Let's Fix: Sony Discman D-9 Dim Display, Doesn't Play, Audio Problems

[@Bellthorian]

I had this exact model when I was in the Navy from 1987-1989. When all your possessions had to fit into two sea bags space was at an ultra premium. I had this and 24 CD's that I took everywhere. From what I remember the sound quality was AMAZING, especially with the bass booster turned on. The amazing memories of this device take me way back.

[@grandflash1347]

Man the world needs way more guys like you. Onto it with the persistence and know how.

[@RobiticDuck]

Yay! More fixing things. These videos are like attending a one on one technology class. I also still collect cds. And still use a discman from time to time.

[@robertconstantin1985]

Thank you very much ! I have repaired a D-99 with the same issue (w/o the capacitors).

[@michaelturner4457]

Seeing this Discman, reminded me I had a TV once that only worked when it was upside-down. :) The fault was the heater was intermittent open-circuit in the CRT. In the end I removed the CRT, and put it back in upside-down, and it actually worked for a couple of years like that.

[@sjm4306]

Lol, that's a pretty smart bodge!

[@coltonmanthei2655]

This video was great! I think that old audio tech is pretty interesting and would love more content like this. Have a good one

[@jaygothard7797]

My first CD player was the D-4. Probably last years model. Not super reliable. Nice to see that Sony fixed their laser/ controller issues the year AFTER I bought mine.

[@benchiang8235]

Yay! thank you for sharing ! this helped me so much. Could you make another video on replacing the caps with corrosion? I have some small problems with them. thanks !

[@Zenodilodon]

Oh this is a CD player I would of loved to have as a kid, I never owned one with a lit screen either. Looks like it has pretty beast audio output abilities too. Great work thorough job on all fronts!

[@sjm4306]

Thanks, super happy with the restoration (I listened to it all last night as a burn in test). I also scored a D-15 which is basically the higher end model of this guy so super psyched to fix/play with that when it arrives.

[@mypeeps1965]

great project. would like to see a little more detail. I know, easier said, than done. great video, love the knowledge!

[@jjyst5]

Great repair. Can you recommend a capacitor kit that would have everything you need to repair this or do you have cap values that were needed? Thanks.

[@jjyst5]

also do you have any idea where to find replacement gears for the laser actuation? I had a similar issue with my middle gear and it was corroded and brittle and broke while removing the C-clip.

[@JasonMcFly]

I've had a bunch of discmans, sadly the D9 ead one of the worst. Bummer because it has the nice heavy metal shell. Pretty cool how you can fix them. Great video!

[@kangjhha]

Picked up a pristine D-9 from ebay for about $150 shipped. I found it displays lcd and spins continuously but the laser seems to be moving back and forth unable to read the disc... fortunately the seller refunded full without return needed (from canada) so a definite score. Watching ur tutorial I'm almost inclined to try and fix it myself but probably go for the repair services offered by kaosuncd hahaha, they did a brilliant job on my D-25 battery.

[@andysilvester7465]

Hello, I know its been a while since you did this video, but do you use a gas soldering iron and have you still got a list / purchase history of all the capacitors you bought or used to replace the leaking/dead ones? the Discman-D99 service manual has a parts list but nowhere does it mention capacitor. There is "Metal Chip", "metal glaze", a whole bunch of "transistors" etc but no capacitors. Thanks

[@Steakkiller]

I had the same issue with the gear on a D-99 I just picked up. Thank you for your video. I should probably replace the caps on mine as well...

[@emmettturner9452]

The laser is the same as the laser included in early PC Engine CD-ROM² and Turbografx-CD drives as well as the NEC CDR-35D 1x PC SCSI drive. Those drives also have a problem with the middle gear turning brittle and yellow. The mechanism is often seized or the teeth are sheared off. The CD-ROM² drive stayed in production long enough for that to get addressed in manufacturing with a clear middle gear that doesn't seem to degrade over time. The later drives also have a different laser module though it remains compatible with older drives. I've seen it called "POM gear," whatever that means. In short, it wasn't leaked electrolyte from capacitors causing the gear to degrade. It's just yellowing from oxygen and an unstable mix of plastic (BFRs and such).

