This SONY SPORTS Discman Was A BARGAIN! | Can I FIX It?

I absolutely love this thing. It's a D-ES51 CD Walkman (Discman) in the fantastic yellow Sony Sports colour (color for my American friends) and I bought it at a, quite frankly, RIDICULOUS PRICE!
Anyway, it was sold as faulty. Let's see if I can fix it!
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
Support me on Patreon: / stezstixfix
Follow me on Facebook: / stezstixfix
The magic things I use to break stuff;
My soldering iron: amzn.to/2Isf360
My leaded solder: amzn.to/3giGtI1
My flux: amzn.to/3lTrPIh
My soldering wick: amzn.to/3groIGn
My microscope: amzn.to/2VP3msU
My blue mat: amzn.to/3mUiIZl
My tweezers: amzn.to/2VOMjYc
My multimeter: amzn.to/2LjBgnN
My oscilloscope: amzn.to/3mUiIZl
My underpants: amzn.to/3gknvjY
PS. I'm not an expert, so the methods I use are probably not the right ones. But I try.

[@StezStixFix]

Don't forget to Subscribe for more average content!

[@henrikassadoorian4191]

Having seen StezStix Fix video I have now a proud owner of a discman that is working.Amazing video

[@StezStixFix]

Amazing! Glad you got it working Henrik! 😍

[@dr.decker3623]

@@StezStixFix I got a working Panasonic Shockwave for $16 Canadian,... :D

[@dr.decker3623]

I got a working Panasonic Shockwave for $16 Canadian,... :D

[@jensalik]

I'm just an average man with an average life I work from nine to five, hey, hell, I pay the price All I want is to be left alone in my average home But why do I always feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone?

[@eduardogarcia3049]

The clicking on the laser is because youre not supposed to move it like that. You need to rotate the shaft to move it, not force the worm gear.

[@stonerscancatch]

That made me wince a bit

[@somejimmydude2121]

The noise is the teeth skating over the worm gear. The worm gear is rotated to give a linear force and it's really hard to make that force translate back to rotation. Think of it like trying to pull a screw out by the head and hoping it turns. I love these videos though, he's an everyday guy who has a great talent for repairing things. After watching these vids I'm also wincing at all the old electrical stuff I've tossed out over the years

[@OldUKAds]

​@@stonerscancatchI've been on a binge watch of this channel. I've watched so many but this is the first time I've shouted nooooo at the screen. 😅

[@lauratiso]

It uses the DAX 01A2 LASER pickup in a CDM-2801AAA mechanism. As in all Sony's optical drives, that potentiometer limits the voltage used in the laser diode. Typically when it stops to reads CD it means the LASER is worn out, by lowering the potentiometer value you can make it read discs again, but can also burn the diode. The biggest problem is sourcing a new pickup or an entire mechanism, I've never been able to find it anywhere.

[@julianocs87]

That's what I don't understand about this repair. Generally you lower the potentiometer for the laser to work again. How's increasing the value made it work again?

[@lauratiso]

@@julianocs87 there's a fine tuning in it, you need to find a sweet spot. When the laser is too much bright it just goes through the disc without reflecting, if it's too dark it won't reflect enough to excite the sensor

[@julianocs87]

@@lauratiso all lasers work like that or just this one?

[@lauratiso]

@@julianocs87 afaik all lasers

[@julianocs87]

@@lauratiso thanks for the answers. One last question: is there a direct relation between the brightness of the laser and the increase/decrease of the potentiometer? Increasing the resistor makes it brighter and deacreasing makes it darker?

[@wakcedout]

That headphone design, best in my opinion. I went thru so many of them during the late 90s. They felt good and I got sound while still having some clue what was happening around me. Was good for skating around as well.

[@deserttony85]

Your channel has taught me alot, and its great to see all these relics getting the TLC they deserve, keep doing what you do we support you.

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

I STILL have one of these. The LCD died one day while I was in high school (2002!), so I used the motor and laser to fix another late '90s Discman which I still own (and use!).

