mestkidd Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hello all, I had a mds-ja333es that just has it's laser and record head replaced, the machine works great but it will not play/read any laser and or head cleaning discs, and every now and then won't play pre-mastered minidiscs, but ALL blanks/recordable discs work play/record fine, I took it back and the techs said they can not do any thing about it, they are not specialized in minidisc and there is one in my area that is, any help??, could it be allignment issue or it for what ever reason does not like pre-mastered discs due to the reflective surface is different; well this does not explain why a head cleaner, (to which you record) also does not work, any ideas??, thanks Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperclip Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Very nice unit those are. You might try Jim, he seems to know alot about these things in general here is his Ebay link: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/jim.hoggarth&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID Good luck, let me know how it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestkidd Posted January 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 Hey thanks I emailed Jim got no response any one else u think might be able to help me? Thanks again Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 You know that the technology for reading pre-recorded MD's is different? Perhaps it's as simple as the detector microswitch not working? The other possibility is that there is a different alignment on some items (the service manuals refer to it as CD*** vs. MO) and they didn't do the adjustment properly after installing new optical head. You can confirm this by going into service mode and seeing the number and nature of the last CD errors. Jim is around here, better to PM him. It's possible he doesn't see the Ebay mail right away. Stephen PS this may also be a sign that the laser power needs to be adjusted to match the actual head installed (the so-called iOP value, as it is a measure of the current used by that particular laser head). The head will have the IOP number written on it, and the techs needed to install that number into the firmware on the drive. If, as you say, they are not so familiar with MD, maybe they didn't. Left unfixed, you could be looking at premature OP death because too much power is used. Another symptom of this is that MO disks are rather warm when you first take them out. *** just like a (read-only) CD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestkidd Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Update: my machine all of the sudden now will play pre-mastered minidiscs but still won't play lense cleaner (pre mastered) nor will it play the head cleaner (recordable) so these two discs have reflective properties of both of the same nature of discs with music on them that the machine will play, so I don't think it's an issue about the power out put of the laser foe each type of disc since recordable and other pre mastered discs play fine, it seems to point that the two cleaning discs them selves are faulty.....except they both work in two other MD decks and portables I have, and they both worked on my machine before it broke down and had the record head and laser assy changed.. Please, any help, this is killing me, I don't want my 333es go to waste. Thanks Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 (sorry for shouting) EVERYTHING I'VE EVER HEARD SAYS (including advice from Sony, IIRC) AVOID CLEANING DISKS LIKE THE PLAGUE. Really, if that is your only problem, be entirely happy. Don't ruin a beautiful machine with a third party product that the makers (of the Sony) never intended you to use with it. Stephen PS I stand on my point about adjustment. One of the signs of incorrect adjustment of Laser Power is that some disks with different reflectivities are not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestkidd Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Steven, I still await jims reply, btw the cleaning discs are both Sony ones, that work in all my machines and even 333es before it's new parts went in.....odd. Thanks again Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Fair enough, if it's a Sony product presumably they know what's safe. I recall floppy disk drives several aeons ago. The advice was: clean it, but only if it's dirty. Many people transformed their working computers into useless piles of c**p by following injudicious advice to "clean the heads on a regular schedule". You might easily go YEARS without ever needing to clean a floppy drive. Then some bad media would mean you had to do it 2 times in 2 weeks. The abrasion necessary (for it to be done by some insertable product) was, and is, a very bad idea. Far better to get the old Q-tip out (and some 100% iso-propanol) and clean the head. Exactly same for CD, MD, and DVD heads. Clean it when it's dirty. Stephen PS you don't comment if (regular) disks get hot after playing, or (especially) recording. This may well be a sign of trouble to come - not weeks but more like months down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestkidd Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Steven, no none get hot, they ever slightly get warm though, just from the heat of the rest of the machine, even when recording they are still quite warm, never hot, this applys to all my machines, thanks again Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 One adjustment that *might* just affect your unit that is completely easy to do without any equipment is the temperature compensation offset adjustment. Page 32 of the service manual. For the most important adjustments you need the Laser Power Meter to be sure of your facts. However this is something that the guys SHOULD have done when they installed the new head; or at very least copied the value of the iOP (written on the optical pickup) into NVRAM according to the procedure in the previous section on the same page 32. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestkidd Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hello Stephen, how do I get into service mode of the machine just to have a look at settings; do you know what the laser output setting should be etc.., and do you know where I can get a copy of the service manual for a 333es from?, do you have a copy I could down load etc.... Thanks Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 It's in the minidisc.org equipment browser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.hoggarth Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks Steven, I still await jims reply, btw the cleaning discs are both Sony ones, that work in all my machines and even 333es before it's new parts went in.....odd. Thanks again Aaron Hi Aaron Sorry, missed this thread completely and email notification of your original question never came through. I have now replied by PM. Briefly, however, the problem will be adjustment. It is feasible that a fault on the (replacement) laser unit is causing CD vs MO discs to fail, but the consensus seems to be that the drive unit is not adjusted correctly. And I agree with Stephen's warning about head and/or lens cleaners. If you look after your discs, such as always storing them in their protective dust jackets, and limiting the times you use discs other than brand new ones you have personally opened, you should never get contamination from the discs (this affects the magnetic write head, the only part that comes in contacts with the disc surface). Airborne pollutants can cause film build-up on the optics, such as cooking deposits and smoke from cigarettes. But as I recently discovered, cleaning the lens will probably make little overall difference, as the same deposits will also build up on the laser block end window and the beam bending prism unit. These parts cannot be easily reached, and for most optical pickup assemblies I would refrain from attempting to clean these in case the OP was terminally damaged. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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