[@sjm4306]

POM is the chemical composition of the polymer I believe. I'm tempted to see if I could 3d model a replacement gear and print it from a durable engineering grade resin on my sla printer.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@sjm4306 ...there are at least a few different people who have done exactly that for the NEC drives. :) I have a stack here from MagicTrashman (made with ShapeWays) and even more from GameDoctorHK. There's yet another guy on the Facebook repair groups who has recently made them but his name escapes me. I also have several salvaged from other drives. Unfortunately, the Discman POM gear appears to be a little larger so none of my replacements will help. :( For what it's worth, NEC says not to lubricate that gear and yet it ends up looking just like those. I think it's actually compounds leeching out of the plastic as it yellows because they got the mixture of stabilizers and such wrong. I believe they also swell when they yellow, causing them to bind up as you have experienced.

[@Rodville]

I had that model when it was new. Good to see they are still being loved today.

[@BravoCastNetwork]

Still have my D-9 and still works! Circa 1988-89

[@bricks312100]

You helped me today. Have a d-88 I bought new that I haven't used for awhile. Decided it was time to warm it up. Spin spin spin no play. Got it to play a 3" it came with. No full size. After watching your video I reached in and shoved the laser all the way back. Works great. I forgot how good these really sound. Using new Koss KPH30iW headphones. Sounds excellent. Van Halen Best of Both Worlds. I see the little display has lost more segments to the display. What do I need to do with this to keep it up?

[@sjm4306]

Glad to hear you got her up an running full sized discs! The problem with the displays is probably either due to the ribbon developing little breaks in the wires inside, or the connection to the lcd glass contacts weakening. Both of these can be fixed if you find a way to bridge the broken connections. Depending on how the lcd and ribbon are attached this can involve simple flex solder jumping or gently heating up the ribbon to flex bond while applying even pressure while it cools.

[@zincmann]

So I picked up the same one you have from eBay sounded like similar issues. Mine came with the rechargeable battery which of course as you would assume does not work anymore. So without the correct AC Power charger I rigged a 9Volt battery with leads from the positive and negative terminals. When I opened it up to check the gear system the one gear in the middle was seized like yours, I instead got it free using a bit of WD40 and a spudger it seems to move freely and I can see the laser mechanism moving along the grooved spindle when I turn the gears. However when I hook the battery up to the terminals it turns on and and spins up and the laser moves up and down but does not move on the track. I am thinking this is because the voltage is not right for the unit and I should be using a AC Adapter which I ordered and is coming tomorrow. Because I do not even see any red light emitting from the laser. I also potentially noticed some leaking from one of the caps but its in an odd place to get to there was also a 6.3 V larger cap towards the front of the unit on the board which had a positive and negative wire running to it at the top it was sitting on a foam or plastic base on the board. It looked like it had some glue coming out from the bottom of it I am not sure if it was leaking or not I tested it with a multimeter and it was not giving off 6.3v but again wondering if it was because I did not have a power source connected to it. Either way I am going to try the power adapter if not maybe I pay you to fix it and you have another trying to fix on your channel? Love your videos by the way.

[@sjm4306]

Yeah all the caps pretty much need to be replaced by now for the player to function correctly. Also the 9V battery might not have enough current to drive all the motors and laser at the same time so that may explain the laser and sled motor not firing. Good luck and if you do decide that you want to have me give a crack at it let me know.

[@zincmann]

@@sjm4306 I will definitely do that I'm going to look again at the board to see how many of the caps Are bad and where they are I realize all need to be replaced I may not be up to do all that if as the case I will let you know in a few are willing again I will pay you and will be a great on another video for your channel I'll pay for postage of course return and sending I'll keep you posted thank you very much

[@zincmann]

@@sjm4306 Just looked at it again and some of the caps being way too close together for my huge fingers to work on to be honest LOL. If you have a way to contact you I would like to get this set up to be repaired. I assure you I have not done much to the inside so should be easy to do the same things you did on yours. I know some people requested a longer detailed video as well the next time you repair one of these could be your chance for that as well. Thanks again.