[@RickyResells]

Hello mate, I am absolutely binging your channel I love it 😍 i’m a reseller and constantly find myself having to tinker with things to try to get them back to a sellable state, and I must admit when it comes to the soldering, I am a schoolboy who literally makes nothing but a mess! Very satisfying to watch you work. Cheers!

[@smithincanton]

Awesome repair! Love the subscribe on the LCD :-)

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Adam, yeah I really enjoyed this one! 😊

[@OldSonyMan]

Ok, here it comes ....... My biggest eBay bargain was a Sony CCP 8 tape duplicating machine which three years after purchase someone else was asking £1100 for a less good example (minus it's box) and claimed that it originally cost £6500. The price I payed ? 1 penny ! ! !

[@StezStixFix]

Oh, wow. Now that is a bargain! 😍

[@whatislovebutonelonggame5406]

1000+ subscribers congratulations!

[@StezStixFix]

Yey! Thanks WILBOLG! 🎉

[@jeffreyhaag6739]

I just purchased a blue/purple version of this SONY SPORTS Discman on Ebay to repair. I paid $18 USD with free shipping. Mine just has some battery leakage around the battery terminals and some dirt and grime inside. After watching this video, I completely disassembled mine and scrubbed everything really well with IPA and after reassembly it works. Thanks for your videos and the inspiration to try my hand at repairing other people's junk, instead of filling up the landfills.

[@buda3d2007]

Had the yellow cassette version, solid build with bass boost, lost it in a house move, wish I still had it.

[@schrodingerscat8621]

So I’m a new subscriber who started watching your most current videos. You have a very enjoyable personality and a contagious wittiness about you. With that said, it’s funny and a bit bizarre watching your older videos without your visual comedic presents, you’ve really evolved into a unique and very enjoyable KZbinr. Also, I apologize for making a joke about your mum Cleaning your room and finding that lost diode that shot across the floor. I’ll leave the humor to you for now on.😳

[@mikaelkarlsson9945]

Another good way to clean off corrosion made from batteries is to use white vinegar. It neutralize the acid in the residue and help removing the cause. It's also usable for cleaning acid from leaking capacitors. All the luck!

[@systemBuilder]

When CDs were first invented SONY's earliest players had an "error" light that indicated when the playback was encountering an error and using error-correcting codes to fix the problem. We about 1-2Y after these models were released, marketing heard that customers who played discs with any frequency, the error light was staying on constantly, as the CDs were degrading towards failure. The solution? SONY removed the "error" light from their players !!!

[@MrRobarino]

Cool story. It's not true at all, but cool story. I have a fully working Sony CDP-101 CD player in my possession and it has no such error light. It was the first consumer CD player ever released.

[@iwinrar5207]

@@MrRobarino just because it wasn't in the first one his statement doesn't mean it is a false statement. Earliest players denotes the first few revisions. Not just the very first ever.

[@iaincowell9747]

It wasn't just Sony, it was a co-developed with Philips

[@MegaShumei]

I had one of these and used a cassette adapter for the car Skipped like a bastard but when it worked the sound quality was amazing I love these videos too Thank you

[@Synthematix]

Once youve taken these apart for testing first thing to do is check that all the motors are working properly by feeding them 3v Even taking that laser ribbon out without soldering the 2 ESD tabs together pretty much ensures you will destroy the laser diode with static discharge. Very much doubt the laser is bad if its reading the cd's TOC, but messing with the laser power variable capacitor without a scope is another way of destroying it.

[@Hazehill]

Glad that worm gear didn't get damaged by dragging the laser up and down on it. I fixed my Dreamcast by using some silicone grease on a very similar looking mechanism.

[@korben7710]

Holy crap I have 4 of these in a box somewhere in my house. Guess I need to find and post them lol. Thanks man!

[@KDBAO]

Have you ever considered a collaboration with "Tech Moan"? He had over 100 portable MD players he attempted to fix, but a small number were beyond his expertise. It would be a great colab.

