physical, tangible connection with my music collection again. MiniDisc as a commercial format is dead, and I’m OK with that. It continues to live on in my household, and probably will do for years to come, maybe even for another decade or more. I continue to love the ‘forgotten format’, and those robust little discs give me everything I need.

Hi Folks, Long time no post, busy with child rearing. :-) I do stop by to read up on new posts and topics. I ran across this video on YouTube yesterday, sorry to post if everyone has already seen it but it was good to see and I wanted to share with all. Cheers!

It is currently admitted that the MZ-RH1 has the best DAC, ergo the best sound. I prefer however the sound of QS and ES Sony decks.

Hi all! So I've started a little project for myself. Minidisc never really caught on too well in canada so I won't be stmbling on any racks at the thrift shop anytime soon. I've been looking for storage solutions, haven't been a big fan of the wine box idea, generally I haven't seen anything that really caught my eye. For some reason it never dawned on me in the last year to 3D print some racks... I'm not sure why, I've been 3D printing everything else for years.... So I designed these up yesterday with some spare time. They're very rough still and very utilitarian. The larger one holds 10 discs and is meant to stack vertically (and has holes for nesting feet, and holes for screws). The smaller one to the right I haven't tested yet but I am thinking of a wall unit that makes the discs look like they are floating out of the wall. Edit wise I'm going to shrink the width by 2mm and perhaps put the discs at a slight downard angle rather than 90 degree so that if they were on an uneven surface, they'd still stay in the rack. What do you guys think? Feel free to toss any ideas my way! (also, for curiosity sake, the larger one took 8 hours to print! 3d printing is pretty cool but it's still a very slow process.) (The render) and printed

I got the drivers installed on my computer. I recommend watching this youtube video thats how i did it.

In case anyone is interested... I´ve written a review of the Sony MZ-R 50. http://marlene-d.blogspot.de/2013/07/the-legendary-sony-mz-r-50-review.html

I just wanted to say that it is nice to have some new members who are clearly MD lovers around to join in on the discussion and add new thoughts, ideas and opinions. Welcome all. :-)

Buy LIP-4 battery. First open all the cover of LIP-4. then you can small PCB. just remove the PCB using soldering iron or else. Do the same things with LIP-3 batteries. take the small PCB from LIP-3 and put to LIP-4 battery cell use soldering iron. Then cover you new battery, make sure it won't have electronics shortcuts. You'll have a new long lasting battery. It works on my MZ-N10.

I have a Sony MDS-JE780 for sale. It is silver and in mint condition as it has been hardly used. It is based in Wolverhampton so can be collected, or can be posted at additional cost. (I estimate about £7 with recorded delivery) £80 ono. Spec taken from the Sony website: Hybrid Pulse D/A Converter ATRAC DSP Type-S Long Time Recording and Playback (LP2, LP4) Pitch Control Scale Factor Edit NetMD Control A1 Keyboard Terminal 1 x Optical & 1 x Coaxial Input & 1 x Optical Output Available inblack and silverSee the link for more info.... http://www.sony.co.u...=TechnicalSpecs