[@sjm4306]

Shoot me an email at [e-mail] and we can get this set up.

[@kbbbb7]

You know you watch a lot of old tech restoration videos when a) you can likely guess the root of the problem like guessing the plot of genre specific movie b) That problem is 80s/90s capacitors

[@sjm4306]

A good repair is like a detective novel or a murder mystery. The culprit is almost always murphy and the murder weapon is more often than not old capacitors!

[@ruialexandre6197]

@@sjm4306 So capacitors are the butlers of murder stories.

[@sjm4306]

Exactly!

[@marek336]

Damn, you’re a hero 😢 Thank you for the nice vid sir.

[@wby0073]

Hi sjm, I got a D-9 on eBay and it had no sound, and I took it apart and realized it was the same issue as yours! Thank you so much for sharing this! Now that my D-9 is working, but it only produces sound in left ear, do you have any idea how to fix it?

[@sjm4306]

Great, happy to hear you were able to get it running again. As for the sound issue, I'd guess either the volume control is crusty and needs some contact cleaner or the electrolytic caps in the audio circuit have gone bad (you can check for leaks and replace as necessary). As a matter of course given the age of the d9 I'd suggest just replacing all the electrolytic caps anyway because if they haven't failed yet they soon will.

[@wby0073]

@@sjm4306 thank u for ur suggestions! My D-9’s “line out” port has normal output, there are sound from both ears. Could it be that the audio circuit is ok and the problem only lies in the amplifier?

[@sjm4306]

I'd have to look at the schematic in the service manual, but it's possible the line out is fed before or after the amplifier and the audio from the amp goes through a volume potentiometer and then to the headphone jack. This could mean it's just a dirty potentiometer or hp jack or the amp caps are bad but line out is pulled before it or possibly from another amp. I really cant say exactly without a schematic and a quick search for the service manual comes up to paywalls of shady sites that try to charge for copyrighted manuals they don't own the rights to.

[@Otokichi786]

I used to have a D-9 in the 1990's, and I found it worked just fine until I moved on to a component CD player and set it aside. The battery should have been replaced, but it "left for college" with a friend of the family, along with a Toshiba 1200XE laptop.

[@sjm4306]

Hopefully they were given by you and weren't "donated" on your behalf by a family member

[@Otokichi786]

@@sjm4306 The college-bound guy left with my 1980's and 1990's tech with gusto. He's an elementary school teacher these days and coaches after school sports.

[@devinbrines]

Hi, a capacitor broke off of the circuit board of my Discman. Connected to the capacitor was also a small black piece which allowed the capacitor to connect to the circuit board. Together the black piece and capacitor broke off clean from the board. Do you know if it's possible to repair the unit, perhaps by glueing or soldering the black piece back to the circuit board? Or by another means? Thanks.

[@YourPanorama]

Hi, I have the same Discman which I got for a 17th birthday present 33 years ago. I really want to restore it and it appears to be working but for the laser not being able to move. You video has been extremely helpful in providing advice on how to open it up and access the internal workings without damaging it. I am convinced that to get mine working again I only need to carry out the repair to the motor that drives the laser as it is quite jammed. I have applied lithium grease without taking the motor section apart to no avail. Your video did not show how to take out the motor (cogs, etc.) and disassemble/reassemble so I'm worried that I may ruin it. Could you provide any advice on how to execute that part of the process? I would be very grateful.