[@KDBAO]

@techmoan

[@zilog1]

I always like that Sports motif that the Sony stuff had. Frog design did a good job.

[@ZiggyStardunk]

I cant believe how much these cd players go for, wow.

[@tboyz1]

I have adjusted the pot on several original xbox's back in the day successfully requiring very small incremental turns and checking with a multimeter. luv your video's great job cheers :)

[@captcraig777]

I think my grandmother had one of these. I used to use it to listen to Ozzy on CD...lol. She was not impressed. I heard some AIC coming through your headphones. Good stuff! Nice job blowing away the ROI for this purchase!!!

[@GaryLiddington]

You've just gone up 1 million % in my rating by dropping the Ice Cube CD in there. It was pretty high already, so congrats.

[@dans2576]

Awesome choice of testing material. Slightly miffed you didn’t give us your best ‘Man in the box’ though 😂

[@charlesdana6485]

I still got my Panasonic shockwave 🤘

[@dr_ned_flanders]

A fluky fix but a fix is still a fix, Stix. Well done.

[@StezStixFix]

Fluky is my middle name 👌

[@mikecro1111]

@@StezStixFix You should approach Fluke for a sponsorship deal #fluke

[@dodgydruid]

I loved that subtle "subscribe" moment on the LCD :)

[@StezStixFix]

😁 haha cheers, I used to think of clever ways to put it in. I should start doing that again! 😊

[@codebeat4192]

"It is so retro that it hurts" haha, love it! To see if the laser is doing something you can use a phone camera that can show IR-radiation (most phone cameras will do). You can also use this method at testing IR remote controls. Place the lens of the camera at a few cm above the laser and turn it on. The spot must be very bright visible on the display of the phone. If not, there is something wrong. I know you fixed it however you don't know the previous state of the laser and if had something to do with the condition of the trimpot. It is possible there was a tiny bit of corrosion going on between the wiper and the resistance pad so by wiggle the wiper a little (after some contact cleaner spray) this can disappear. You have to try to put the trimpot back into original setting to discover if it was a laser problem or a trimpot problem. If it was a trimpot problem you can set it back to factory defaults and unstress the laser and extend the life time of the laser. You make nice easy to follow repair videos, you have a new subcriber ;-)

[@ikkezegtie]

these headphones were the most comfortable ever. I loved them, didnt have the sport version. Loved them almost as much as you and your channel, almost

[@yetiyarnworks6578]

YES best headphones ever! I hate that they don't make them anymore. I had this discman when it first came out and it got stolen at my high school. I have been wanting another pair of these headphones ever since but had a hard time finding them, even on ebay. The few I have come across are ridiculous in Canadian dollars, especially with the shipping. I have scoured physical secondhand shops as well with no luck. I have tried so many types of headphones over the years but nothing comes close to these in comfort. And all earbuds hurt my ears. I just came across a couple on ebay today that I might consider splurging on though.

[@musicalafication]

Try to read burnt CDs, they can be difficult to read on worn CD players, and without the ESP function, which can hide reading problems ^^

[@StezStixFix]

Aah. Good tips, thank you! I'll give both if those things a try. 👍

[@henrikassadoorian4191]

Correct I changed the CD

[@jessepatterson8897]

i owned this one; used it for years. Fucking excellent. literally 30 years ago.

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, these things are great. I had one of the cassette ones but never a disc one. so I'm really happy to have this in my collection. Still sounds great all these years down the line.

[@spurio187]

I knew I recognised the last disc, quick glance and I knew the band instantly. Guess I listened to that one a lot hahaha.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

99 pence... I would pay that in a heartbeat for the headphones alone!! I had a pair of those on the ear on headband headphones (in black) back in the day and I absolutely loved them!! If I could get another pair in good condition now... Uffff

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, totally worth it just for the headphones. They are still great-sounding and look awesome!