MiniDisc is not useless; it's obsolete. There is a key difference. Nothing as multifaceted as a MiniDisc recorder can be said to be useless. That said, I think that even if Sony had marketed MiniDisc successfully, it would be obsolescent today because its competitors are more feature-rich. I have difficulty following some of the logic in this thread. MiniDisc and MP3 players both have shuffle functions. It's up to the user whether or not to use them, and absolutely nothing about an MP3 player compels one to do so. It SHOULD go without saying that either is just as capable of playing entire albums chronologically. You're arguing against your perceptions of MP3 users' supposed preferences, which are likely exaggerated and unfounded. The issue was the native functionality of the devices and which better suited the questioner. I still have my MiniDisc players, though I almost exclusively use my MP3 player (and never on shuffle). I may be returning to reporting soon and thus would use my MiniDisc to record, even though my MP3 player has a voice recorder. I also take out MiniDisc sometimes just for nostalgia. Whereas many of you are exalting album listening, I actually got into MiniDisc because it facilitated playlists, but now MP3 players do this better because the track need not be re-uploaded to form the playlist. Album listening has its advantages and purposes, but playlists demonstrate the user's creativity and make for great time travel. In my moments of nostalgia, I can call up playlists of the songs that defined eras I miss. It's a beautiful thing. One of you said you found MP3 players useless because they could not do all the things a MiniDisc player could. That depends on the MP3 player. (Further, it's a bogus statement because any mass storage device that plays music clearly has a twofold desirable purpose.) I actually can edit titles and move files on the go, but let's be honest: It is rare that such an act is of such pressing import that it can't wait until one gets home. My MP3 player is an Archos 5, which, like many MP3 players, has great sound quality, radio, a 250-gigabyte hard drive, a voice recorder, Wi-FI, Web radio and TV, DVR, picture display, and video. Useless because it's an MP3 player? Oh, brother. Much of this stems from your zeal to vindicate the MiniDisc, which I love. Another example is the citation of an intangible such as "cool factor," which lies in the eye of the beholder. Consider that being in the in-crowd like an Apple user can be said to be cool. Also, cool as in different just means anything opposed to the leading product, and that doesn't necessarily mean a MiniDisc. A lesser-known MP3 player can turn heads, but turning heads is not where the joy in product use lies. It is also flawed logic to assert that one likes MiniDisc because one prefers to carry around just a few albums. One can choose to listen to just a few on an MP3 player, first of all. The mere presence of all the other tracks you have neatly stored on the hard drive will not weigh heavily on the mind. Second, both MP3 players and MiniDiscs are mass storage devices. That's like one compulsive overeater defaming another because the other is even worse. That does not make you the icon of restraint; rather, you prefer a lesser example of excess. I do believe there still are real advantages to MiniDisc that relate to its native functionality. It's durable, sounds great, and records. It edges out MP3 in battery life, line-in recording, and usually voice recording. Actually, recording is where its greatest strength is now. Another strength is that different models are tailored to different uses; some have radio, some record and others have a digital amplifier, for instance. I love that my MP3 player works with Windows Media Player, which keeps track of the tracks you have and have not added to the device. Syncing automatically adds the new tracks. If I went back to MinDisc, I'd have to guess where I left off as I tried to upload all the music I have purchased since then to MiniDiscs. Also, I don't have to be bothered with SonicStage or ATRAC anymore, and I am glad. I don't have a second-generation Hi-MD player, so I can't put MP3s on them.

I have an N510 and a DN430. Both sound really good. I also have some S1's which, I know, are type R. They both sound excellent to me. I figured I'd take the (possible) slight noise quality hit and lack of remote for bombproof (especially in Orygun) performance of the S1. I can say those DN430's sound just fine. I think you can find that model with a radio too

Here are a couple of snaps:

A while back a site appeared offering replacement cases for pre-recorded MiniDiscs: https://minidisc.me/ They were offering them in a variety of colours but they never actually seemed to have anything in stock, at least not when I looked. Anyway, Retro Style Media in the UK, who also sell blanks and the smaller jewel cases for MiniDiscs, have now got the larger cases in stock: Full Size MiniDisc Case with a Black Inner Tray They're not cheap but might be worth a look if you've got some cracked cases?

I don't suppose you have access to an older MD deck do you? I use my MDS-JE500 to wipe discs that have been write protected via SonicStage.

I have tested your new version and it works very well, the only field I now have to type myself, after the import of the CD, is Year Released. Your program is especially useful when importing a CD and want the result files coded as Atrac Advanced Lossless, for other lossless (or lossy) codecs there are several (free) rip programs with direct connection to Discogs or MusicBrainz etc.. For example you can rip to WMA lossless and import the files in SonicStage while keeping the tags. Your instructions how to use the program are very good also.

I guess this is the same one that is also on Elektrotanya. Sadly it does not have any circuit diagrams, only (rather poor quality) PCB layouts. Probably -30V. But the VFD should work with -17V as well, only somewhat dimmer. I am not sure that this SM is 100% consistent, because parts numbering seems different on the PCB layouts and in the parts list. Nevertheless, if the VFD driver IC is what we see in the SM, then its datasheet talks about -35V (actually anything down to -40V).

Put this OWH in the right way first. Poor recording head.

Prices fron Buyee are similar to what I get in Vietnam for those ES decks. I am happy.

I recently decided to sell a couple of items. Enzo expressed interest, kept good communication and paid promptly. I would deal with him again.

I've just received some of the brand new Sony blank MiniDiscs through the post and the packaging bears a striking resemblence to the very first blanks from back in 1992. This makes me wonder if they are finishing in the same fashion as they started and that this is the last new blank we will see from Sony. I certainly hope not but I have included a few photos of the 1992 and 2015 discs together for comparison. http://www.sony.jp/rec-media/products/MDW80T/

Please contact jonathanpotato, he can help you I think http://www.jonathandupre.fr

That is classic! I love it...