[@sjm4306]

I haven't stripped mine down further than shown in the video, but if I had to guess all the gears are probably held in with split rings/clips like the one I did remove. As for the motor all the gears must first be removed and then there are two screws that hold the motor to the plastic frame. Once these are removed the motor should just pull out. It's possible the bearings on the motor are gummed up and need to be relubricated with some silicone lubricant (commonly used for sewing machine or electric razors). If the motor turns freely then that's not likely the problem. Otherwise a dab on the bushings at either end of the shaft to case area will do and then just manually turn the shaft back and forth to work it into the bushing. The main thing you will have to be careful of is due to the age of the plastics they are potentially quite brittle and may need to be replaced if that's the case. The most likely culprit though is one of the other gears has seized onto their shaft by the dried factory applied lubricant and needs to be cleaned and relubricated.

[@jsobreques]

Thank you very much for this video. I will begin to restore my D9. Does anyone have the capacitors list used in this model?

[@arthuryu2513]

Thanks for the video! I just bought a D-9 for $40. The seller claimed it to be fully functional but the phone out has very unbalanced sound with hiss noise. The line out is working just fine. So I think there must be some problems with the caps in amp circuit. But I never worked with electronics before. Any advices? Thank you!

[@sjm4306]

First try soaking a qtip in isopropyl alcohol and dabbing the volume pot to get it to seep into the seam and work it back and forth a lot. The pot contacts get corroded over time and cleaning them this ways solves many audio problems. If this still doesn't fix it then you will probably need a recap.

[@arthuryu2513]

@@sjm4306 Thanks man! I'll try it. Silly question, how can I find it? Do I just clean the volume control? Or do I need to open the case? BTW, I just found it couldn't skip tracks. I guess it's the grease problem you encountered

[@sjm4306]

Yeah you'll have to open it to fix both issues.

[@arthuryu2513]

@@sjm4306 Gotcha, will work on it tonight and i'll let you know how it goes

[@arthuryu2513]

@@sjm4306 Update: I lubricated the 'spring' and now it reads disc perfectly. I just bought another D-9 this week and it had the same problem. But this time after the lubrication the motor still looks a little reluctant to drive the gears. I guess I need to clean the yellow gear as well. should I just remove the 3 screws to get access to it?

[@ianjohnhorwood2605]

My sony D-99 discman has been fully referbished too, new caps etc cleaned and lubed transport and motor. I can't use it 24/7 for days on end though, I think the small motor just gets too hot or something over 24/7 days of use, because it just stops playing altogether when it's had enough. This is really frustrating, because it sounds awesome through my mid 1990's avi s2000mi integrated amplifier, and my early classic sealed up cabinet monitor audio gold gr20 floorstanding loudspeaker monitors, which are positioned 3 feet off the floor in the air on stands, firing into my room in my 1 bed flat In Leeds West Yorkshire in the UK. Cable's I use nordost blue heaven rev 2, which I have also had for years now too. So at the moment using one of the many late serial numbered linn cd players that I own. linn genki's and karik 3's cd players at the moment.

[@sjm4306]

Your D-99 has become sentient and decided it has had enough lol! In all seriousness though these are old players so it could be any of the small components that wasn't replaced are starting to fail.

[@gregvisioninfosoft]

Dear Sjm, do you notice that its very common that when the volume controls of these older models are turned, it causes a serious loud 'noise' (especially in the left channel) of these very old models (D2 through D11)? Can a volume cleaning spray be effective? Or must the volume potentiometers be replaced? Its odd that the right channels have zero noise, but left channel has very loud noise. This happens to both my D-2 and D-11.

[@sjm4306]

I'd guess the outer carbon track is the left channel and thus more susceptible to wear/oxidation. You can usually rejuvinate them at least temporarily by squirting some contact cleaner or >90% isopropyl alcohol into the edge and work the wheel back and forth a lot to wipe the contacts.

[@gregvisioninfosoft]

@@sjm4306 Ive purchased some new chinese made vol controls, i know not best quality. and a 'for parts only' D2, that i plan to rip apart to see if/how I might feel comfortable to open my 'real' player to first squirt some cleaner, and then if that doesnt work at a future time see if i can find a better part to try to replace it with. Thanks.