[@yetiyarnworks6578]

SAME! Most comfortable headphones I've ever used. Mine got stolen along with my discman at school in 2000. Still bitter about it to this day lol

[@phillvapez8285]

I love ebay prices, what someone asks for something isn't always what they're worth, it's what someone is willing to pay, I do the same repairing watches lol

[@danhorton6182]

Excellent choice in music, Layne has the voice of a god.

[@yetiyarnworks6578]

Brilliant! I had one of these back in the day. Not sure exactly when it came out but I got one for Christmas 1998, so at least that old. I think my dad paid close to $200 Canadian for it at the time. It got stolen at school a year later though. I am still bitter about it to this day. I'm the type that keeps tech as long as it still works so I probably would have still had it today if it was working. Best discman and headphones. I went through various others after that but nothing came close in quality, in my opinion. Especially not for headphones. I often wonder where it ended up. Considering splurging on one on ebay now.

[@nickwallette6201]

1) Don't even bother testing anything until you've cleaned the corrosion off the contacts. There's a REALLY good chance you're starving the player of current from the batteries due to poor contact. If it doesn't work _perfectly_ after cleaning the contacts, try a DC power supply in the barrel jack instead. Eliminate power issues before touching _anything_ else. 2) Don't move the laser like that. Worm drive shafts can't be rotated by opposing gears -- it's a one-way transfer of rotational force. When you force the sled to move, you're causing the plastic "teeth" in the sled's guide to flex around the thread of the shaft. That's what the noise is -- the teeth in the sled bending up around one side of the thread and snapping back into place on the other side. It's meant to flex to prevent permanent damage if the worm drive should try to move the sled beyond the end-stops, but it shouldn't be stressed more than necessary. That's a good way to break the guide teeth off. Just rotate the shaft by finger if you have to move the sled manually. 3) Unless you know for a fact that the laser is already dead, never touch those potentiometers. They set the laser current, and there are only three settings: Not enough current, the right amount of current, and open-circuit due to a burned-out laser diode. Unless you _KNOW_ how to measure the laser current, and what current is acceptable for that diode in that application (think: heat-sinking ability), you're almost certainly going to make the problem worse or just kill the laser (either immediately or in the near future.) If you have conclusively narrowed the problem down to a diode that is at end-of-life anyway, you can get _some_ extra life by running it at a higher current, but you are hastening its journey to the grave that way, so it really should be reserved as a final hoorah. It is not a "fix." It's a stop-gap until you replace the laser.

[@AaronButell]

I totally had this exact disk player as a kid... Unfortunately I remember the battery life being kind of terrible... Might have been caused by the big advance Electronic Skip Protection (ESP). Which prevented the laser from skipping around on the song when you moved around. Prior players were like carrying a laser record player.

[@kristiandawe85]

That's a beautiful discman, I had one back in the year 2000, my brother also had one in red color

[@iixslashxii]

nice fix! i have an old MD that stopped working, maybe ill try and fix it as well... hopefully it has the same problem

[@MrMurUK]

MDs are magnetic, not laser.

[@ianmac1362]

Listening to a full ice cube album is always a pleasure not an endurance.

[@TECHLOVER_91]

Sony should have never discontinued CD Walkman there is still a market for them

[@StezStixFix]

Definitely. I still prefer CD's to downloads/streaming any day.

[@bradallen8909]

Any decent streaming service offers audio quality far higher than a CD.

[@Maxel.F]

the ones that really makes money are the fully metal case sony discman i bought a broken sony discman D-15 ( the one you really want is the D-250) i fixed it and its works, ive seen prices on ebay of fully working ones for around 455 dollar these are real collector items

[@3DJapan]

I had a very similar Sony one in high school. I was smoking back then and used my Marlboro miles to get it free. Edit: Oh no mine was a Panasonic "Shockwave". Same black and yellow. It had clasps on the sides to keep it shut if it dropped.

