100 Junk MDs - How many did I get working

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ต.ค. 2021
  • You may remember that I bought one hundred used and untested MD portables from Japan (shown in this video • Too many MDs? ) I promised to make a follow up video showing how many I could get to work. Here it is. In this video I share a few tips as well as the odd lemon.
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  • วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

ความคิดเห็น • 988

  • @Steakkiller
    @Steakkiller 2 ปีที่แล้ว +559

    When life gives you lemons, clean your Minidisc player 🍋

    • @CathyInBlue
      @CathyInBlue 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Don't make life take the lemons back? Don't demand to see life's manager?

    • @Steakkiller
      @Steakkiller 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@CathyInBlue Nah.
      I'd probably just bake some lemon cake.
      Not gonna lie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    • @BLenz-114
      @BLenz-114 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@CathyInBlue
      Oh I demand to see life's manager almost daily, but that guy's a wily one and hasn't made an appearance yet. Starting to wonder a bit . . . .

    • @lemoneer7474
      @lemoneer7474 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@CathyInBlue Don’t have the scientists develop a lemon that can burn your house down?

  • @Gappasaurus
    @Gappasaurus 2 ปีที่แล้ว +245

    Me: “Perhaps Mat buying and repairing 100 MD players is just a bit too much?” 🤔
    Luther Vandross: 🎶 “Never too much, never too much, never too much…” 🎵

  • @mal2ksc
    @mal2ksc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +168

    Any time you get a salvage rate over 50% from a total grab bag, you've done well.

    • @themlotproductions
      @themlotproductions 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yes, but at roughly £50 each it’s not quite a bargain!

    • @mal2ksc
      @mal2ksc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@themlotproductions £50? I thought it worked out to more like £10 per working unit when it was all said and done, and a couple of the salvaged units are really nice recorders.

    • @LaurentiusTriarius
      @LaurentiusTriarius 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I find them regularly at the recycling center and they pretty much all work, I also find 7/8th gen i7/i5 laptops that work. It's surprising how people don't care about outdated but perfectly fine tech stuff.

    • @mal2ksc
      @mal2ksc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@LaurentiusTriarius At least MiniDisc requires actual discs which are kind of rare -- unlike that 7th/8th gen laptop, which isn't obsolete by any stretch. I'm typing this on a 3rd gen Celeron! I should hang around your recycling center and snag an upgrade or three.

    • @Jrodsly
      @Jrodsly 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Indeed. I know Techmoan said not to buy these lots, but I'm still tempted by one of these lots. My Dad wants to split a lot with me at some point, so I want to try one out for fun.

  • @stylesuxx
    @stylesuxx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    Haha, back in the high times of MD I was working as a repair technician for Sony, you would not believe how many devices were sent in for repair and just had the hold button in the locked position - we even had a special card that explained what the hold button does :-D

  • @Kenny_P_abz
    @Kenny_P_abz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +409

    I love how initially laid out all your repair materials but half way through you resorted to giving it a whack. Your videos are a Saturday highlight - cheers.

    • @VinnytotheK
      @VinnytotheK 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      👋💥

    • @misterkite
      @misterkite 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      "Percussive maintenance"

    • @kevwang0712
      @kevwang0712 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Out of curiosity, if a machine relies on a spinning motor that's having trouble getting its spin starting, wouldn't it be possible that a good whack might just be the kickstart it needs?

    • @AlfaGiuliaQV
      @AlfaGiuliaQV 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@kevwang0712 Just like an old car might need a damn good thrashing from time to time.

    • @alexanderthomas2660
      @alexanderthomas2660 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Giving it a whack is not as wacky as it may sound! I have noticed that the biggest problem with my old Sharp MD player (besides the gumstick battery being deader than dead after all these years) is that the carriage can get stuck when it hasn't moved for a long time. A good whack will usually remedy this.

  • @victorvangrimgamming6784
    @victorvangrimgamming6784 2 ปีที่แล้ว +83

    SONY: "wow look at how many minidisc players are being bought amd how much buzz their is about minidisc. Perhaps it's makeing a comeback?"
    Matt: "today I'm cleaning 100 minidisc players"

  • @deanchur
    @deanchur 2 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    For the full early 2000's experience I recommend connecting one of the MD players to a Playstation 2 via the optical out and recording game music so you can listen to it later.
    Many good memories of recording MSX FM from GTA3 to Hi-MD via the optical out

    • @TobyRieper48
      @TobyRieper48 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      This is how I recorded all of my music back in the day!

