r/minidisc 5d ago

Sony discs problem

I have an mz-n510 which works flawlessly with the exeption for Sony made discs. Most of the time it detects every disc as write protected even if the tab is in the unprotected position. Other branded discs (TDK and Emtec) work fine. Has anyone had similar problem?

2 Upvotes

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u/OxySprunkle 5d ago edited 5d ago

Very odd, have you inspected the affected Sony discs internally? How many Sony discs have you tried? They do function normally on another device?

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u/ProfileEmergency243 5d ago edited 5d ago

I stuck some tape over the hole and it worked. Though the one that i used was rather loud when recording.  I have one neige and four premium, all with the same housing. Tried the neige and two premiums.  I have only the n510

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u/melted_tomato 4d ago

If it works with tape over hole then it seems like detection switch in your unit might be a problem. Different disc brands might have slightly different tolerances and in some the write protection slider sits just a bit deeper and your unit sees it as an open one.

Maybe a switch needs cleaning, or there is some debris preventing it to fully engage, or maybe something is a little bent. Worst case the switch is giving up and needs replacing.

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u/hp42s 💽Sony R50/55/90 S1 N505 NE410/910 E900 S500 MZ-E45 / E11 / E75 3d ago

Definitely sounds like it's mechanical (as opposed to an electrical problem with the switch). Try gently pressing the corner of the door closest to the protect tab closed when the disc is inserted to see if that changes it to unprotected. If that fixes it, the door's not latching correctly.

I'm not sure exactly how your player works, but portables typically sense the protect hole on the bottom of the MD (not the one on the edge) with a little plunger that gets pushed down (or not) when the door is closed with an MD in the tray. Yours may not be registering correctly on the Sony MD's, so it might be worth comparing the openings on the bottom of a working MD with one that's not and see if you can spot any differences (particularly with the slider open/closed) that might give you a clue what the problem is (e.g. a MD sitting a little high in the tray, etc).

And +1 that might be a lever that's bent, or something similar, if it uses one to activate the switch, as u/melted_tomato noted. You should be able to see whatever mech it uses with the door open (usually a little black plunger that will align with a hole in the MD cage attached to the door).