[@wanjockey]

Nice find and fix. Thanks for sharing.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Wan! 😊

[@sweptapostle2473]

such a throw back seeing this

[@saggyc5382]

Love the Alice in Chains. You're the man in the disc... man... Ah nvm.

[@StezStixFix]

😂 😁

[@lubomirnikolov]

you should contact Techmoan, he has a ton of MiniDisk players that need repairing

[@neilurwin9670]

Another Good Video All The Best.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Neil 👍

[@PeasGraveny]

Splendid work, sir.

[@popepaul4438]

I was lucky to find magnetic type version of this Walkman surprisingly enough was waterproof and with the same yellow sports design I’ve managed to pick it up for £10 from a car boot sale not working turns out the belts and turned to jelly replace the belts and managed to get £150 for it on eBay so it’s always good to look around for a bargain I recently bought a small mini disc player for £5 off eBay and repaired that ended up being just corrosion buildup on the laser stay safe and look forward to the next one

[@edwardhumphries8806]

These are great to watch like a electronic jigsaw puzzle

[@roscoe454]

the lens cleaning..i polish them dry..also the lens travels on the screw..the bit you were draging against..and disks with minor scratches wont play

[@larkan511]

Thank you for not subjecting us to a full Alice in chains album, one or two of their songs overplayed on the radio for the past 20 years really makes me want to vomit. Nice repair also 👌

[@blazed85]

My fav discman from way back was the Panasonic Shockwave metal V.M.S.S. It had the headphones that vibrated from a tiny motor inside to bass.

[@sasproductions701]

i had a sony cassette walkman in 91 on my 5th birthday and it was yellow and grey. i also had a discman that was silver and then i remember getting the sony minidisc and then ipod was the shit. but personally i love my sony MP3 4gb USB stick as its enough for many tracks and also small and light and compact and can easily fit in ur pocket or what i use it for which is skateboarding rather than carrying a heavy phone or ipod as such.

[@bpalpha]

I have a similar unit (Sony model # D-FS601) here in the states. It was a x-mas gift from years ago. Mine could use some servicing as the volume knob scratches.

[@ryanherrington9267]

Brilliant job Steve !!!!!!!!

[@kdailey4315]

This is in such great shape I'd bet it was defective from the factory and just never used or returned.

[@northsouthy74]

Top stuff, scored a few discman's cheap as well :)

[@ches74]

I cringed at the sound of plastic grinding against the metal worm when you moved the laser assembly.

[@m0nk3yl0v3r]

350 is the average I could find nice work!

[@gordonjeffrey231076]

Amazing find. Lucky man!!!

[@pds8475]

You having to alter the potentiometer shows the laser is deteriorating. After some time you will have to alter it again and eventually you wont be able to alter it.

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, that's what I suspected. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for another assembly for when this one does go completely.

[@rube0075]

Nope ! Isnt true I have fixed many and dont have to move the potentiometer! Only deep the láser in soapy water for some time and washed with running water and then deep it in isopropil alcohol let it dry and will work again !

[@heinrichrallza]

I thought the potentiometer is to adjust the CD spinning speed? Like old floppy drives, it is used to calibrate the motor speed?

[@heinrichrallza]

@@StezStixFix I thought the potentiometer is to adjust the CD spinning speed? Like old floppy drives, it is used to calibrate the motor speed?

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

11:22 cleared my cataracts up

[@pashiki5480]

Can you clarify what you did? I just saw a tightening of the screw and a clean up.

[@ohraiou5161]

I not understand too

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

??? Tightening? He wasn't building a gardenfence.. 🤦‍♂️

[@pashiki5480]

So what did he exactly do to fix it then smart arse? @@GTI1dasOriginal

[@TerryLawrence001]

Disks are great for driveway markers and so cheap that you can nail 20 or more to the tree at the end of the drive for just pennies!

[@DeanWhiteUrbanPrintzSunderland]

I'm still surprised you don't put these into an external 3.5mm external speaker to hear it

[@MrAmity009]

I’ve noticed that you used an other cd for the play test? Maybe the previous cd wasn’t that good?

