NGY

The S39 has an MDM3 flavour of drive, the OWH is different from yours in the 920. Rest on your list are OK for this repair.

You gave it a try - big respect. The 330 is a good choice, cheap machine, quite frequent. You can go for a "fully dead" one, just ask a good photo of the OWH from the seller, to make sure. The 520 or 530 also would make it, though used to be a bit more expensive. Your total rec/play hours certainly support this. Nevertheless, if you keep getting the same error after fitting an intact OWH, I would stop there and measure the actual IOP against the actual laser emission. But cross our fingers you won't need to go that far. Either way, please keep us posted on the progress.

Ha-ha, lot of questions :-) ! I try my best answering them, but again, I might be subjective (and wrong too) here and there, so I expect others to share their view. - "Is the KMS-260E a later model, and thus probably superior to KMS-260A?" - This I really cannot answer properly. I guess a Sony engineer would know the "secret". They did the upgrades for a reason, that is sure, but the reason can be just as simple as a new spec diode, for example. My statistical base is small, I can speak about only 100-120 decks I had my hands on for repair. This is certainly not representative, but I could not find any evidences for one type of laser being better than the others. To me, they are all good, and proper settings are the most important. - "I found these inexpensive lasers" - this was not a question, one note here though: it may worth to double check with the seller, what they actually sell. Most Chinese sellers use the same photos from their wholesalers (or taken from their fellow sellers), as well as titles/descriptions. Most cases they just list all suffixes like compatible versions, but only sell one and only one type. As I saw, most of them sell 260E lasers (funny enough, sometimes pulled from non-Sony devices, as their photo shows), few of them sell 260B (for almost twice as much), and I have not recently seen any 260A versions (not if I wanted one). - "should I take it to a tech to make sure the laser is properly calibrated?" - It does not hurt to perform a "sanity check" on the laser status. I'd expect though the tech knowing that they do, and having all the necessary test gear. - "Do they [the lasers] drift over time?" - Heat can cause some drifting in actual laser power vs. given settings. But this is different from the changes that occur as the laser ages. Over time, the power of the emitted laser beam decerases, this is normal. Checking it regularly - depends on the use. If you record live performances, that are one-time kind, you may want to (as well as to use at least one mirror device recording for back up). If you do your CD or vinyl complations, your deck "will tell", when to replace its laser, and the most you can lose is the very last recording (that you can redo hopefully). - "What causes the MD disc to not run true?" - Many things, actually. Just to name a few: manufacturing error, disc dropped to the floor, disc left on a hot place for long (car dash, top of the amp), etc. And you bet: it is rare, but drive mechanism can also be a cause - see my post here, for "fun" :-) . - " On that topic, can I lubricate the drive mechanism myself?" - Sure you can. Do it carefully, and use the proper grease, developed for these fine mechanical devices. There are several known brands and products, the most important thing is that the two main components (the oil that lubricates and the "soap" that carries the oil and keeps in place) must not be separating with time, thus the grease will not dry out and harden. Two more notes: 1) never use silicon grease in these devices, and 2) before applying the fresh grease, always clean the parts completely from any residues of the old lubricants. - "I'd read somewhere it was better for capacitors and other electronics to leave them powered on than to leave them off for extended periods" - Yes, but let me make some differentiation here. 1) Inside unused caps the chemical complex can change with time, therefore switching unused electronics on regularly might help as these caps sort of "reformatting" themselves, that can limit these irreversible chemical changes. However, leaving the electronics always on will not stop their caps from drying out (it is actually the opposite, especially, if these caps are located close to other parts, that generate heat, like a power resistor, heat sink, etc.). Electrolytic caps do dry out over time, and if left in that state with the device powered down for an extended period, caps can disintegrate (with a "puff" sometimes) when powered on again. 2) What electronics do not really like is frequent switching on and off, for the transients that may cause damage. This much is true (and I did not say one should pull the AC cord after each disc played or recorded). If you never switch off your electronic device, you may save it from these transient shocks (provided the device is plugged into at least a surge protected AC outlet, or running on an UPS). But this will not save them from ageing. Having the "Standby" function on most electronics is exactly there for this reason, it keeps only the least minimum needed circuits running, and shuts of the rest, to save power and device lifetime. - "Those photos are horrible. How on earth did it get so dirty? Was the laser or mechanics damaged from that?" - I have no idea, I was surprised too. The deck came with "usual" C13 error, and after completing a full strip-down/clean/rebuild circle it worked again flawlessly. I saw a similar one the other time, and that laser was already dying, thought that deck had already run more than 2000 hours, so that could count as well. - "I am guessing that this loading mech was built by Tascam and is not a Sony. Any suggestions on where I can find parts?" - I am sorry, not only my experience is limited, but is restricted to a few Sony decks only, so no clue here. Pfhew ... now it begins looking like I was writing a book :-) . If you reached down here with reading, you deserve a beer or your favourite drink :-) .