  • @andyflange
    @andyflange 2 ปีที่แล้ว +157

    Some of the ones with a TOC read error may have a similar issue to mine which was sat unused for over 10 years... the motor for the read head had seized.
    I lubricated the Worm gear and gently moved the read head back and forward numerous times by hand to try and unsieze it. Worked for a while but seemed to seize again 20 or so minutes into a disc so I re-opened it, cleaned the worm gear with IPA, re-lubricated and manipulated the read head again and it has worked perfectly since

    • @Dolphination
      @Dolphination 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Good work!

    • @ShakaCthulu
      @ShakaCthulu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I’ll have to give that a shot. I refuse to condemn my Sony MD deck to the trashbin.

    • @ujustgotpwned2008
      @ujustgotpwned2008 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Took me a while to work out why International-Style Pale Ale was useful in this, but Isopropyl Alcohol is probably more useful

    • @MikehMike01
      @MikehMike01 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheeses

  • @mpersad
    @mpersad 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    "Schrödinger's mini disc" - priceless!

  • @inactiveytchannel
    @inactiveytchannel 2 ปีที่แล้ว +362

    *This is the most Techmoan thing I've ever seen*

    • @bsadewitz
      @bsadewitz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It does exemplify the paradigm, doesn't it?

    • @bengelman2600
      @bengelman2600 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Totally🤣

    • @shantrannyduck
      @shantrannyduck 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      yes totally certifiable :] and REALLY fun

  • @MoultrieGeek
    @MoultrieGeek 2 ปีที่แล้ว +170

    After watching your efforts with contact cleaning I got motivated to clean/change the batteries in my lounge wall clock. Thanks Mat!

    • @kkgt6591
      @kkgt6591 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Dude 😆

    • @1969longshanks
      @1969longshanks 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      All ready for when the clocks go back

    • @julianjv7325
      @julianjv7325 ปีที่แล้ว

      Jajajaja.

  • @CBitsTech
    @CBitsTech 2 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    Lemon smells better than white vinegar! Good tip, thanks.

    • @johnqpublic2718
      @johnqpublic2718 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Citric amd ascorbic acid vs acetic acid - basic chemistry classes teach them all.

    • @senorcapitandiogenes2068
      @senorcapitandiogenes2068 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      But lemon juice contains a lot of sugar. Make sure to rinse it off with an appropiate amount of destilled water.

    • @senorcapitandiogenes2068
      @senorcapitandiogenes2068 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@JamesTK Might I suggest Chlorine Triflouride instead? Its just more convenient

    • @iaincowell9747
      @iaincowell9747 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@senorcapitandiogenes2068 if you are using pure lemon juice then no it doesn't contain a lot of sugar. Lemons have a low sugar content

  • @Darxide23
    @Darxide23 2 ปีที่แล้ว +101

    In all my years of troubleshooting and repair, I've learned that "dirty laser lenses" is kind of a myth. Unless it was one of those stereo/boombox types with the lid that opened fully and some kid with jam hands was getting the lens all sticky with boogers and whatnot, then cleaning the laser lens is more or less a lesson in futility.

    • @russelllukenbill
      @russelllukenbill ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Kind of like how when I clean my glasses, I somehow gain perfect eyesight. lol

    • @testname4464
      @testname4464 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@russelllukenbill No because glasses genuinely do get dirty. Water, dust, and other gunk gets all over the lenses since they're exposed 24/7

    • @russelllukenbill
      @russelllukenbill ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@testname4464 Yes, but they rarely get dirty enough that you can't make out what it is your seeing, it is just a little blurry or whatever. I can't remember the last time that my glasses were so dirty that I couldn't see out of them at all, except when coming in from outside and they fog for a few minutes, but that is not the same thing.

    • @testname4464
      @testname4464 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@russelllukenbill What kinda perfect world do you live in? I have to clean my glasses every few days or else everything gets blurry

    • @russelllukenbill
      @russelllukenbill ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@testname4464 I don't know what to tell you. I didn't say that I never clean my glasses, I said that they don't get dirty enough for me not to be able to see out of them entirely. Blurry is not the same as complete obstructed. I obviously live in the same world as you and it certainly isn't perfect. I won't keep arguing this with you, have a nice life.

  • @croolis
    @croolis 2 ปีที่แล้ว +151

    The way most of the Sony devices work is that the lid of the gumstick battery bay, with the positive contact, connects to the chassis through the hinge - if the hinge has corrosion in it, there is a good chance it won't connect. This can be tested using a multimeter between the battery terminal and the terminal for the external battery case as these are wired in parallel.
    Thanks for the great videos as always.

  • @Ineedanameplease
    @Ineedanameplease 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    He said “you ain’t getting any of my mini disc players!” 😆 and I resonate with that

  • @punksci6879
    @punksci6879 2 ปีที่แล้ว +114

    I'd strongly advise using IPA after the lemon juice, organic residue left on it will cause problems again in short order.