[@SteveSims]

The headphones are worth the 99p on their own even if £5 postage

[@StezStixFix]

Yep, the headphones still sound great so they will definitely be getting some good use!

[@elduderino1287]

I like to think Alice in Chains Facelift helped bring it back to life

[@gussetblaster6786]

I had a Sony Sports Discman when i was in school back in the 90's and i genuinely felt like the coolest kid in school! I would wander through the hallways listening to Jungle music behaving like Ali G. Those were the day!

[@Ilovecats1236]

Alice in Chains are legendary.

[@StezStixFix]

Yes! 🤘

[@bes03c]

I had that one as a kid. I need to see if I still have it so I could sell it on ebay.

[@theheftyhiker847]

Hi sorry about this going to be a really stupid question probably but the potentiometer how did you know what to set it at did you just find a happy middle ground ? I have one one a radio I recently bought and I didn’t have a clue what it was I take it it controls voltage really sorry complete beginner love your videos

[@ibrahimkocaalioglu]

good job

[@chrisgebben2043]

you see this is just a good example of why buying a broken one it could just be minor problem for this case the screw that adjust the laser just needed to be adjusted to work again.

[@OOOHBILLY]

Heck of a fix. Nice

[@nealefrancis3995]

Nice to see a class CD chosen love AIC! RIP Layne Staley!

[@brepires]

Came here for this!

[@neindochoohh7955]

Haha, bought the CD 1994. wicked

[@sambellamy8692]

I had one of these when I was 12/13 haha effing awesome!

[@mragustin1997]

As soon as I heard track 2 I knew which cd 💿 it was immediately

[@austindolan7182]

scary's on the wall, scary's on his way!

[@thadofalltrades]

What I didn't understand is do you have to put it all back together after each adjustment of the potentiometer and see if it played? It was unclear why the sweet spot was the sweet spot.

[@aaronspencermusic]

Yeah, i'm glad you've stopped asking for subscribers actually, refreshing that you don't do that on your newer content

[@philash824]

The prices people are selling them for isn’t what people are willing to pay for them

[@paulb4uk]

One thing it is always worth checking is the surface mount caps around the 90,s there where a lot with a design fault and they can leak a couple of personel cd players i have were working fine the next time i went to use them they would not read disc so most likely caps in them one is a cheap alba and sounded terrible when it did work and the other is a kenwood .

[@MagnumForce51]

Yeah I'd say pull that SMD cap off and test it. (if you have a cap tester that is). Replace it, then put laser's trim pot back to it's original value and see if it works. Best to avoid adjusting that unless you really need to. Would want to rule out the caps before you adjust that. ;)

[@anonymous7192]

That horrible noise is you damaging the worm gear. You should have rotated the threaded bar to move the lens, not scraped the lens gear over the threads.

[@jimijack100]

What did the little trim pot actually adjust? I did not think it was going to work.

[@nickinportland]

Def had the white version of this should have kept it.

[@hurricane567]

If you zoom back far enough and it's just a hair out of focus it looks like you peeled the fine print sticker off the back and stuck it over the screen. Also +1 for Alice in Chains

[@philipchurch6327]

ye gods i'd be suprized if there were any teath left on the worm drive!

[@3DJapan]

Those ebay postings are the "for sale" price. It's possible nobody will pay that. I always look at the Sold prices.

[@AndyVandercoy]

Great job love this little CD player. I just got one off eBay and adjusted the pots but still nothing. It poweres on and all so that's fine but is the laser worm drive supposed to seek? It does move if I reset the position and then try to play the disk. Anything else that I may want to concider checking on? Thanks

[@bobbavet]

Alice in Chains - Facelift, you bloody legend!

[@stevetealey2804]

I seen one on ebay today 20/03/2024 opened never used £399.99

[@BrunakoPAO]

Loved it !!!!!!!!!!

[@willissudweeks1050]

I bet those were a lot initially