bobandglennie

Second post for me - I'm new here. Anyway, I was at the Sony store here in Ottawa, Canada and I got an MZ-M200 for a very reasonable price. More about that latter but for now the salesman who served told me that the MZ-RH1 is discontinued and only available by special order and only as long as stock lasts BUT the MZ-M200 (an RH1 packaged with a Mic) is still in production. I don't know if he knows what he's talking about but if he's right I guess it's good news. Now about that MZ-M200. I was actually looking for an RH1 and he told that if I didn;t want to pay the price for an RH1 ($399) I could have an M200 demo without the mic for $350. I bought it. Robert

UPDATE !!! The little Sharp now records digitally from the Onkyo optical out! The problem was pocket lint or some kind of fuzz in the Optical/analogue port. It didn't affect solid connections for analogue recording but it was blocking line of sight to the optical pickup. A good blow job with compressed air did the trick. As I said I got this unit from a neighbor who didn't know what it was, so who knows where it's been and how long it bounced around in somebody's pocket (or under the bed or ... you get the picture ) All that remains is to try to find a power supply that it likes, but at least it can use MiMH rechargables and it's easy on batteries and they're no hassle to charge. I do appreciate your interest in this problem. Maybe see around the forum. Off to Killarny. Latter Robert

Hi again, belive me, I won't become a pain in the ass . I don't think that SCMS is the issue here. I'm allowed to make 1 digital copy of a Minidisc and that's what I usually do with the RH1 (and formerly the R37). For example I can make a Minidisc from cable radio ... analogue. Then, after editing I can copy once from my Onkyo deck to another disc digitally. I haven't tried an optical recording from another device but I could try it from my Panasonic AV control reciever. I can asign optical out from any of the source inputs. It's going to a pain to drag it out of the rack and find the optical plug but I'll try that. I'm heading into Ontario Canadian Sheild wilderness for my anual fall canoe retreat but I'll try it when I get back at the end of the week. Thankyou Robert

Stephen, I appreciate the reply. I have the manual that you linked me to. The error message list on pg40 is how I knew that the recorder was objecting to the Sony power supply and the Sony optical cable. The battery is removable and it runs fine on two AA NiMH which I can re-charge in a separate charger. What I don't know is why it doesn't like the Sony power supply? Are the Sharp recorders that fussy as to object to a .5v difference? As for the optical cable ...I have the cable that came with my Sony MZ-R37. It is optical at both ends but I don't know if it's the right one for the Sharp. And that's what I'm trying to find out. This cable works fine with my RH1 and and the R37 (before the R37 broke) but the Sharp gives me an error message indicating that there is a problem at the optical connection. I don't know if this is because of incompatability with the cable or some other problem. The Toslink cable that you linked me to on Ebay appears to be a universal fit and I don't know how to be sure it will work with my Sharp. Any futher assistance you can share with me would be appreciated. BTW, aside from these 2 issues the little Sharp performs very well and I like it better than the old Sony MZ-R37. It's easier to read and has a better record level meter. Thankyou Robert

Hello from Canada. I'm new here but not new to Minidisc. I was first introduced to the medium in 2000 when I needed a re-recordable medium on which the track numbers (and playing order) could could be asigned at will. I bought an Onkyo MD 2321. I soon saw that the medium had many applications and soon bought a Sony MZ-R37 which quickly became my constant companion. The R37 sadly will only play now but I have an RH1 and a Sharp MD=MT20 in addition to the Onkyo deck. My question is about the Sharp. I got it used but in real good shape from a neighbor who didn't know what it was. She gave it to me !!! It won't run with my Sony power supply even though it's the same plug, same polarity and only 1/2 volt difference. The Sony power supply is 4.5v and the Sharp wants 5v. Is it normal for this unit to be this fussy about it's external power? Secondly, it won't record optical from my Onkyo deck using the Sony optical cable for portable recorders. It tells me there is a bad connection at the optical in. Does it need a Sharp proprietary cable? If so, where can I get the proper optical cable and power supply? Thankyou so much Robert