[@Pyridox]

Nice repair. Where do you usually get your replacement caps from?

[@sjm4306]

I have a small stock of standard values from digikey/mouser. For anything uncommon I salvage from scrap pcbs (don't worry I check their capacitance and esr using a meter before throwing any cap in my parts bin).

[@Pyridox]

@@sjm4306 Ok, thanks. I have bought caps off of Amazon but they were not that great, I checked the ESR on them and they were marginal. I forgot about Digikey, I used to get their catalogs.

[@HBAVHS]

I had one of these. But I knew that a repair was very time consuming and gave it away. With this video, you have confirmed my assumption. Thanx for the VID. And of course, well done!

[@gplock1626]

Hi. I have had and used mine for at least 7 years. The other day it would play the cd. No seconds count and audio. It spins,lights, but no time stamp and audio. Any way I can send you mine for repair ?

[@Sammmmmmmm617]

How did you learn to fix electronics like this? Always wanted to, but scared of fucking up or not know what I'm doing/What needs to be fixed.

[@sjm4306]

I've been tinkering since I was 8. I started by taking stuff apart and trying to understand how things work and put them back together again at an intuitive level. Then when I got a bit older I read electronics books and blogs to learn more of the technical stuff. By the time I was a teen I would try and fix broken things people threw away or friends gave me. The best advice I can give is to play around with free or cheap broken devices to gain the skills and not have to be afraid of making things worse. Read as much as you can online, I cant tell you how much I've learned from the internet. And finally never stop being curious! By high school I started teaching myself practical skills like board/circuit design and programming from various online tutorials. In college and grad school I learned even more by joining in various electronics clubs and a power research laboratory. Now I work at a medical device manufacturer as an electrical engineer by day while I fix and design random projects by night.

[@amakhis]

Thanks for the vid, I have greased my tracker which was gripped, but I still have a focus issue... Your vid makes me think about the next step would be to put some fresh caps.

[@sjm4306]

Yeah so long as the rails and the sled drive gears are lubed and able to move properly by the motor then the next likely culprit is the caps

[@3800TType]

I have one of these that starts up, spins disc and makes noise like it's about to play yet it then just shuts off. Display works. Would you start with the little gears or the capacitors? If so which capacitor would be failing in this case?

[@sjm4306]

First try carefully moving the laser sled towards the outside and try to play a disc. If it moves the laser back to center then the gears/motor are probably fine. As for replacing caps, given their age you are best off replacing all the electrolytic ones. If any are still ok it's only a matter of time before they go bad anyway so might as well swap them all out for new ones.

[@joyce99999]

I have a Sony Walkman d-e330, bright blue with yellow accent. I have had it from new and have taken great care of it. Mine has fresh batteries, the disc spins, but the numbers of tracks don’t progress, I can hear a clicking noise inside about every 5 seconds, but does not play music at all. I opened the top, took out the disc, cleaned the lazer with iso alcohol, and tried to slide the mechanism from side to side. It will move, but I can hear gear noise. I’ve moved it from side to side many times, to loosen it up a bit, lightly lubed the small metal bar on one side that the thing slides back and forth on, and then put the disc back in and it flashes “disc”…..nothing else happens and I can still hear clicking every 5 seconds or so. I’ve also tried to advance the track, and then go back, but still nothing.

[@sjm4306]

Check the electrolytic caps, it's possible they are bad and affecting the tracking servo circuitry

[@joyce99999]

@@sjm4306, thanks so much for answering/letting me know! I appreciate it!

[@masaakimasaaki2589]

i've got one recently and even on the outside looks almost mint, it has some issues as it follows: - when i start it up, i insert a cd inside, it takes almost 10 seconds or more the start playing...that when it wants to start, other times makes some high pitch sound or scratching like sound and never starts -when it does start eventually, for example if i want to skip some tracks, hit 5 or 6 for example, again it takes forever to start playing. -when i plugged the headphones in the phones socket only left channel works...right one has some vague bass ...If i try to move or jiggle the socket a little, maybe ..just maybe it wants to play both channels. Strange thing happends again while when playing if i adjust the bass "normal,mid, max" again it seems it wants to play more on the right channel..or sort of. -the left channel however sounds sublime with full mids and bass, clean highs with no distorsion -the moving laser or mechanism seems stuck or something...takes a long time to read, even more if i skip tracks -i must say i have zero experience to try and fix, clean, repair ..etc electronics so please advise if possible. Thank you in advance.

