Judge Abs Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Hello everyone! I recently picked up a second hand MZ-R50 off eBay for £10, along with many other items the seller did not state in the auction (carry pouch, optical cable - guessing this was a imported from Japan, blank discs and charger) and I was quite happy with it. But for £10, this little baddass piece of kit stopped recording after two weeks (playback unaffected). Its not in the best condition, it was cosmetically rough with a few dents. Nonetheless I noticed that its previous owner had opened the unit and several screws were missing. Oh dear. Well, it still kept together quite nicely.I took a look on the Sony eSupport site and surprisingly it had something on the MZ-R50.LINK.I'm a bit confused with the fourth step, "Initialize the internal flash memory."How does one achieve that step with the R50?On a side note I took a look inside of the R50, not touching anything but to remove any dirt lying around in the unit. Since it was opened before, I noticed the recording head. I just like to confirm if the head is meant to rest on a metal arm or lie under it. Thanks!Image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Judge Abs said: I took a look on the Sony eSupport site and surprisingly it had something on the MZ-R50.LINK.I'm a bit confused with the fourth step, "Initialize the internal flash memory."How does one achieve that step with the R50?Good question. I see no reference to such a thing in either the user nor service manual. My guess is that the Sony support site screwed up and gave you an article that refers to their newer players, not MD. I realize it still shows "MZ-R50" in the query field in the URL, but you'll also notice that nowhere on the page does it say "MD". At the bottom it says "Digital Music Player". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Aye, just noticed that. Think i'll give them a email for any help they can give (if they can give any anyway).If the recording head is dud, what could most likely kill it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The head being in the wrong place (if it is) basically means the up/down motor temporarily or permanently quit working. I have had this happen to me, too. Sometimes it is permanent. I have definitely survived it at least once. If you try inserting disks in when the head is in the wrong position, you likely will break off the overwrite head. BE VERY CAREFUL.The advice I gave recently was: make absolutely sure you have good power to the recorder. Seems like the recalbration of the Up/Down takes about as much or more power as any other possible operation.Some have reported physically bending the part that holds it. Not sure this is a long term solution. Also the other possible problem is the ribbon cable itself got tired. You could check with an ohmmeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 (edited) Thank you for your help guys, but the heads gone and I can't fix it. I'll be ebay-ing it as faulty later. Edited August 2, 2009 by Judge Abs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Head looks ok in the photo. Did you break it off? (Don't be ashamed, I did.... once). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The head is still attached. What I did do was clean the head with an alcohol based cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 doesn't matter about the cleaning, that would only be for the read headcheck the continuity of the two microscopic leads on the overwrite head to the other end of the ribbon. Lots of people report that ribbon cable getting cracked.as far as positioning, try the best power source you can before trying to do anything to the head (eg bending!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 The only odd anomaly I could see on the ribbon was this -Very large image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Looks eminently possible... see if the two sides of what might be a break are in fact connected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 From the looks of it, I can't see any separation at that supposed crack in the cable. Regardless i'll offload it. If I can somehow bring it back to life, that would be a bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Dagnamit i'm so indecisive. I'm not selling it, I just can't let go of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Sorry for constantly probing for answers, but I was just wondering - when I cleaned the recording head I may have caused it to move from its original position. If I was to reposition the head, where about should it be placed and how would it look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Before you do any such thing, try to see if the ribbon cable is in one piece or 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIS SUCKS Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 just use an ohm meter to measure the head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 I have no idea how to interpret the reading or what i'm meant to be seeing on the display but it did come back with a reading. Even gave a high pitch noise from the reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIS SUCKS Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 if the meter made a beep noise the the ribbon cable is not broken. maybe the head is in the wrong position. take a few more pictures and uplaod them so we can take better look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Guess what? I just inherited an N505 with this exact problem. Sure enough the ribbon cable is actually broken (the plastic carrier is in one piece, but the actual conductors are de-laminated from it).Ideas? If a pic would help, I can put one. But the problem is 100% clear, same symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 I don't have any soldering skills, but I've researched this type of thing before. A skilled solderer can attempt to "gild" the contacts and reestablish a connection, but it doesn't always work. If you don't have a replacement cable you're probably S.O.L. Do any MD units use ribbon cable "sockets" so you can yank them out and replace them if you can find a replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Well a buddy of mine says there's something called Silver Ink, that you can use to glue it back together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Normal Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 sfbp said: Well a buddy of mine says there's something called Silver Ink, that you can use to glue it back together.Interesting--I may have to look into that. I don't have anything to use it on right now, but a few weeks ago I did. Unfortunately I round-filed the item. It wasn't anything irreplaceable or expensive, but it would've been neat to say "I fixed it!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 I've bent the recording arm.*goes off to cry* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Judge Abs said: I've bent the recording arm.*goes off to cry*That's not terminal, don't panic (I'm sure you can straighten it out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobS Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 How about the stuff that Auto Parts Stores sell that they use to fix the rear window defrosters. This is a conductive liquid that has a very high silver content. Comes in a small bottle with an applicator brush. It's consistency would also allow application via a toothpick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 THANK YOU!!!!! Didn't know that was where to look. Yes, still will need a microscope to see what I am doing but you are exactly right, toothpick or even regular PIN would do the job. I figure first I have to re-laminate it onto the backing, then with aid of microscope apply to the ribbon. I hope that it should be possible to make a small enough drop that it doesnt join the two sides together, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungerdunger Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) If you think you've got problems, have a look at this man's work! Edited August 8, 2009 by Hungerdunger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Abs Posted August 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 Wow!Could I salvage a recording arm from any other R-series MD recorders? I have a broken R91 I bought for cheap, just wondering if that recording arm can replace my R50's bent one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted August 9, 2009 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 Judge Abs said: Wow!Could I salvage a recording arm from any other R-series MD recorders? I have a broken R91 I bought for cheap, just wondering if that recording arm can replace my R50's bent one.Nah, just bend it back. But you may well be facing a ribbon cable repair, as I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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