    • @TimRrstrm
      @TimRrstrm 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Indeed, clear vinegar is a better choice.

    • @VinnytotheK
      @VinnytotheK 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Organic Residue seems like a nice band name.

    • @pand3mic942
      @pand3mic942 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@VinnytotheK It sounds more to me like a term used in a bad hotel review

    • @VinnytotheK
      @VinnytotheK 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@pand3mic942 😧

    • @hoffwell
      @hoffwell 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      India Pale Ale?

  • @trzarector
    @trzarector 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    What is it about MD that still fascinates us!!! The amount of variations of design is amazing. Some great looking machines you’ve got there. Great video from a fellow MD lover! 💽

  • @KarlAdamsAudio
    @KarlAdamsAudio 2 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    19:56 my Sony D-35 Discman had an episode of "scrambled buttons" that turned out to be a dirty hold switch that was making partial contact - a bit of exercise & it came good, thankfully.

    • @russellhltn1396
      @russellhltn1396 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Some machines have a two wire control where different resistors are connected to request different actions. A dirty contact somewhere is going to throw off those values enough that buttons end up doing something other than what they are labeled for. This may be a fairly simple fix.

  • @retractingblinds
    @retractingblinds 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Hey Techmoan, I work on a lot of CD drives for game consoles and one of the surprise culprits for them has been the sensor switches for lid, media or laser positions. These are usually little pressure lever based microswitches. Using the youtube standard deoxit I've had a lot of success cleaning these switches and watching the devices spring back to life. They seem to be prone to oxidization.
    It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if some of these mini disc players have a sensor switch or two gummed up from the elements and are in need of contact restoration. Try it if you can, but shield sensitive elements like the laser lens from the spray.

  • @n2n8sda
    @n2n8sda 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    A lot of the Sony MD players have a hidden service menu where you can do laser and magnetic diagnostics. Some of the older portable recorders might play discs but will fail / choppy audio when trying to record.

    • @WinterCedar
      @WinterCedar 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      How do you access it?

    • @sweaterfish6311
      @sweaterfish6311 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I've also had a problem on a couple units where any edit to the TOC (even just renaming or moving a track without recording anything new) corrupts the whole TOC and makes the disc unreadable. I assume this would only apply to recorders, too, since the players don't have any TOC editing ability.

    • @countgent
      @countgent 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You can find the way in the user manual. Just find the pdf you need. I fixed some TOC issues that way. But not for long !

    • @HeyPatch
      @HeyPatch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      For the mz-r55 it’s like the conami code 😂 ff ww ff ww ff ww vol up vol down play pause play pause 😂 (FYI that isn’t the actual code, look for the service manual for your player the see how to access the diagnostics menu)

  • @brysimm404
    @brysimm404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    It's amazing how many different MiniDisc player designs were actually made and sold - outside the USA anyway. My SHARP unit still works, and takes AA batteries instead of using a "gum stick".

  • @DJNeiloSF
    @DJNeiloSF 2 ปีที่แล้ว +65

    Suggestion: you might want to neutralize that lemon acid on the device when you are done cleaning, otherwise it may cause unwanted corrosion over time.

    • @chaos.corner
      @chaos.corner 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Do you know that from bitter experience?

    • @RCAvhstape
      @RCAvhstape 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@chaos.corner Kind of sours the deal, doesn't it.

    • @kevinr.3542
      @kevinr.3542 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Maybe you just bought a lemon

    • @andypyne
      @andypyne 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      The simple solution is to use partially corroded batteries so that the leaking alkaline neutralises the lemon juice.... 🤔

    • @ericpode6095
      @ericpode6095 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      🤣😂🤣

  • @rahb1
    @rahb1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    Fascinating video! I am SO impressed by your patience and persistence! I am now *really* annoyed I gave away all my MD stuff. Absolutely perfect for community radio.

  • @paulmurgatroyd6372
    @paulmurgatroyd6372 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    The madness of the 'barely different' battery adapters makes me seethe.

  • @MarcGrondin
    @MarcGrondin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +33

    Great to see so many of them working. This is just the type of thing I would spend a week on lol.

  • @sofa-lofa4241
    @sofa-lofa4241 2 ปีที่แล้ว +61

    Not a bad result in the end, just shows how contact cleaner can help!
    Personally, I use De-ox it, it's not cheap but will save devices for years... Bad battery contacts, switches, pots, etc.
    It's been worth it's weight in gold over the years, saved many portables, amps, etc.

  • @meechmushrooms
    @meechmushrooms 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    "The things are blind; they can't see the disc at all."
    That made me laugh harder than it should have.

  • @surfacematter2098
    @surfacematter2098 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I wonder why we love these MD videos so much? I dont get it..but here I am, watching and wanting one for no reason other than they look cool and you make them seem really interesting.