Decks - Sony QS models 930,940,980 blanks - are the any freecycler orgs where you you ask for free 2nd hand blanks

I really enjoy minidiscs. What I've been doing is converting my favorite albums to minidisc, and since a person can't go to the store and buy albums, or sticker shapes for the discs, I've been printing my stickers from the local copy store. Here's some cool stuff I made What do you think?

Do you have the discs prepared already, or will you take thoughts on which disc design to pair the labels with? These 5 will all be rotated 90 degrees to the left, I assume. To get the ball rolling, I say put the first on a yellow victor fruity colour ... if you have one. Or a maxell iro maybe?

I´ll try: he didn´t buy the most expensive MDs. What that means I have no idea. Maybe he wasn´t interested that much in haptic quality. Or he simply didn´t care. He´s an orderly person, titling his MDs. The music he likes... well, he does have taste. Blur, Ella Fitzgerald, Daft Punk and Faithless. Clubmusic, jazz, alternative rock. On occasion he experiments with different styles like Dido or Elvis Costello... or Boyzone (!). There´s also an MD especially made for cooking. Either for a girlfriend or for himself... Some MDs are not titled by him but by another person, judging from differing styles of writing on several MDs. Which could mean that he convinced someone else to invest into MD or that he was convinced. I cannot see very much I´m afraid, except stating the obvious.

So it seems a mixture of doing the following: -downloading and installing the ultimate version was a good start as I had way more issues with the other cd I had with the software on it -running the program as an admin -saving the files to a folder on the desktop instead of the default SS used, and setting it to auto delete the converted files after transfer finished. as for the slow transfer, it was a bad disc, popped in a new one and it works wonderfully, transfers songs in a matter of seconds. So for now I think it's good, I have transferred about 40 songs with no reboot. Thanks so much!

I have a lot of 74' and even 60' MD blanks that fitted my "one album" per disc strategy...

Hey Ari, Your listing looks great!

Thanks toxaco, I'll let you know, I think I have a version right around that same era, it has the virtual drive iso loader, etc and a bunch of good tools. I am hoping to get to play with this some this week. I'll keep you guys up to date.

Error Code: 00004e2e when I had this message too, it was because in the properties of my shortcut for ss I had specified :" launch programme in XP mode" while I was working with seven.

320mp3 does not sound better converted to sp. its the unit you play back the sp on that sounds better. sp does sound better straight from cd...

Always fancied one of these myself. There is a possibility I even have one somewhere - I have so much stock stored away I have actually forgotten exactly what I do have! The only Denons I remember looking at had Sharp drive units, but this one looks to have a Sony drive that I don't recognise. The laser unit is certainly Sony, as is the ATRAC chip. But the rest of the electronics looks to be pure Denon? The drive may be a Denon unit using a Sony laser and overwrite head, of course. Those errors you are experiencing lead me to think you have a spindle motor error, probably the servo control for that motor. Are you in the UK? The unit is heavy I believe, but if you are willing to courier it over to me I am willing to take a look, so long as you realise it will not be a priority repair so may take some weeks. Jim

It would be awesome if Sony removed the 'proprietaryness" of it; The fact that i can only use Sonicstage to burn the files is awful. An Atrac file CD burned via Sonic, it works. Burned via any other burning program, unreadable files. Burning an AUDIO CD takes forever on Sonicstage; i'm not talking about my burner, I'm talking about Sonicstage itself taking forever to redbook the files, or whatever it's doing. It's way easier for me to wav my Atracs, then burn them on a much faster burner... Atrac would be awesome, if it wasn't proprietary

I am not economically forced to stay with MD, I just like it. Yes, I sometimes do have to make "excuses," although people either don't ask or those who know me have just given up trying to understand. If I had to start all over again today? I likely would not even look at MD, but no matter, I'm there. I love it, and what's done is done. Had I the ability to do so, there are far more important things in my life (looking back) that I would change. But I can't change those, either! 16:9 CRT TV, 32" (1/2 depth LG, bought just before tube TVs pretty much went the way of....MD?) ;-) I like the flat screen, though. I don't know what the UK car refs mean; however, I'm still driving a manny trans 5-speed (4-cyl Ford Escape, 2006) and I hope to never give up doing my own gear shifting. Give me minidisc, a stick shift and a Hi-def CRT and there's nothin' I can't do! ;-)