[@sjm4306]

Definitely symptoms of bad caps. Sounds like some are bad and some may still be ok (would explain why it sometimes works and one audio channels sounds alright), but it's a good idea to replace them all at once so you dont have to worry about any failing for a long time.

[@masaakimasaaki2589]

@@sjm4306 very odd, i tried 2 different headphones, with one of them only left channel, with the second one i can hear them both..is it because of impedance? some are able to be driven even that caps are gone? what about the delay when skipping tracks..is it because of what? faulty mechanics? Anyway i realise a lot of the answers it will be answered when i open the player itself. the light on the display does not work when on batteries, it does light up when connected to ac adaptor, but it tends to flicker

[@sjm4306]

Yeah, headphone impedance would load the output amplifier differently and with bad caps could be on the borderline of working or not depending on what headphone is connected. As for the delay in skipping/playing that would be the servo tracking mechanism, the caps along with some variable potentiometers in the servo circuit are set at the factory and control feedback characteristics like gain, bandwidth, and phase for the loops that are used to automatically manage disc speed, laser position to follow the track, and even lens distance to disc to account for wobble. The problem is when the caps age they change the calibration even if the pots aren't touched and eventually will push the compensator out of spec so the physical disc/laser control no longer functions properly or reliably. Finally the light only turns on when AC is connected but the fact that it flickers when plugged in sounds like the switching converter that generates the internal 5V that runs all the digital logic is browning out, once again due to bad caps that aren't holding the supply voltage steady like they did when they were new.

[@masaakimasaaki2589]

@@sjm4306 do you have a list or schematics on all values and caps to be replaced? i want to put some new quality ones like muse or black gate..etc

[@sjm4306]

You can google your model number and "service manual" and find a pdf that has a full schematic and bill of materials list that has everything you'll need.

[@JulienMR]

I have the very same issue on my D-250. First, how did you take off the circlip of the plastic crank ? Also, you said you replaced all the caps... including PSU? There's a 150uF mid-high capacitor, but I don't know where to find that....

[@sjm4306]

I used very sharp tweezers to grab one end of the split gap and pulled the clip off. It was super fiddly and took a few tries. IIRC the 150uF cap was the large one that was soldered via separate wires and taped with foam to the bottom of the pcb.

[@JulienMR]

@@sjm4306 thanks, I'll try to get the clip out...

[@JulienMR]

@@sjm4306 I got the crank out, great ! I lubricated it with lithium grease, and the device plays a CD !!! However the sound is completely hashed...

[@sjm4306]

Great, looks like you just need to sort out the caps and you are golden!

[@JulienMR]

@@sjm4306 not even that !!!! Before doing the caps, in despair, I clean once more the lens with isopropyl, and IT WORKS !!!!! OK I also need to clean the volume fader, but still, I'm so relieved !

[@dudavid7098]

Good vedio. Just got my discman fixed

[@peteaguilera1]

I'm not tech savvy as my eye sight is not that great as I'm 56 . Would u b so kind as to repair my D9? Had it brand new. Will graciously pay u for your service. I'm in AZ. Kind regards, PA

[@kforkrish]

Mine is also having same problem with super low sound and fade lcd.. everything else is working perfectly fine but it is a phillips ax2412 personal cd player since i don't have repairing skills i took it to all my local electronic repair shops... they all straightly refused to do repair.. Im very sad now.. since i couldn't find any ways to get it repaired....😐

[@sjm4306]

It's sad but yes, a lot of repair shops will outright deny repairing older devices or give ridiculous repair costs because they just dont want to deal with the hassle. That leaves it up to us to learn to maintain our own equipment.