    • @burendasan
      @burendasan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I don’t have the time, money, or space to do what he did so I feel like I’m living vicariously watching him go through all the MD player models and try to fix them.

  • @minipolenet
    @minipolenet 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I bought MD recoder because I was interested in minidisc after seeing your past video, and I bought junk condition Sony netMD with battery terminal corroded because I did not want to spend a lot of money on discontinued devices. This was easily removed with a home rust remover containing phosphoric acid and then operated perfectly

  • @yahnsolo
    @yahnsolo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    A thing to consider is that very very thin dust that comes from jean’s pockets. Especially those thin devices that goes often on pockets. The dust sneaks in the optical assembly, on the prism and make the reading to fail (TOC errors, or erratic play after some lucky attempts).

  • @johnrose8145
    @johnrose8145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    10 hours! You have the patience of a saint. Great stuff, love your videos, keep up the good work (because I wouldn't have the patience - and neither would the wife).

  • @phantom2012
    @phantom2012 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I and many of my friends had them in the day. There's a reason the corners are often worn. The corner smack was common to unjam the micro motor that spun the disc, or the carriage. I had a sony recorder and it failed once. One slap and it was sorted.

  • @SvenBollue
    @SvenBollue 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Depends what one considers 'working'. Most of the old portables will play fine, but recording correctly, that's a whole different ballgame. Because in that case, the very frilly magnetic head that touches the top layer of the disc needs to still be perfectly aligned with the last underneath the disc, the tiny flat cable not broken and the magnetic head not clogged with dust/dirt.

  • @magicalpencil
    @magicalpencil 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    going through all of those broken MD players reminded me of the prison scene from A Fistful of Yen
    "who are they?"
    "Just lost drunken men who don't know where they are and no longer care"
    "And these?"
    "These are lost drunken men who don't know where they are, but do care!
    And these are men who know where they are and care, but don't drink."

  • @whomee2
    @whomee2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    Just a couple of notes from my CD experiences:
    1) The external battery packs: you mention that some of them don't line up, being too narrow or too wide; I had one that those contacts could be slid along a channel to line up.
    It wasn't an official sony or other name brand product, I recall is was an off-brand, universal type of thing. Not sure if any of yours may have that option, or if you could even come across one on an auction site.
    2) The Lens Cleaning Discs: first of all, that lens cleaner with the ribbon that you wiggle, with the little brush on the disc--that is how all CD lens cleaners work, they all have a brush of some kind stuck to the disc to spin around on the laser.
    If you opened up that official sony lens cleaning disc, you would (i'm 99.9% sure) find a little brush affixed to the disc in the same manner.
    Also, with my cd-lens cleaners, I always put a drop of isopropyl/rubbing alcohol on that little brush before i put the cd into to the player. It always seemed to get the player working for a good while before needing cleaned again.

  • @Chief89Music
    @Chief89Music 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    wow I like how fiercely you ended up staying on this topic and turned this into a series even very awesome especially also and as for me to see since I skipped that minidisc thing back in the day so all the more nice to see what it was about as for the now retro tech . . .

  • @SayMcGillicuddy
    @SayMcGillicuddy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    12:05 was definitely the opportunity to break out the 1-Grit

  • @TheRolandS69
    @TheRolandS69 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Great video and I really enjoyed seeing the outcome from the previous video.
    I never did own a Minidisc and have no plans to, but still interesting.

  • @RyanBuskirk
    @RyanBuskirk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "These hold one gigabyte; wow, it's the future isin't it!?" 🤣

  • @crbielert
    @crbielert 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    I know its like 20 pounds for a tiny can, but the full strength "d100" deoxit whips through the really crusty green contacts pretty well.

    • @startedtech
      @startedtech 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I just use some random cheap brand they sell at the store. It works great.

    • @MikeStavola
      @MikeStavola 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@tarstarkusz from my experience, the spray stains some plastic finishes, but the brush on stuff hasn't been a problem. I last used the spray about 15 years ago, so they may have changed the formulation.

    • @crbielert
      @crbielert 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I work in a job where nobody cares about discolored plastic and time is of the essence. Thanks though, didnt know it could discolour some plastics. Haven't experienced that, myself.

    • @JonnyInfinite
      @JonnyInfinite 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I used vinegar on my Minidisc player that had had a battery go bad in it. Worked a treat

    • @crbielert
      @crbielert 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@tarstarkusz yeah, i primarily use it on electronics with metal chassis, vacuum tube sockets, and automotive connectors.
      Edit: they sell a different formula of it specifically for pots and faders.