My experience with these parts from Aliexpress ("new" printerheads for inkjets ditto), that these are not new, but pulled off of recycled devices. I bought a few a while ago, and although I did not find any faulty ones, it quickly became obvious that all were used to a certain level, some more, some less. (Two examples: the IOP labels said 50,7 and 51,0 mA, and the measured, actual vales were 53,3 and 53,0 mA respectively. While certainly still within the Sony specs, these are definitely used parts, and the first one will probably have a much shorter remaining life than the second.) But generally speaking, yes, as backups, they are worth a few bucks. The list can be long - just a few thoughts here, and others may also add their experience. These things can radically shorten the lasers' life. 1) heat - long recording sessions, multiple discs recorded back to back, without letting the laser diode cooling down - incorrect laser settings ( more of a service thing than user related) 2) focusing/tracking problems - dirty OP lens, dirty/scratched MD discs - MD discs not running true (= "hitting" either radially, or axially) - sled mechanism not working properly - damaged parts, dried out grease, dust/hair/other particles (see some pictures below, quite horror, and this machine was in mint condition from outside...) 3) silicon ageing - semiconductors do age, even if it is not obvious or visible. Electronic devices left always on will age their silicons much faster. The laser diode is certainly modulated to be off when not in use, but there is more than just the diode itself on an OP and in the driving circuits, that can age when powered on. I think you get the idea. He is very right, excess heat is an enemy. Within the factory recommended range, one can certainly "turn down" the laser power, thus preserving some time for the OP. In any case, it must be done respectively to the diode currents.

The JA20ES (JA22ES) is the top MD deck in my eyes. If you do not need MDLP or PC-Link/netMD, there is nothing that is missing from it. For 250CAD is an absolute "must-buy", if not a beaten piece. My comparison (certainly subjective, so you can factor it to your taste): - reliability - I don't see any big differences, and cannot mention any particular "Achilles heels" either (maybe the sled's toothed rack in the 22ES and the loading belt in the 940QS that may need some attention). My belief is though that a drawer-loading machine gives less chance for human misuse/abuse than a slot-loading one. - repair-ability and parts - the MDM5 and MDM7 drive families are both good quality, way better than the preceding models. Both are easy to repair, although in the 20ES the drive is deeply "buried" under the loading mechanism and the isolating "armor", means it requires quite some time to access it. The 940QS is just four screws and you already have the drive in your palm. From there, both mechanisms are easy to service. I like the MDM5 a bit more, and as I see the potential part donor models (from the lower leagues) are easier to find and less expensive. - using the KMS-260A, B, or E laser which is still available - A,B or E lasers are practically the same. With the accurate settings all do the job properly in both drives. B or E lasers are still on the market, A is rare, but there is no particular reason to hunt for it. And laser lifetime depends more on the way of use, than on the suffix, this is my observation. - sound quality - the ES wins, no question. I have both models, and even my old and dumb ears can hear differences. Of course, if the music is that kind (I would never rely on techno, hip-hop or other similar electronic "music", for a blind test :-) ) - build quality and aesthetics - from design perspective, there happened a slight generation-change between the times of these two models. The 20ES is a classic, beautiful, state-of-the-art machine. The 940 is a clean, minimalist, modern design. I like both, to be honest, though the ES is just more attracting. In build quality, clearly the ES wins, but this is no wonder. The QS is also a superb machine, but more of a "volume product". You can never be fair when comparing an ES device to a QS, especially if they are nearly from the same age. But as I said above, these days a nice 20ES (22ES) for 250CAD must be a no brainer.

Eric, may I ask a few questions: - is it the same after playback or recording? (After recording, TOC writing might take some time, is that then longer than usual?) - do you hear any unusual noise, that you did not before? (Squeeking, rattling, etc.) - can you open the deck and observe, what exactly the drive does when ejecting the disc? (I.e., how quick it pulls the sled back to parking position after pressing "eject", then what happens.) - can you access to the gears, spindles, etc. of the drive, to check the consistency of the grease on them? (And see if there is any dust, hair etc. particles stuck into the grease.) - can you try to manually perform the eject (gently spinning the belt's large pully by a finger), and do you feel then any uneven or excess resistance during the eject process? (Deck should be powered down for this "manoeuvre".) A few things to begin with, then we will see.

