MDS-JE510 won't quite work

[ck10]

On 11/26/2019 at 6:23 PM, me me said:

this is a known problem. its the micro switches on the sled mechanism that loads the disk.  they need replaced. they also cause the turn on by itself problem.

Holly smoke, it did turn on itself this night...
Is the fix with electrical tape really working for this issue?

[me me]

sometimes it does but sometimes the switches need replaced with new ones.

[Dubaidave]

Hi. Total newbie. I have this same machine and getting the same error I’ve taken the til off and it all looks very clean. I don’t think the disc is spinning.  Can anyone help?

[sfbp]

Welcome! I am afraid the only 510 I had (my first deck) died this way. I never did fix it so am not a great person to ask. I vaguely recall all sorts of "recipe" solutions. But just remember that when it doesn't spin there are a gazillion reasons contributing. MD is a servo-based system, relying on feedback from the disk as it spins up. Gyula (NGY) probably your best bet. He's in Hungary, not that it makes a difference........

[bluecrab]

If by "same error" you mean the self-turn-on, then a description of the fix is here: http://snnake11.tripod.com/

The JE510 was my first deck, too. I had a bit of a gimmick so it could not turn itself on, but it eventually managed to croak on its own.

 

[NGY]

7 hours ago, bluecrab said:

If by "same error" you mean the self-turn-on, then a description of the fix is here: http://snnake11.tripod.com/

With all due respect to the author and also bluecrab, I honestly do not recommend this "solution''. Regardless I see that several people reported this working. Here is why:

- first of all stripping an MD device and especially an MDM-3 drive to this depth carries a lot more risk (of damaging someting else) than the hoped fix. See all the topics here with XY machine stuck in Standby, or C13 error, etc., not mentioning possible physical damages, misaligned, bent or even broken parts.

- what happens here is that the "fix" stresses that very switch beyond its default ON position. The used areas of the contacts within the switch are oxidizing over time, and pushing the slider a little forward may help it reaching a cleaner, unused bit on the contacts, thus virtually solving the no contact problem. Putting such a stress on an SMD switch is a definite no-no, because in worst case it can break the switch or rip it off the PCB.

- these symptoms are related (well, not always, see below) to the different position switches of the drive, not only this particular one. There are about six similar of them, and all has to be taken care of, properly. By "porperly" I mean addressing the original cause, that is the dirty or oxidized contacts. The only way to do it is by a) replacing those switches with new ones (rare and expensive stuff, plus require delicate soldering work), or b) opening up the switches and cleaning the contacts (very small parts, soldered down, high risk of breaking or losing those tiny bits and pieces inside).

- I have repaired a few dozens of 510 (or equivalent 500, 320, S39, S38, all with the MDM-3 drive), and my experience is that only a certain part of the "non-working" devices could be successfully fixed by cleaning/lubricating the switches, the rest related to something else.

I don't want to look like the "smartest guy", all this I wrote above are my personal findings, and I have to mention Jim Hoggart here, the real pro person when it comes to repairing MD devices, I learned incredibly lot from his posts on this forum.

[bluecrab]

I found that the best solution for me was to dispose of the JE510 (the ones made in Malaysia seem to be the culprits) and get a better deck. Others have indeed had success with the micro-switch, so they say. By and by I also acquired an S39, which failed the same way. A friend gave me a JE320, which failed immediately. My brother's 320 also failed. The lesson I learned was to leave the entry-level decks for someone else.