Sony MDS-JA333ES Doesn't Work with Timer!

[MWielage]

I got a deal on a Sony ES 333 MD unit a few months back, and liked it so much, I found a second one. Both work great, and might be the best-sounding MiniDisc units I've ever heard (at least until HD is here).

BUT: I just tried to use the MDS-JA333ES with a timer to record a radio show off-air. Unfortunately, when you use an X10-type switch to depower the deck, it stays off permanently. You can't power it up at all!

Even worse, the unit is totally brain dead when you bypass the X10 module and just plug it directly into AC. I had to unplug the unit for a solid day before it would finally come back to life.

Since I have two decks, I was able to confirm that this is a design flaw with the MDS-JA333ES. My older 920, 930, and 940 decks work just fine, and I've been using MD for about ten years. Anybody have a solution to this problem?

[MDX-400]

Are you certain the switch marked "timer" beneath the power switch and IR window is in the REC position (or PLAY position if you're trying to timer-play instead of record)???

If it is and the deck does not work accordingly when disconnected/reconnected to AC power, I'm almost certain it isn't a "design flaw" but more a case of a defect within your particular unit. The fact that you seem to say it went "dead" for a while reinforces my belief that you have a defective unit.

Likely you are still in the 5yr warranty period, correct? I'd send it in for a repair if you are certain it isn't working with the switch in the correct position and it isn't working right.

The procedure for a timer-rec should be to flip the switch to REC and turn the unit OFF (into Standby). Then disconnect the power from the AC outlet (done with a timer or your X10, or whatever). Then reconnect it at the time of the recording start (by making your X10 or timer or whatever turn on). The deck should immediately power up, read the disc and start recording. If it does not there is a problem I think. (Check the manual for complete details to be sure.)

If you're using some other method to try to get a recording, it isn't the correct way AFAIK, even on the older decks. But it may have worked for some reason on the older decks but not on this one. Make sure to follow the above procedure (or that outlined in the manual) and see what happens.

[MWielage]

Yeah, I did all that. C'mon -- I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.

What I'm saying is: the moment you use a timer to kill the power to the unit, if you then apply power to the deck again, it stays completely dead. No other electronic audio recording device I've ever owned has acted this way. Cassette decks, MD, open reel... hell, even DCC worked fine (though the machine was flawed in other ways).

The following MD recorders work fine:

MDS-320

MDS-JB920

MDS-JB930

MDS-JB940

MDS-JA20ES

plus a few more that I have and can't remember the model numbers.

Also, it didn't seem to matter whether I turned the power switch off on the deck itself before I hit the X10 power switch, or not. And, yes, the deck was always in the REC timer position mode.

Once power is killed on the deck, it's dead for almost 24 hours. Nothing -- not even plugging the deck directly into AC -- brings it back to life. If you leave it unplugged for a day, it eventually comes back. But the moment you try to use it with a timer, it goes dead again.

I have two 333's, and they both act the same way. Very discouraging. Trust me, this is a huge design flaw on Sony's part. I bet you anything the morons never actually tried using the timer switch, and what's going on is they made a radical change in the power supply of the machine, and it's "losing its mind" when power is killed in this way.

I'll try another timer system and see if that solves the problem.

--Marc W.

[MDX-400]

Yeah, I did all that.  C'mon -- I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.  

LOL, jokes... :laugh: I didn't mean to insult you by that, really I didn't I was just confused as to what method you were actually using to do the timer-record...

Once power is killed on the deck, it's dead for almost 24 hours. Nothing -- not even plugging the deck directly into AC -- brings it back to life.  If you leave it unplugged for a day, it eventually comes back.  But the moment you try to use it with a timer, it goes dead again.

See the above doesn't sound right to me. It sounds like there is a problem with the unit itself--I mean nothing should go dead once unplugged like that. I mean what if you simply wanted to move the deck or had to unplug it for some reason. You have to wait 24hours before you can use it again? That's ridiculous. And to me it sounds like a problem with the unit... That is until I read...

I have two 333's, and they both act the same way. Very discouraging. Trust me, this is a huge design flaw on Sony's part.  I bet you anything the morons never actually tried using the timer switch, and what's going on is they made a radical change in the power supply of the machine, and it's "losing its mind" when power is killed in this way.

I'll try another timer system and see if that solves the problem.  

--Marc W.

You might be right--I wonder if they never actually tried it, LOL. Or what it could be is that both your decks have a problem that has been addressed by a TSB or firmware upgrade (fixable/upgradeable by Sony) regarding the problem. Are the serial numbers of the two decks close? If so then it may be something like that. Try calling Sony's tech support and see if there are any known problems with certain batches of the JA333ES. However, I would say that calling Sony is a little iffy--you've got a right-hand-doesn't-know-what-the-left-is-doing situation with Sony .

But if you're willing/able to go without one of the decks for around a month, I'd say send one into a Sony factory repair facility (assuming they are still under warranty I mean) along with a detailed description of the problem. They may already have a TSB/fix for it and it may get repaired and returned to you and work properly thereafter, or they might figure out something if they somehow have never come across the problem before. If they can repair the first, you can then send in the second and get it fixed...

BTW: Most ppl here would consider themselves lucky to have just one JA333ES--you have TWO! Very nice deck indeed (other than that timer problem that is)...