No, not at all :-) . This is a helping forum here, not a "beauty" contest :-) .

Sure, no rush. And you may want to practice first on two small pieces of thin wire, as Kevin suggested, aligned end to end (use the masking tape here too). I found another photo for you, I think it shows the actual soldered joints better:

Let me make it easier for you (I did not want to go into details before you decided you give it a try, not to drive you nuts :-) ) What I actually did was I very carefully blanked those wires mold into the plastic legs, with the use of a very sharp scalpel. Very carefully, not to cut/break that thin wire, and only 1 mm, max. 1,5. Then each ends (four in my case, 2x2) I scraped the surface before properly "wetting" with solder. If you have some good quality flux at hand (like used for soldering smd parts), dipping the ends into it would help a lot. Here comes the hardest part: use a piece of rigid carton (beer coaster for instance :-) ), and stand the OWH on it like if it was standing on the sled. Use some adhesive tape to fixture (or even you can try to use its original screw, first piercing a small hole into the coaster with a strong needle). Next you align the broken part, putting layers of paper under, until it reaches the "official" position, preferably parallel to the base. Use again a small piece of adhesive tape (here I normally use painters' masking tape, for it leaves less glue residue on the head, plus it will not melt from the heat of soldering). Now, if you did it right, the broken ends of the wires are properly aligned, a minimal gap of 1-2 tenths of a mm is not an issue. Use the thinnest soldering tip you have, like a needle, literally. If you don't have one, take a piece of regular copper wire (1,5 ...2,5 mm2, that is 16 ... 13 AWG, sort of ...), and very tightly turn it around your soldering iron's tip. I mean, before you turn it on. Then sharpen the free end of that wire with a precision file. "Wet" the newly made needle tip with solder. Leave a small amount as excess, like if it was a pin head. Touch this small "ball" of solder to the aligned wires, where the break line is. If the wires were properly cleaned and flux on them, you will see the solder running up on both. Immediately remove the iron, and don't touch your OWH until it cools down. You are done.

Great you found the cause and it is - relatively - easy to fix. With a weak laser it would have been a much tougher ride. See some photos below, how I repaired a fully broken off OWH head piece. If only one leg/wire is broken on yours, you will be able to solder it easily. All you need then is to gently align the repaired head that it lays flat on the disc surface, when lowered in recording position (first I use another OWH to compare with - as on last photo). It will do fine - the one below on the photos serves its owner since about three years by now. (I have done several similar fixes, and they all hold ever since.) As for your laser age, this one is a slightly used machine, great buy then. As for IOP: I guess you read it from the service menu. Just for future reference: that value is not necessarily the real value, it is just a note, after previous (or, actually first) fine setting of the OP. Nonetheless, you won't need the actual IOP value for quite while. And the promised photos:

I am neither Kevin, nor Jim :-), but here is where I would begin: - check how much did this particular unit run (service more, error dp mode, total rec/total play hours) - this would give an idea, whether or not the "tiredness" of the OP is an immediate suspect - lifting the top cover, visual inspection of all moving parts of the drive, the OWH at very first, but just as well the OP, the gears, etc., as Stephen already suggested - before going deeper in to disassembling the drive, gently clean the OP with some propanol and a Q-tip, and do a quick write/read test - pull the drive off the chassis, on the underside there are 3 screws that hold the BD board (incl. OP/OWH/sled) in the drive frame. Lift the board assembly (remember the holes for the screws), and check the toothed rack that moves the sled, if all teeth are there and in good shape, and that the spring is also there for the white part of the rack Once you are here, please get back to us with the result. My first feeling: If the deck attempts playing back the recorded track, and seems it keeps trying, the OWH might be just good (though the "blank disc" could be a sign). If all above checks were OK, then laser is next on the list. Can be a focus bias problem, also a tracking problem, as Stephen mentioned. Or, the laser diode is just worn to the level it cannot emit enough power for writing. This would turn out from measuring the actual IOP values for both modes. But when you are at this stage, you may need some special tools to continue, without "flying blind". Hopefully, the variable resistor on the OP had not been tampered with (some people try to "revitalize" dying lasers by turning it down, that is the fastest way to kill the laser for good).

I got it. The PDOWN signal is for the FL display to know when the unit is powered down (AC cord is pulled off). It does not control the main cpu I believe. I guess it is there to shut off the display before all other circuits go to full shutdown (all large filter caps drop their voltages). But let's just put this aside for now, until you complete the OP check.