  • @3D_Blu-ray_Bunker
    @3D_Blu-ray_Bunker 2 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    Schrödinger's minidiscs indeed. Good old Techmoan! Looking forward to the *next* job lot of MD players (assuming old Mat hasn't bought them all already...).

  • @UnholyTriforceDelenn
    @UnholyTriforceDelenn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The more videos you do on the MD format, the more I'm obsessed with it, Mat! I really love MDs, and I really want to get a Hi-Fi or Mini Hi-Fi MD player that can record discs with the metadata included, as well as a bunch of recordable discs and start burning them with my favourite music. I'll then take those discs, along with any pre-recorded albums I can get hold of, and play them on a portable MD player, making that my primary listening device when I'm out and about (whenever that becomes a thing again without lockdowns and such). I dunno if you're planning to do any more videos on MDs, but if you do, I'm looking forward to them!

  • @enzoperruccio
    @enzoperruccio 2 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    "Because these two pegs here where the power goes through, certain machines have them at different widths to one another"
    That's the most Sony thing ever

    • @jonny5alive123
      @jonny5alive123 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Yeah, if Sony want to know why they fell out of favour with a lot of people they only need to look at the nonsense they were playing with their power adapters and memory cards in the early 2000s.

    • @jonny5alive123
      @jonny5alive123 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@MarquisDeSang It has nothing to do with the tolerances, Sony of that era would just make random changes to power adapters between device revisions for no reason.

    • @smorris12
      @smorris12 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I've never been impressed with Sony stuff. And endless proprietary connectors, batteries and file formats just make it look even less appealing

    • @awo1fman
      @awo1fman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@smorris12 Sony was awesome bang for the buck in the late 1970s through the 1980s. In spite of Beta/max... But their success really started going to their heads and in the 1990s onward they not only got too expensive, they went crazy with proprietary everything.
      Unfortunately, that seems to be the rule. Every company that starts out with great products at reasonable prices seems to sooner rather than later get cocky and start doing everything wrong.

    • @smorris12
      @smorris12 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@awo1fman They get carried away with their own hype I suppose. I had a friend who spent a fortune on high end Sony stuff in the 90s and the reliability was appalling.

  • @cageycretins
    @cageycretins 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Try two wires/ leads and a 1.5v battery (or whatever they need) instead of the proprierty extra-battery-jungle-dongles?

  • @Frenchmisto
    @Frenchmisto 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    You’re an amazing man! I enjoy watching your TH-cam videos so much. Kind regards from a French man living in Japan!

  • @MrMattGrid
    @MrMattGrid 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    MiniDiscs passed me by, never even seen one for real, ripped all my CDs to MP3 20 years ago - which coincidently, today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Apple iPod 🤓 Interesting video though!

    • @andypyne
      @andypyne 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      At what bitrate?
      I did that too at 192AAC after doing my own A/B test to determine where to my ears the compressed sound was transparent to the original.
      Turns out my process was flawed and I have spent years re-ripping/downloading in ALAC (can be losslessly conveyed to FLAC)

  • @startedtech
    @startedtech 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Hey Matt, great vid as always! From my personal experience I'd recommend using white vinegar over lemon juice, there's a lot less residue and impurities that get left behind.

    • @tithund
      @tithund 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +1, Fixed up a bunch of stuff with the vinegar.

    • @gregx5096
      @gregx5096 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +1 here too. Actually managed to get a "frozen" 9V alkaline battery's contact free from a unit's connector with a bit of a soak in a tiny dish of cleaning vinegar (6% acidity rather than the usual 5%, not much difference really)

  • @SalomeDoyle
    @SalomeDoyle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    somewhat heart breaking that the Cinnamoroll (the cute Sanrio mascot/character) player never made it back to life :(

    • @nagualdesign
      @nagualdesign 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hearth breaking. ☺️

    • @autumnwyvern489
      @autumnwyvern489 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i know!!! i was rooting for that one 🥺

    • @kennethhardcastle
      @kennethhardcastle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And made in 2004 it's one of the younger ones :/

  • @glenngogoll6166
    @glenngogoll6166 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks for your great videos. As a 30 year, retired veteran of the Australian audio industry, youve shown me things that ive never heard of, let alone seen. Inwas, vaguely familiar with the Philips ski slope, but i dont remember actually seeing one. But then,these days, i dont remeber a lot of things. Cheers & keep up the good work. After 30 years in the business, it gets in your blood & I’ll always be interested in old stuff.

  • @LboroWick
    @LboroWick 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    Not quite sure why I watched the whole of this video and enjoyed it.
    It’s just some guy in England importing a pile of Japanese junk and going through it piece by piece.
    I guess Techmoan does it so we don’t have to.
    I genuinely love it. 😁

    • @anonUK
      @anonUK 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Shakespeare was just some guy in England who wrote stuff.