i sent a copy of you post to one of my former piano students who is pretty much "into" the Beatles - he sent this back to me to paste here for you to read - ((Hi Ray, I don't read that board, but please copy/paste this response: ----- This is not correct. There are a few things: 1. The stereo set was *not* compressed in its entirety. There are some tracks to which no compression was applied, and others where compression was only applied to one channel (typically, the one with the most transients). In general, the amount of compression/limiting typically resulted in a volume boost in the range of 1db-3db. Less than 1.5db of compression gain in not audible. There are a couple of issues with the stereo set, but the compression isn't a big one. 2. There was no compression applied to the Mono set. None. You can try to determine this through comparisons with other masterings or vinyl pressings, but you will get incorrect results. Those masterings will may appear to have higher transients in some instances due to the amount of EQ that was applied at the frequencies dominant in the transients. EQ was not (as far as I know) applied to the Mono set. These were done flat. 3. As a final consideration, keep in mind that the original mixes (especially the mono mixes) were heavily compressed and limited. It many cases, the limiting was rather extreme. Revolver is a good example of this. If they applied 1db-3dbs of further compression, it would be virtually unnoticeable, as all of the peaks were already squashed. It is the same as bein upset that somebody drew on your blue wall with a blue crayon of the same shade. ))

These were improvements in ATRAC encoding. Type R was a 2 pass system that was incorporated into portables when processing power became powerful enough to do the extra processing. Type S improved the ATRAC3 performance in a similiar fashion. Both of these changes were to the encoder and required no changes to the playback processing

Allow me to tag a "little bit" on to this thread. Bear in mind that to charge a 3 volt battery, you would need to put more that 3 volts across it. Basically, best way to remove doubt is to measure what the official Sony PSU is putting into the player when under the load of charging. Yes, reasonably new units should be pretty well protected, though I can understand a reluctance to shove unknown quantities into expensive gear. The newer Sony PSUs, as with most around now, appear to be switch-mode. That makes 'em smaller and cheaper than their transformer-based counterparts. Another advantage of that is that they are multi-region (I bought my NW-HD3 in the UK, and can use the same charger here in Canada. Provided I use an adapter to allow the UK plug to fit in the Canadian socket, of course). If you look on one of these PSUs, it even states "input: AC 100-240V~". Switch-mode has certain other implications to take into account. Transformer-based PSUs rely on stepping down voltage according to a ratio of independent primary and secondary windings on an iron or ferrite core. For example, a transformer with 1000 primary turns and 200 secondary turns will produce an output at 200 divided by 1000, 20%. 100 volts in yields 20 volts out. Transformers drop power as the load increases because the windings themselves are not perfect conductors, and will be subject to Ohm's law, V=I*R. The current being pulled through the transformer, multiplied by the resistance of the windings, equals the voltage that will lost to that effect, which will be dissipated as heat. Okay, so it's a little more complicated than that, inductive loads, AC and so forth, but that's the jist of it. I shall ignore the bit of electronics responsible for AC-DC conversion for now, though it of course has an effect too (as someone here previously pointed out, a silicon diode, as used in rectification, has a 0.6V difference between anode and cathode). The idea behind switch mode supplies is that the desired output is created electronically by taking the input voltage and switching it on and off really quickly through a whole bunch of coils, capacitors and other assorted crap. The controlling electronics monitor the output and vary the switching rate when required. If the load increases and the output voltage starts to dip, the 'tronics will pump more juice in, until the required voltage is once again restored. This is why they can generally handle multi region. They just switch the input at a different rate. The switching happens very quickly, which is why switch-mode supplies, like laptop charges, make a kinda squeaky, squealy noise, whereas transformers make that 50-60Hz buzzing sound. So, where am I going with all this switch-mode talk, and how is it relevant to this, and what the hell am I talking about? Well essentially, switch-mode power supplies, by nature of how they work, are regulated. Not necessarily super-clean, but reasonably consistent under load (at least until the switching process is pushed to the point where it breaks down, or where the current limiter kicks in). The output voltage is rated at 6V on my NW-HD3 charger, and 6V is what ya get, whatever the load. As for transformers, when they are rated at for example 12V @ 500mA, that means the voltage out of it is around 12V when under load, ie when you are drawing half an amp from it. When not under load at all, the output is more likely to be around 14-15V. If a transformer-based Sony charger is rated at 5V @ 300mA, that means when under a 300mA load (ie charging the battery), the voltage from the supply should be at 5V (...not that Sony would ever deviate from an established rating convention like that, no sireee...). As far as this case is concerned, PCs use switch-mode supplies, and the motherboard voltage regulators are also switch-mode, on account of better efficiency and lower heat when compared to linear regulators. If the minidisc is rated at 5 volts, in theory it should be absolutely fine to feed it 5 volts from the USB, provided the USB can supply the required current. This is a somewhat crude breakdown of the theory, but hopefully may prove of some use to those exploring this avenue of alternative charging methods.