I went thru the whole thread again, and I am sorry, I overlooked this: But as I also read this: What is the better describing? If plugging the AC cord in, you get all power rails on and valid values, no reason to tinker with the "911" circuit. In that case, checking the "cleanness" of the DC rails might make sense, and peace of mind regarding the PSU. If plugging the AC cord you get only the 5V for the relay (* as above) and the system 3.3 V (**), then my previous post may apply. (** pin 3 of IC401)

This definitely shows that the main cpu is "not happy" with something, and disables the PSU, via its pin 81. Somewhat dangerous, but you may want to try overriding this. Desolder and lift one leg of R911, and pull up the base of Q911 via a 2k2 resistor (or via the lifted leg of R911, if you chose the right one) to 5V (*). For a very short period only, to see if your main PSU comes alive, and "lights on" (funny they numbered these parts to ...911). But first thing first, only after you are done with your OP test and no change. (*) Emitter of Q411, regulated 5V for the ON relay

Before you pop in your brand new OP into your drive, you may want to check some parameters (I understood you can still enter Service Mode): - in laser check, value for 0.93 mW laser power is "$11" plus/minus one step - in laser check, value for 7,25 mW laser power is "$91" plus/minus one step Besides these, on your new OP, there is a resistor and a pot on the side, the resistor must be 1k5 (not much to change there, just to make sure), and the pot should be somewhere around 1k2 plus/minus 100 Ohms or so. Should any of those parameters deviate more than that, first take a note of the actual settings, then set these "default" values above in laser adjust and on the new laser head (the pot at very first, before powering up). If replacing the OP did not change the deck's behavior, you can enter the original values for the original laser. Then turn the pot back to its original value on your new head (we are not supposed to touch it at all). I am normally hesitant to do this, as I am not sure whether or not the main cpu "likes" this. I did though a few times on earlier models. I recall some models with MDM3 drive variants showed a line of hyphens (or underscores, if you wish), others showed only the small numbers underneath the level bars. MDM5 drives don't show anything, if I remember correctly. And I never did that on a 980, or any MDM7 type machines.

I am curious to hear about Petter, whether or not he checked his OP (the laser head). I still give it a non-zero level of probability, that the OP is working erratic in some way. Unless it is proven being 100% OK (the quickest way would be testing it in another deck and vice cersa) thus out of question, further guessing might be misleading. I also would recommend a quick check on the main cpu as I described above (check all pins against ground and Vcc rails, in a safe way, like with an ESR meter). Again, to exclude any silicon damage from possible causes. Last, but not least, I am somehow missing some waveform checks on the power rails. I read the DC voltages were measured, but what about any AC component (noise) on the DC rails? Are we convinced, that all filter caps are in their good shape? (The 980 came to the market just in the middle of the bad caps disease of the industry.) I understand this particular "stuck in standby" situation appeared somehow right after replacing the belt, and I certainly can understand if these "theories" considered weird or irrelevant. My point here is if you have no clue (I mean, "no more clues left"), then get back to the start line, and begin excluding all things that can be a cause anyhow, even those that cannot be not directly connected to such an easy disassembling/reassembling process.

As far as I know, the W1 is useless regarding LP tracks, because, like all pre-MDLP decks, it plays (and copies) them as silent SP tracks. Such an old thread ... but since I am selling my W1 :-) , and might also help other W1 owners: The W1 does copy MDLP discs, in the digital domain. The W1 will certainly not be able to play them, nor would any SP decks, for the obvious reasons. However, and I have tested it and worked: if you do a TOC clone on an MDLP deck, from your original MDLP disc to your fresh W1 copy, the result will play in the MDLP decks. Kinda hassle I admit, but still doable.