    • @DavidSGrop
      @DavidSGrop 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You know why.

    • @gregx5096
      @gregx5096 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Techmoan does it because we CAN'T!

  • @mhoppy6639
    @mhoppy6639 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    If you have to ask “why?” Then you’ll never get techmoan. Brilliant stuff Matt.
    As alway, thanks for creating.

    • @inshadowz
      @inshadowz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The only answer to “why” is “because Techmoan”, and that's why we're all here.

    • @mhoppy6639
      @mhoppy6639 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@inshadowz indubitably!

  • @smorris12
    @smorris12 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Misbehaving buttons happens to various Sony things. I think they must use a resistor ladder affair (*) and grot under the contacts affects the resistance.
    * All the switches are paralleled together, each with their own resistor in series. The processor measures the voltage on an analogue input to then determine which button is pressed

    • @Kalvinjj
      @Kalvinjj 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Neat trick, used it on some of my MCU projects where I had a free ADC pin but not enough digital ones to make a matrix. Tho I do wonder why would they go with this strategy for like 5 buttons or so, even tho that's kinda a good quantity to use this technique for (too many and they will most certainly fail).

    • @smorris12
      @smorris12 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Kalvinjj My mother has a Sony radio/cd thing in the kitchen which gets continual use. Both unit and remote control buttons are temperamental but it took well over 10 years to manifest itself so I have to admit that that's definitely "good enough" from a manufacturer

  • @GadgetUK164
    @GadgetUK164 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Great video! Huge amount of time required to test and clean all of those!

  • @AristarcoPalacios
    @AristarcoPalacios 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I was happy about the MD players that work. Then you dropped the bomb "I'm not selling them to you" and my heart shattered and broke into a million bits. 😢

  • @hawkshaw2
    @hawkshaw2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Your channel is a blessing. It's informative and helps me avoid buying junk just because I think I can fix it. Thank you!

  • @burntalive
    @burntalive 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I'm so sad that the orange camo one is dead. That one was my pick of the lot :(

  • @RambozoClown
    @RambozoClown 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Schrödinger's mini disc!
    I love it. You could probably test a few of those with some test leads wired to a battery or power supply.

  • @catnip420
    @catnip420 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Long MD videos have become a monthly thing for me now, either new or rewatched old, I hope there's more to come!

  • @neatodd
    @neatodd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love videos, like this one, where the presenter really loves their subject and their enthusiasm shines through.

  • @green929392
    @green929392 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    If your ever looking to get rid of the broken machines Im sure Colin from "This Does Not Compute" would be happy to accept them. Hes diagnosed and fixed a bunch of players on his youtube channel.

  • @ampsmashed
    @ampsmashed 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    All Hail the Mighty Lemon 👐
    Excellent weekend viewing whilst doing my soldering. Honestly amazed that any of these kinds of micro devices still work at all. Tempted to buy one myself. Some seem bomb proof.

  • @Caviarhound
    @Caviarhound 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    One of my favorite formats of all time. Bang up video!

  • @MikeNHOC
    @MikeNHOC 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Glad you were able to get a few of them working. Thank you for sharing! It was neat to see all the different styles there were..

  • @ZGryphon
    @ZGryphon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Oh hey, I think I had that rectangular Sony in the "working" layout (far right, second row from the top). Not that specific one, obviously, but I owned two MD players back in the day, and I think the first one was one of those. (The second was a very elaborate Sharp player/recorder that never came out officially in the US, which had a clickwheel around the center display like the early iPods. You had one that looked similar, but not quite the same, in the earlier "box o' junk MD players" video.)
    The Sharp died of electronic dementia, but the Sony was still working the last time I tried it. No idea where it (or any of the discs I had) might be now--I've moved a couple of times since then and lost track of the lot. Probably in a box upstairs somewhere, which I suspect is the fate of most consumer electronics. It was oddly satisfying to see how many of them you could resurrect.

  • @ForDemoPurposesOnly
    @ForDemoPurposesOnly 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As always, very educational and engaging, with essentially a science experiment (demo of the lemon juice) thrown in.

  • @wearetomorrowspast.5617
    @wearetomorrowspast.5617 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I could watch Mini-Disc vids all day long.
    Just a perfect use of technology.
    Useful, compact, user friendly. Loved the the whole thing.

  • @j.lindback
    @j.lindback 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Well done! You sure did a great effort salvaging those lovely machines. MiniDisc was the format that made listening to music both easy and fun!

  • @synthaxx7313
    @synthaxx7313 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Signed working machines as a top tier patreon reward?
    Either way, great stuff as always!