[@kforkrish]

@@sjm4306thanks for the reply.... in this quarantine i'm currently learning to repair such capacitor problems. Maybe hopefully I'll get it repaired by myself. Since i was an electrical student, i think can do it one day. Wish me luck

[@sjm4306]

Good luck, you got this!

[@kforkrish]

@@sjm4306 thanks again brother

[@perplexbcn]

Nice project. Do you have any idea where to get a replacement for the middle wheel (the one between the motor and the laser guide one)? In my case it was like rotten. It broke to pieces. I've been looking at aliexpress, ebay, amazon with no luck. I think it's 34 teeth (outer) 17 teeth (inner) 1.5mm (hole). Inner diameter: ~4.5mm, outer diameter: ~9mm

[@sjm4306]

I found one seller on ebay who has them but they cost like $20 which is kind of ridiculous for a small plastic gear (ebay.to/2x0ilHE)

[@perplexbcn]

@@sjm4306 Thank you!

[@HEPATCA]

@@perplexbcn Did the replacement gear work out for you? I'm looking for one too. On my D-9 that gear was GREEN and crumbled when I looked at it funny. Couldn't even find the C-clip in that mess.

[@perplexbcn]

@@HEPATCA , still waiting for the shipment. Will let you know ASAP.

[@perplexbcn]

Hi Jamieson, After more than 3 months later I received the gear. It's working thought it gives the feeling that there's a bit more roominess than expected with the DC motor driving gear. Uploaded two pictures: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Raa2Igkoy2K58Ax5_RB9EVi0HpUB1S5z?usp=sharing

[@Andrax999]

is it doing well still today?

[@sethburkhart1021]

Have a rare D-88 but I’m a total amateur. I lubed the middle gear just like you said and got the sled moving! Unfortunately all the stress on the system from me trying to get it opened up and getting lost screws out of the body seems to have damaged something. It used to spin but now it only spins without a disc in it. I think the laser is not at the perfect angle anymore. Any ideas where to go from here? Thanks!!! 🎃 Also if you want to fix it for me for the sake of your channel content maybe we can work something out!

[@sjm4306]

Hi Seth, sorry for the late reply I just got back from a month long international trip. Like you've guessed it sounds like the laser isn't seeing the disc and thus doesn't spin up. If you'd like you can shoot me some pics in an email ([e-mail]) of the mechanism in the off chance it's something obvious I can see. If not then I'd be open to trying to repair it once I get settled in to my new house.

[@sethburkhart1021]

@@sjm4306 I’m a struggling reseller and can’t afford to pay you very much to fix it. So unless you’re excited to work on one, I think I’m going to sell it for parts/repair as is. It’s listed now but I could pull the listing if you have the time before it sells. Oh thanks for the reply!

[@sjm4306]

I understand, I'm probably going to be busy till the end of the year so I wont be able to take on new work for a little while

[@sho9387]

Do you know how to fix the volume control on a Sony Car Discman D180K? Mine doesn't work. Thanks!

[@sjm4306]

Open it up to gain access to the potentiometer inside then squirt some isopropyl alcohol into the seam of the pot and rotate it back and forth to scrub the contacts inside.

[@sho9387]

@@sjm4306 thank you!! I figured out I was plugging the headphones into the wrong outlet, lol! But thank you so much for answering. In case I end up in the future with problems with the volume control, I will know how to fix it now. :)

[@sjm4306]

I've done that before lol. Glad there was nothing wrong with your discman.

[@kangjhha]

Hi there, do you know if this bracket with AA work on the D-25, thnx!

[@sjm4306]

It wont fit in my D-15 which I believe has the same battery bay size as the 25.

