zzzuppp

Anyone interested in MD cases like the above one in PhillipeC's post (ie a CD case which will fit an MD) there are 10 going on eBay right now: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Minidisc-Storage-Cases-X10/382791126373?hash=item5920210d65:g:7xsAAOSw5r1cQ3KB:rk:71:pf:0

OK I bought a batch of 50 of those ones on Amazon - they're excellent.

Bearboy, the latest link you've given leads to a page where it says they are 'Currently unavailable'.... This is a better link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Blank-Media-Cases-Wallets/abc-promedia-Boxes-empty-transparent-clear/B00X2KBLIK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1550614439&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=MD+MiniDisc+empty

Fascinating. I'd love to get hold of some (OK, about 500) of those MD boxes (and the folding information sheets that go inside them). Hm, they're in the UK... PS I've spent most of today working with my Onkyo MD-105FX, I love it.

Phew...I thought it was another Sony amputation. Hello again!

I wonder if the UK service could repair one of my MZ-RH1's., whih developed the other classic fault with these machines - the display OLEDs stopped working. It still plays and records but it's pure guesswork as to what is happening, even with a functioning sidecar display. The other maddening thing is that since Sony stopped supporting Hi-MD transfers for Mac - several years back now, I can no longer use that most useful facility. I made an OSX Leopard partition on a HD especially so it would still work, but it doesn't, I don't know why. I've heard so much negativity about Sonicstage that I don't want to make a Windows clone. Any help appreciated.

Madaradam, I have discovered that in using my Onkyo to play my old MDs on, the only ones that will not play are ones that I transferred using my Mac with the Hi-MD Music Transfer that Sony provided (the Mac equivalent of Sonic Stage). The tracks show up and you can scroll through them but when I hit 'Play', nothing happens. So maybe not such a big loss. Other Hi-MDs that I recorded (in real time, s -l-o-w-l-y) after Hi-MD transfer became unworkable on later Mac OS, play just fine. Other than that (and the fact that it sometimes takes a couple of minutes to load an MD) I love the Onkyo. Love your artwork, BTW, let's have some more! makes a change from all the tech-geekery.

Best of all would be to have MD cases made of card...so much damn plastic everywhere. Scientists now saying that the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Was it a kind of card cover that qualia017 had made?

These templates are fine if you're just producing a MD with a single album on it...but if, like me, you're using the huge capacity of a MD to store several albums/a mix of artists/works, you have to think outside the box (sic) to fit all the information in. I create my own templates on my Mac (using Pages or Word) for MD covers which fit inside the traditional case, and have multiple folds to contain all the info, eg: It would be great if there were MD cases that were just a little bit thicker to manage all the folded paper/card.... There is other software for designing stick-on MD labels, eg Discus (www.magicmouse.com) which has been around forever, is a little clunky but works just fine. It has the scope to do all kinds of artwork, and not just for MDs - hundreds of printable templates. A few screenshots which show the Discus process and possibilities:

That looks fine, sfbp. There was never an English manual for the 105FX but it's always been said that the controls were identical to the MD133, and so it proves in practice. Two things -1) perhaps you could add that the last 2 pages are a quick guide that I made, not anything official? Actually I should have uploaded them in colour, I could still do that, it makes it all clearer. 2) Can you add a link to the English manual in the pages below? http://minidisc.org/part_Onkyo_MD-105FX.html http://minidisc.org/part_Onkyo_MD-133.html

No, I sent a link via a message on your feed - I've just sent it again as an actual PM

They don't have optical out, no. Other minuses (for me) - no headphone socket (but if you have it wired into a hifi that isn't a problem) - no PC transfers (but for those of us with Macs that's an issue we learnt to live with years ago, even with the MZ-RH1 after OSX Leopard) - it's 100v so you have to get a good converter or transformer if you're on a different voltage - no mic input (a pity but hey, there's portables for that) - no Auto level for recording (not really a problem) - my 105FX can take an age to read a disc, sometimes a few minutes, and similarly can occasionally take a long time to write the TOC. This last issue is the worst for me, because every once in a while it fails to write the TOC and maybe your long recording session was a waste of time. So the long wait for the writing is a little nerve-racking. In all other respects it's great - editing, eg is much preferable without tiny fiddly controls. And it's really nice to have sitting amongst your hi-fi rack. But they are expensive now unless you're prepared to take a risk on a Japanese auction site in the hope that you don't get a lemon. Meanwhile I've sent sfbp my pdf file, so hopefully he can concentrate it and upload it to the community.

OK the pdf is ready - it's 35Mb, so a lot to send as several PMs. I'm wondering if it would be better to upload it to the pages PhilippeC mentions above? but I have no idea how to go about that - anyone know?