  • @realmackle
    @realmackle 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Honestly just having the high-md one working would make this entire endeavor a success in my book

    • @kevinh96
      @kevinh96 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Not really, he paid £500 for this haul and a standard HiMD player in good working order can be bought on Ebay for around £120-£200 depending on cosmetic condition and accessories. Sure some of the more sought after models go for more but the more basic ones such as the NH600 or NH700 can even go for less if it's a bare bones unit.

    • @realmackle
      @realmackle 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@kevinh96 I was just saying for the sense of accomplishment

    • @gregx5096
      @gregx5096 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wasn't that one not working on the initial attempts as well? Glad that it decided to wake up now!

  • @grfeld84
    @grfeld84 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Glad to see that the majority of the players worked! Thank you for sharing the experience!

  • @jaimemcnulty
    @jaimemcnulty 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    one of the purest hobbyist channels on youtube. thank you for your vids.

  • @firewalker1372
    @firewalker1372 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    You should autograph some of them and give ‘em away to some fans, like a drawing 🤣 😂. Hey I’m actually early to a video. Another great one by Techmoan!!!

  • @tranmere292
    @tranmere292 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    Quite entertaining in its own way! I've never had an MD - that particular format passed me by. However, the tip re lemon juice on corroded contacts was useful. I have a treasured elderly digital SLR with the problem and it might be the solution. It still works but I don't want things to get any worse.

    • @rusuclaudiu1988
      @rusuclaudiu1988 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I use vinegar. Is stronger and faster. The downsize is that i use it only when I dismantle the stuff because I am rinsing the piece in water just to remove any residue. Otherwise in couple of months you will see that it is more corroded than before

    • @rusuclaudiu1988
      @rusuclaudiu1988 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@nonoyorbusness i am using a potentiometer spray. It's a mix of solvents and something oily. Vaseline sometimes is too much on these battery doors. We want to use these parts of the past and nobody likes greasy machines. But is quite effective this spray. The oily stuff goes into the remaining pores and seals it. Of course, is a temporary fix but for a long period six months to a year. A permanent fix would be replate it but....anyway i have never seen a corroded walkman if the batteries weren't forgot inside.

    • @TheFilwud
      @TheFilwud 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I have seen white vinegar used to dissolve the oxidation, followed by a good clean with Deoxit to remove any remaining contamination and acid.

  • @gerrywarwick8477
    @gerrywarwick8477 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Your Vidz are so refreshing and fun. Please never stop!! MD was my favorite format ever!! I get it....we can get all songs now...but ....back in the day you'd had to choose!!!

  • @sumplais
    @sumplais 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I picked up a minidisc player at a thrift store and before I could do much with it, someone stole it (and the rest of my work bag). Much more recently I found a Sony MZ-NH1 and with its lil docking station at a goodwill, and because it didn't have a power cord it was very cheap. Thanks to your video I just learned it does Hi-MD, came with a 1gig disc and has a LIP-4WM battery (a variation on the gum stick battery). I thought it had a built in battery till now.
    That is quite the collection you have. I never realized how many different companies and models of portable minidisc players there were. Good luck on the dead ones if you keep working on them, and congrats on the working ones.

  • @darrenharman3362
    @darrenharman3362 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    If I had the space and the knowledge (and the money) to do what Techmoan does, I’d be a very happy man.

  • @Five-O_Reviews
    @Five-O_Reviews 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Call me a fruitcake but I absolutely love these used MD review videos! Please buy more!

  • @MrRoeler
    @MrRoeler 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Just lovely Matt. You're the best

  • @SuperSmellyBob
    @SuperSmellyBob 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    There nothing better to watch on Saturday at 2AM.

    • @8bitwiz_
      @8bitwiz_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's Saturday morning, the sun isn't up yet... OH! I should check for a Techmoan video!

  • @SplicesAndCelluloid
    @SplicesAndCelluloid 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    20:41 It seems like the DAC is broken, I'd be interested to see if the digital out still works though.

  • @AndrewMione
    @AndrewMione 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    These videos always make me nostalgic for my old minidisc player and making mixes.

    • @AtheistOrphan
      @AtheistOrphan 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same here. I had a fancy-pants MD deck with keyboard for titling.

    • @GldRush98
      @GldRush98 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Right? I wonder what happened to mine every time I see one of these videos. My basement flooded probably a decade or so back and we just tossed everything that got wet... I fear my Sony MD was in the lot of stuff that got soaked :(

  • @lancethrustworthy
    @lancethrustworthy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I use white vinegar instead of lemon juice.
    I was thinking it would be close to 50/50, but I'm glad to see the numbers were in your favor. Bravo.

  • @stopthink9000
    @stopthink9000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Very cool to watch. Love when old/dead tech is resurrected!

  • @4tehlulz
    @4tehlulz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Loved the follow-up video and great to see quite a few working. Preparations for the collapse of the global economy when Mini-disk players become a currency is well under way!!!

