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Testing the....MZ-R2

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allons dansez

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Cleaning out a closet at my office yielded a little- or never-used MZ-R2. I'm trying to figure out if it's working.

Sorry this is lengthy, but this is what I know so far:

The display lights, it knows there is a disc, and the clock proudly displays 1993.

But I've been using Hi-MD for a long time. And unfortunately, I no longer have any legacy MD or NetMD players (unless there's one of those in a closet somewhere too--don't remember what happened to my MZ-N707). A 74-minute or 80-minute disc with Hi-SP on it shows track numbers but (obviously) won't play.

I do have the MZ-NH700. I tried using SonicStage 4.2 to initialize a 74-minute MD in NetMD mode, and I believe I did. It erased the tracks on the disc and made the da-da-ding sound. Then, however, it stopped recognizing the unit, popping up the Found New Hardware wizard and not finding a driver. (Luckily, SonicStage does still recognize a Hi-MD disc in the unit--phew.) So I can't transfer music over to see if it plays.

I tried recording on the formatted disc, and the REC blinks but the clock doesn't budge from zero.

What I'd like to do is put some SP music on there and see if it plays, and see if it will record. Are there NetMD drivers for SonicStage? Any other suggestions?

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Well, unfortunately, this is not Jurassic Park.

Got NetMD drivers for SonicStage online, initialized the disc, transferred a song in SP to the intialized disc.

The display goes to Track 001 but still doesn't budge past 00:00. REC just blinks, also stuck at 00:00.

It makes such promising whirring noises...but I guess the head just doesn't want to wake up.

The unit is in perfect cosmetic condition, so if anyone has some suggestions to revive it, let me know.

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mmh,.. As you wrote you already tried to record with the R2 itself.

I think this is the best test you can have to separate if it's gone or not ;)

Another try would be to have a MD recorded (for example with 3 Tracks) with the Nh700 in SP (with its analog or digital in). But this should result in a similar disc like the Sonic Stage option.

You said you hear a whirring noise. Does the disc spin? or does it feel that the head is moving?

So if not you can try to lubricate the headslider with a sewing machine oil (or comparable).

I hope this old buddy is coming back :)

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Well, unfortunately, this is not Jurassic Park.

Got NetMD drivers for SonicStage online, initialized the disc, transferred a song in SP to the intialized disc.

The display goes to Track 001 but still doesn't budge past 00:00. REC just blinks, also stuck at 00:00.

It makes such promising whirring noises...but I guess the head just doesn't want to wake up.

The unit is in perfect cosmetic condition, so if anyone has some suggestions to revive it, let me know.

I recall that MZR1 and MZR2 somewhat incompatible with much later versions. Your best bet to get someone with a deck to send you a disk with something on it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Many, many thanks to sfbp for the test discs.

Alas, the R2 won't play them either--not even the 60-minute one, for which I had great hopes.

As with my own discs, the unit whirs and the display comes on, with its little spinning disc animation. Advancing the >>I will advance the track number (as high as I want to go, well past the number of tracks on the disc). But it never goes past 00:00 and no sound comes on.

If anyone is interested in a perfectly, astonshingly new looking but not working MZ-R2--the perfect prop for a 1993 thriller set in Tokyo--with case and adapter but no battery, please let me know and we can work something out. I'll put it up on eBay if I don't hear back in a few days.

Thanks again, sfbp.

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Nothing.

Push Record, REC blinks, push Play, makes a little whirp (chirpy whir) and display doesn't. move. Push > again, another brief whirp.

I also left it plugged in for a while after pressing the > button for Playback, and it's getting kind of warm although there's no battery in it to charge. Maybe something is stuck and trying to work, but after two hours plugged in it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. If I knew where to lubricate I could try that, but that would probably mean disassembly.

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(assuming it isn't automatically pausing because there's no input)

The service manual is here:

http://minidisc.org/manuals/sony/service/sony_MZ-R2_service_manual.pdf

Nothing better to suggest right now, hoping someone reading this actually owns one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The only thing I have to add is try pulling the power from it overnight (remove battery and just let it sit with no disc inside).

I think those are really cool looking units and wouldn't mind having one to put in a display. I want to listen to it, just so check the difference in ATRAC versions. But honestly, I'd rather listen to even a cheap 410 as I'm sold on Type-S.

Try the power tip and if that down't work let me know if you still want to sell it...

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm giving up on the MZ-R2.

sfbp suggested opening it and playing with the lead screw, and it looks easy enough to open--just some little screws I could undo with an eyeglasses screwdriver. But I don't want to toy with a delicate mechanism in case someone who DOES know what they're doing wants it.

Anyway, it's up on eBay till Sunday. I'll knock $5 off for anyone on these forums, so if you do bid and get it, contact me and mention my nickname here or minidisc.org. before paying.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180499548152&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

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