I thought I'd share my experience regarding "stuck in STANDBY". I saw this situation maybe 8...10 times. Some cases I could repair, some I could not. A few examples, that are worth to mention: - an S38 came for repair, the OWH was broken off. After I replaced the OWH, the whole device stopped working. Popped the drive into a good 510, it worked well. Same when swapping the front panels (needed a little trick with the ribbon cable). Then with unit powered down, using my ESR meter, I checked the main CPU IC, and I found this: two pins were down to ground. Both were dead shorts, and were not supposed to be. Something burnt inside the silicon. Reason? Probably ESD related. End of the road. - a JB930QS needed a new OP, as the old one run more than 3000 hours, and began skipping a lot. With the new OP in, the deck would not boot at all. It went into service mode, but was not able to spin the disc or move the sled back and forth. I swapped the switch board, the motors, yet another laser, no success. Then I swapped a BD board from a 530, and it all started to work again, with the original parts plus the new laser. Something on the BD board broke down. Reason? Again, probably ESD related, but might as well be some aged components on the BD board, like caps. I rescued the 930 by sacrificing a 530 for the BD board of it. - I got a JE640, that would not turn on, but I could hear the eject motor whining. It seemed the mechanism was forced when someone tried to pry out the disc. I manually repositioned everything as they should have been, but the deck still would not accept a disc, not even pulling it in. After loading a disc "manually", when powering on the deck would just eject it and immediately go to STANDBY. I measured all laser emissions in static service mode, they were spot on, so virtually all OK. Then I replaced the OP by chance, and the device came alive. The OP was broken in a way, that the logic could not properly talk to it, and prohibited the whole unit from working. - weirdest example: it was a 980 with C13 error. Turned out, that some plastic toy coins were stuffed into the drive slot, that the drive could not digest. I took the whole deck apart, cleaned, checked and tested all parts individually. After putting everything back on, the 980 did not come out of STANDBY. I went thru all parts, over again. No luck. Last I swapped the OP, when the device came alive. Then I put back the original laser, and the deck was still working. Never knew, what was the issue, and how it "cured itself". Looking back on those, and after reading the whole thread, I would give a chance to swap the OP, a least for a quick sanity check, even without going deep into precise laser settings. Quoting some of your thoughts above that would also suggest this: "Is there any protection modes were the CPU shuts down if something is wrong?" "I think we’re looking at a simple (ha ha ha) drive issue. USB is probably off track" "are surely indicators that the CPU is alive. Just not talking to the BD" "They look ok to me, only the disk does not spinn up"

If anybody is still after this rare model: - 230V European version - fully functional, used, but not abused - cosmetically in good condition, minor scratches here and there - VFD is bright, but the few, slightly dimmer pixels where the clock is displayed in standby - original Sony RM-D21M remote included Upon request, prior to packing and shipping out, a real time test via video chat (skype or zoom) is doable. Will be well packed in sturdy, thick cardboard box and enough bubblewrap inside.

Agreed.

Yes, this is a way to make a copy of an audio content. I did not go this route, as I had the belief the OP wanted to "read that format and transfer the data through its USB output". Few things might be worth to mention: - making a copy via the digital audio output (should that be coaxial or optical) of a MD deck to a PC soundcard (or another MD recorder) will result a similar, but not exact copy. The digital signal on the optical (coaxial) output is a decompressed ATRAC audio, not the original ATRAC data. The copy on the PC will suffer another compression, whatever the format will be. The difference might well be marginal or even unnoticeable, I just wanted to make a note this is not a real transfer in the digital domain. - a copy via the digital output is only possible, if either 1) the original recorded material is a first generation digital recording, or 2) the receiving PC sound card can eliminate SCMS. - if the aim is just to save the audio content of the original disc whatever it takes (and sound quality is at second priority), then even a simple analogue copy is possible, once the disc is released and is found readable by another MD player device.

"Full backward compatability with std-MD system -- records SP/Mono/LP2/LP4 format audio to std-MD discs and uploads std-MD recordings to PC in PCM, Hi-SP or ATRAC3 format audio files. Uploading is in no way restricted (unlimited uploads of mic, line and digital recordings are permitted)" [Quoted from here] Sony had always been making all efforts to restrict copying digitally recorded audio, and part of this they put limitations everywhere, on what and how could be copied. Although several HiMD recorders can play standard MD discs, only the MZ-RH1 is enabled to copy such discs to the PC.

Yes, it is (given the conditions and disc you described). (As mentioned before) you may want to consult the SonicStage user manual (as well as the MZ-RH1 manual).

My first idea was that the main processor detects an error and sends the standby signal to the relay driver circuitry. But there can be multiple other causes that led to this symptom. One thought: before replacing those filter caps, it might be worth doing an ESR check first. An acceptable ESR value might save the time of the replacement.

I am afraid, the only device that can transfer this audio via USB is the MZ-RH1. And for that SonicStage is required (available from the download section of the forum). I will look into the MDS-JE302's service manual, to figure out how can a stuck disc be released. Yes, it is one of the first devices, and has one of the problematic mechanisms. The disc can definitely be removed, the question is just how much must the device be stripped down. One thought, without any intention of disappointing you: unless the audio on that stuck disc is something a unique recording like a live event or so, it may not be worth to take all the hassle of removing a disc, finding an MZ-RH1, installing SonicStage (can be a real pain, depending on the OS), and so on. Might be easier and faster to look for that music on the net, and download it. And it is not only the trouble, but also the sound quality - that deck had ATRAC 3, a very early version, with known limitations and artifacts.