[@kangjhha]

@@sjm4306 Darn it, thnx

[@charlyfirpotte5516]

Hello my screen is no light why? Thank you

[@sjm4306]

If you run it off batteries the light doesn't turn on, it lights up only when powered from the ac adapter. If yours still doesn't light up even then, then it could be the leds are burnt out, there's damage to the pcb trace connecting them, or perhaps a component supplying them power is damaged.

[@xuwang1989]

Hi, do you have d-9 service manual can share?

[@sjm4306]

Courtesy of google: www.manualscenter.com/manuals/sony/d9-service-manual.html#.Yh97gpZOk2w

[@quinorodriguez3827]

Hi sjm4306! I am desperate for advice.. I have a Discman D-Z555. My primary problem is the middle gear. It's so brittle that it chipped... Where can I possibly source a replacement? Are there Discmans with the same 33/17 tooth gear as this? Please help

[@sjm4306]

Last I checked there was a single seller on ebay, but they were going for $30 a piece so not cheap. I believe there may be a few sellers on aliexpress who have them a bit cheaper but looks like the links I saved are no longer working so no idea if they just sold out or quit making them altogether.

[@quinorodriguez3827]

@@sjm4306 darn, it's a "maboroshi giya" then.. the one in ebay that sells for $30 a piece is insanely far. kudos to him for having a 3d printer. --- guess i'll sell mine as junk then

[@sjm4306]

It's a shame the d‐z555 is a beautiful player, definitely deserves a fix up if not for the scarcity of a single tiny piece of plastic.

[@quinorodriguez3827]

@@sjm4306 i'd have heard through my ears what the fuss about this discman was if it weren't for the wretched gear. it really looked promising.

[@sjm4306]

At least with my d-15, it's like night and day compared to most of my modern discmans. The noise floor is nearly silent with my headphones and on a cd that's been mastered well you can really hear how crisp and spatially separated the various instruments/vocals sound.

[@kangjhha]

hows the headphone out sound compared to the D-15?

[@sjm4306]

Much bass heavier (even with bass boost switched off), but also much higher background hiss. The D15 is overall a lot cleaner/clearer.

[@JAZZMAN72762]

Where do you buy the replacement caps?

[@sjm4306]

I didn't buy them per-se, they were mostly desoldered from broken electronics and checked using an esr meter. However, if I do need to buy caps I usually get them from digikey or mouser.

[@JAZZMAN72762]

@@sjm4306 I'm really impressed with your skills,i own alot of MD portables some work and some don't,i have fixed alot of them because of your videos,you need to open a shop in the future or if you haven't already done so,keep up the videos,Joseph.

[@vektor_z7208]

Excelent job.

[@hwntwww]

new belt?

[@sjm4306]

No belts in a discman, only gears.

[@nataliapalomomacias7208]

Wow

[@mattgrey8098]

hello Shawn, hello sjm4306, I happened to find your great videos, where you have repaired Sony Discman D-15 and D-9. I remembered that I myself still had a Sony D-250 in my file cabinet in an excellent condition with IR-Remote. I had replaced it with a CDP-XB930 QS almost 20 years ago and had completely forgotten it. Motivated by your great video, I tried to reactivate it, but found that the laser sled did not work. As with you, the middle gear is somehow damaged, as if the material has softened. The teeth are no longer sharp cut as with gear 1 (motor) and 3 (spindle). Do you have any more exemplar that you could sell to me? I would be very grateful and would transfer you the costs by paypal immediately. So hopefully I could use my D-250 again soon. If you could help me pls let me know how i could contact you by email to send you some photos Thanks for your great videos especially D-25 and D-9- Great job! sorry for my bad english best regards Matthias Germany

[@sjm4306]

Send me an email at [e-mail] with pictures of the gear and motor assembly. I don't have any spares but may be able to take the one from my working d15, make a mold and cast a new one out of epoxy.

[@paulb4uk]

Nice i got a d11 from 1988 japanese made discman.

[@808v1]

Instead of when you summed things up at the end of the video and started with 'Just to review...' you should have said 'Just to recap...' ;)

[@sjm4306]

Badum tssssssss!!!!!!!