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I received a similar, albeit slightly smaller, mix of boxed and unboxed discs today too 🙂

The disc itself is maybe a little dull (reminds me of some old floppy discs I used to have 🙂) but I really like the packaging. Similar to the current day MDW80Ts but it looks smarter, to me, with the dark grey/black. Also, that disc is over 30 years old 😯

🤣Took me a few minutes to work out what you were talking about. I think "Proficient" is already pushing it a bit as far as I am concerned 😂

Doh. Ignore my last question!

Thought I'd resurrect this thread as it is the only thing that shows up on Google for Denon Minidisc "Mech Err 1" - I have the same drive in my Denon DMD-F100. After several rebuilds I finally found the problem with mine was that the clutch gear was seized solid. Even though the limit switches on the load/eject mechanism were working fine, it seems like the player still relies on a certain amount of clutch slip at the ends of its travel. With no slip the torque from the worm gears tries to push the drive apart and jams it solid. I dismantled the clutch to free up the plates and now it is loading and ejecting perfectly.

Hi and welcome to the SI forum! The basic 'No Disc' problem may be the sensor in the MD unit that tells it when a disc has been inserted after the lid is closed. It is a small black pin on the left-hand side of the MD base when the lid is open: This pin engages with one of the holes on the underside of the minidisc itself, and the pin gets pushed down when the minidisc is inserted and the lid closed: In older machines, this pin can become less sensitive and requires to be pushed down further. The malfunction can be associated with particular discs though. Do you have another to try? Otherwise you can test by putting a piece of sellotape over the pin to stick it down, then put the minidisc in and try closing the lid. If it reads the disc then you can assume it is the hole depth not being enough. I have overcome this problem by putting a tiny piece of paper into the hole of the minidisc itself, and pressing it down hard to flatten it within the hole using a small screwdriver. The effect is to raise the base of the hole and make it push that pin down a bit further when the lid is closed. Sadly, on some units the pin gets snapped off due to rough treatment and requires replacing. BTW, the 'white gunk' you saw on the spiral is lithium grease which is supposed to be there to lubricate the worm drive mechanism. If you cleaned off the excess then that's probably fine as there should be enough remaining in the thread to work.

Hi - I have an STL file for the lever lock assembly for a 333es, and comparing the service manuals it has the same part number... so very probably the same thing. Have attached it here, and will add the link to the source page if I can find it again! <edit: source page is here on SI Forums:> Anyway, I can print a couple for you in black or transparent PETG; unfortunately don't have any white PETG filament. Where are you located geographically? For reassembly and alignment of the disc tray mechanism, I recommend watching this video on YouTube as it covers a number of problems with the 333es such as belt change, disc tray adjustment, and recording issues. Again,comparing the service manuals, the principles are probably the same for the 555es. TL;DR... at exactly the 6min timepoint, he discusses and shows the alignment of marks on the rack, gear, and slider (which is also in the 555es manual p16). Lever lock assy Sony MDS-JA333ES.stl

I thought I had recorded somewhere which belts I had replaced and when but I cannot find it now 🤦‍♂️ Probably should have used stickers on the back rather than a spreadsheet, which I now can't seem to locate.

Well, you might not consider them "pro" @Richard, but they certainly look very professional to me. And your pictorial posts are always very much appreciated.

🤣 It's always a bit embarrassing when I see @Richard's professional shots compared to my feeble "taken on my desk with a phone in bad light" efforts.

Last time we brain sync'd on anything I ended up buying far too many MDW80Ts from Amazon Japan 😲 🤣

🤣 I believe you, @kgallen. Honestly... I've been making a conscious effort not to look at decks on eBay recently but the BIN prices do seem to be the wrong side of £200 these days (not that I'm sort of looking either 😉). Not sure what they're actually selling for, and eBay is a tad misleading in this regard as it seems to show the original advertised price against its sold listings, rather than any lower offer the seller may have accepted. Glad to hear you've rescued another defunct 940 @M1JWR 👍 I suppose one positive of the increase in value of these decks is that people are possibly more likely to try to sell non-functioning ones, rather than just take them to the tip.

I've been wondering where I knew that guy from as he looked familiar. Was even wondering if it was someone I actually knew before I finally twigged 🤦‍♂️ One of the little pleasures the format brings 😀