    • @toomanymarys7355
      @toomanymarys7355 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Better than bottle caps!

    • @karvast5726
      @karvast5726 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      What kind of a apocalypse would use minidiscs player as currency lol

  • @alextirrellRI
    @alextirrellRI 2 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    I know with larger optical drives, there are adjustment pots for the lasers to compensate power/focus. I wonder if MD's also have these?

    • @TheFilwud
      @TheFilwud 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Yes, to squeeze more life out of the laser, maybe not all but a lot, even portables, in service mode there is a setting which can turn the laser up, of course turning the laser up will help it read discs but it will also burn the laser out faster, still it will get you a bit more life out of the machine without having to cannibalise another to get a replacement laser, which is probably just as worn out!

    • @BenHelweg
      @BenHelweg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Good riddance to these things.

    • @macsound
      @macsound 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It would be an interesting teardown to see if Mat can show how the internals work and even if there was a camera lens to show if the laser was turning on at all

  • @murraykriner9425
    @murraykriner9425 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Recall seeing these for sale in many places outside the U.S., while traveling in the 90's. They were always rather costly, and many still are if you can find them on an auction site, usually missing the key ingredients necessary for them to work. That kind of explains why so many reached out to you for a proper trouble shot MD Player, since your doing all the work of getting them to operate for them. Great content. Thanks for sharing.

  • @stigyanblue1442
    @stigyanblue1442 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How did I not know these existed? They're so cute and little! Obsolete but cute!

  • @DaveVelociraptor
    @DaveVelociraptor 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    FWIW I'm more interested in this video than the original one, because it should bring some closure to it.

  • @fredbloggs5902
    @fredbloggs5902 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Pro tip: Some liquid de-scalers contain citric acid at a higher concentration than lemon juice.

    • @Breakfast_of_Champions
      @Breakfast_of_Champions 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      The lemon juice contains sugar, you can just buy pure citric acid. Vinegar essence works as well.

    • @randomnickify
      @randomnickify 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes, but most of us already has lemon juice in our homes, so him suggesting it has more sense.

  • @TheBibliofilus
    @TheBibliofilus 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Aww I was so excited for a 10 hour Minidisc madness video!

  • @dvv45
    @dvv45 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Enjoyed the video! Never had one always wanted one.

  • @BigKelvPark
    @BigKelvPark 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Matt, the Sony at 8:37 may not like that battery (I used the same fleabay specials). One of mine (I can't remember which one) did the same. Furthermore, I can't remember where I read it but I had to drill a dimple in the base of the battery for it to work without issue. I think there is a very crude but descrete microswitch on the battery flap. I've moved house twice since I last saw any of my portables and I still have several boxes to unpack.

    • @BigKelvPark
      @BigKelvPark 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Now I've finished the video, it's good to see you got it working. I really need to find my missing portables.

  • @mykelevangelista6492
    @mykelevangelista6492 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    As with so many Techmoan videos, I so want to keep hitting the upvote button. Trouble is, you can only do it the once - sad, but true.

    • @FiXato
      @FiXato 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      As long as you do it an odd number of times, you can do it endlessly. ;)
      (Though perhaps TH-cam's AI will get tired of you doing so, and think you are a badly written bot 😏)

    • @modularcarpet
      @modularcarpet 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      We’ll just have to upvote your comment to compensate…

  • @alanfischer1948
    @alanfischer1948 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Because of your video, I went to check out all the MD portables I have. I have gotten 20 over the years 18 regular recorder/players, and 2 HiMD Sonys. All but 1 were Sony mopdels. After checking all of them (and thank you for the lemon juice to clean corroded battery contact idea), I have 15 that work with the AC adapter (I didn't check with a battery except for the one non Sony model which also worked) 3 that tried to read but couldn't, and 2 that I was unable to open at all. Thanks again for the video!!

  • @Princessinfinity
    @Princessinfinity 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love the song choice for this endeavor, chuckled when I got it.

  • @ryanjosef
    @ryanjosef 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    i was lucky enough a while ago to find a portable mini disc player/recorder.. it sounds good. also bought an optical cable for it to record . pretty decent. I do have to admit that I have a little envy for the stacks of awesomeness you have there !.

  • @boredfartless4221
    @boredfartless4221 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    You're supposed to wet the brush on that "Home made" cleaner with alcohol .

  • @Diemotherdiefather
    @Diemotherdiefather ปีที่แล้ว

    watching this puts me on a relaxed mood i cannot be thankful enough for

  • @shawnbrown1765
    @shawnbrown1765 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wonderful Content as Always!

  • @admiralandersen
    @admiralandersen 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I love these videos about the MiniDisc format :-)