I've just bought an Onkyo MD105FX, one of the only two bookshelf Hi-MD machines ever made (the other was the ONKYO MD133). It's a great machine despite having a few minor drawbacks (eg no headphone socket). In the process of buying one, I tried to find a Instruction Manual in English and after hunting high and low gave in and bought one on eBay for the crazy sum of £16. It seems to me immoral that anyone should be charging this much for a few photocopied sheets taped together. So if anyone out there would like an Instruction manual for the MD133 or MD105FX in English (the same manual works for both), I can make it available as a free pdf to users of this forum. I'll also throw in a free summary that I've made of it, which cuts out the 'Engrish' and reduces the instructions to a few simple algorithms of which buttons to press when for various functions. So register your interest below and I can PM you a copy. :-) or if there's enough interest, I'll upload the pdf here.

Thanks for your suggestions. As it happens I was on the spot yesterday to pick up an MZ-NH900 pretty cheaply which is lacking a battery but has a mains lead. It seems to be able to do all I need (I got a download of the manual), plus I can pick up the battery it needs cheaply (it also has the ability to use AAs but I can get by with mains, I'm not out in the field). Alas, I'm a Mac user so PC transfer on the MZ-RH1 is a no-go - I used to use it with the old Mac OS systems but Sony didn't provide any support for anything past OS-X Leopard, effectively, which was long ago. I suppose I could install Parallel Desktop or somesuch Windows enabler, but everything I read about SonicStage is off-putting. Which makes it such a shame that my beloved MZ-RH1 is reduced to so little functionality (playing, basically) now that I can't see the display. Why didn't Sony design the sidecar so that it displayed ALL the information?

My trusty MZ-RH1 has lost the OLEDs on the RHS of the display, which is a bummer because that's where all the useful information is shown. The OLEDs just packed up one day. Luckily it still plays perfectly, and I have the sidecar so I can see Playback information, track numbers etc. But when it comes to recording and editing, though the machine will still do it, the sidecar doesn't show that information so I can only do things like Rec. format/Move/Erase by complete guesswork - not at all ideal. I have another MD player/recorder which is good for the old formats, but when it comes to recording and editing Hi-MD I'm stuck. Seems to me I have a few options: 1) Repair. There's a video of a guy replacing the OLEDs on his Mz-RH1 on YouTube - he's something of an expert and the process looks like hell, even if you can get a replacement part and are an expert. So, NO to that idea. 2) Buy another MZ-RH1. They go for serious money on eBay etc, and there's no guarantee that they're going to be problem-free. Mine is fine, I just can't SEE what's going on with recording and editing. So I'm reluctant. which leaves me with 3) Buy another Hi-MD machine for recording and editing, which will hopefully be cheaper. This is where I need some advice. I've looked at the specs, such as they are, for Sony MZ RH10, MZ RH910, MZ RH710, MZ NH1 and MZ NH700. What I want to know is which of these machines can : - Format and record a disc (any sort, not just the 1Gb Hi-MD ones) for recording in Hi-MD, (SP and LP) - Play both kinds of MDs, Hi-MD and old-style, LP2, LP4 etc. Not essential but it would be nice. - Edit recordings in Hi-MD format - Move/Erase tracks. This IS essential. Any tips welcome from anyone with experience of any of those machines (Sony MZ RH10, MZ RH910, MZ RH710, MZ NH1 and MZ NH700). My inclination is to go for an NH1.

Yes,and I've fixed it,by trashing the Sony files and reinstalling them.Phew.

I have a Sony MZ-RH1 which I've used succesfully up- and down-loading sound on my old G4 Mac (OSX 10.3.9). Recently I bought a new iMac,2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo,running OSX 10.4.10.When I connected the RH1 to it today,the HiMD Music Transfer box said 'Device not connected'.I tried rebooting,made sure I had HiMD configured on the MD in the machine,tried different MDs,different USB ports,different USB leads,disconnected/reconnected etc etc-nada,zilch,same message again and again.I checked System Profile and that could see my RH1 in the USB port,so it seems to be simply that HiMD Transfer can't 'see' my RH1 . Any suggestions? Is it an Intel Mac thing? a 10.4.10 thing? I could put all my files onto a separate HD,carry it over to the G4 and do it there,but I'd prefer it to work on the iMac.

My Sony MZ R501 has lately developed some worrying problems.First up it stopped recording properly,seeming as if it WAS recording,but on PB there's nothing there and it grinds away on 0.00 without moving.Sometimes it will record one track,but on reinsertion won't record any further. However in the last day or two it's got even worse.One disc I was adding a track mark to,another where I erased a single track,have both been erased completely.Oddly enough they continued to work after I did the trackmark/erase,but after I took the discs out and reinserted them,they were blanked.A third disc I tried to record on now says ERROR when I insert it.I've tried these discs on another player and they have indeed been blanked/ERRORed. The unit still PLAYS MDs without any problem. Can anyone help? It's out of warranty.