bbbbbbbk Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have an old Sony MZ-R55 MD recorder that I've bought a long time ago but haven't used for a while.Recently, I brought it out and tried to use it to record something using just the AC power from the wall outlet.But when I plugged the adapter cable into the recorder, the screen kept flashing and eventually ended with a "Low battery" message.I tried to recharge my rechargeable battery by pressing the "Stop/Charge" button with the AC adapter plugged in, but the screen didn't display any "Charging" message.Why couldn't I just use AC power to power the recorder?Do I need to put the rechargeable battery in the recorder in order to use AC power for the recorder?Do I need to replace my rechargeable battery to use the AC power to power my recorder now?How much does it cost in estimate to replace my rechargeable battery?Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDane Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I am not sure about your model specifically, but some older models take power directly from the battery. In other words, if the battery is totally dead, it would have to come to an adequate charge before anything would happen with the unit. Also, this would mean that there would have to be a battery present too. The reason for such a design is that AC adapter may only provide enough amperage to trickle charge the battery, and/or not enough to do that and power the unit. But newer phones, toys, etc, tend to use higher power adapters that can do both, for example late model Sony products that use the 5 pin USB connection for charge/powering. By the way, lithium ion batteries are prone to become totally dead and not come back via charge if left idle for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 FYI, you can find replacement batteries for this model on ebay for less than $10 USD. Choose your seller at your discretion:http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=NH-14WM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian10161 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have the same model and I can verify that having a dead battery or no battery at all, will not disable AC power function. In other words, you can take the battery out and the AC power adapter will still operate the unit.I wouldn't bother wasting money on a new battery until you know the one you have currently is defective anyway.The only thing I can figure, is the socket has come off of the main board. Fairly small solder connections to the main board on these unites. Mine felt flimsy when I got it. Try checking the connections on the board to make sure they are OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIS SUCKS Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 i think your power adaptor is bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 i think your power adaptor is bad!In any event, it's definitely worth checking. I don't know what the adapter cord looks like on these units, but I've seen adapters go bad for a variety of reasons: usually its just a break in the circuit somewhere, either in the cable itself or at either end. Rarely is it the transformer, but that's possible too if you leave it plugged in and your house gets hit by lightning. Find a local retailer who lets you return items and buy a universal adapter, check your unit--if that fixes it, either keep the adapter or return it anyway if you think you can find it more cheaply (yes, I'm bad). I have been known to use Best Buy as my own personal test bench --though not in a long time.I just checked the manual. You ought to be able to find a 3V DC output adapter pretty easily. You may even have one around your house that's used on something else. Just make sure the voltage and polarity match . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbbbbbk Posted July 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) First of all, thank you for all your help.I just checked my adapter... it's definitely an adapter problem.I can't believe I missed it.... Basically, I bought the player many years ago oversea... so the adapter is a 240V input adapter... hence, didn't work when I plugged it into the wall outlet because the voltage is 110V where I live.Do you suggest I buy a voltage converter for the adapter or just buy a regular 110V adapter?I checked the original Sony 110V adapter for this player and it's really expensive.What do I need to look for if I am buying a regular 110V adapter for the player? Input voltage, Hz, watt? Output voltage, amp? DC or AC?Does it matter if it's a no-name brand adapter?Would this adapter work fine with the player?http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=26601&am...ufacture=OthersThanks. Edited July 21, 2009 by bbbbbbbk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIS SUCKS Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 that one should work fine. just make sure the voltage and polarity are set properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbbbbbk Posted July 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I just received the universal adapter, and it's working perfectly! Yeah!Thank you everyone for all your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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