I have a Yamaha MD8 here with the issue of being able to playback but not record. Looking at the recording head it doesn't look quite right and I have a feeling it's come loose or something maybe due to a jammed disk. Can anyone take or point me to a picture of what the recording head should look like?
Yamaha MD8 quick repair assistance
- Thread starter jdsony
- Start date
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
No picture, but...
There is a little "coil" element which would look somewhat like a white plastic "tab" (t-shaped on Sonys), which hovers in position right over the top of the media when the mechanism is closed. It is used to apply a magnetic field and "excite" the disc surface to be writable from the laser, which is applied from the bottom. If this coil or tab is broken off or jammed into an improper position, the minidisc will play but not record.
It's not something I have a picture of currently, but if you look inside enough, maybe you can spot the assembly or defect.
If it's bent out of position, maybe you can nudge it back. If it's broken off, you're pretty much screwed.
There is a little "coil" element which would look somewhat like a white plastic "tab" (t-shaped on Sonys), which hovers in position right over the top of the media when the mechanism is closed. It is used to apply a magnetic field and "excite" the disc surface to be writable from the laser, which is applied from the bottom. If this coil or tab is broken off or jammed into an improper position, the minidisc will play but not record.
It's not something I have a picture of currently, but if you look inside enough, maybe you can spot the assembly or defect.
If it's bent out of position, maybe you can nudge it back. If it's broken off, you're pretty much screwed.
Thanks for the response. The white tab is still there. The design is a bit different from other recorders I have so It's hard to figure out how it should be sitting. There is the write head on a skimpy metal frame and then right above it is a metal bracket that almost seems like it's supposed to hold the write head at a better angle. It's definitely not sitting right because I can see off the reflection of the disc and the write head is at a 45 degree angle so only the front area of the white rubber is touching while the 3 little open (actual heads?) are not very close to the disc. I might take a picture of it this evening. I'm going to dismantle it slightly more so I can more easily work on it without bending things much more than they are. It was free so if it doesn't work I've got a serviceable mixer with minidisc playback.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Yeah, it's a delicate instrument.
I assumed the Yamaha "close & play" mechanism would be different from the Sony Minidisc mechanism. I learned not to break this tab off the hard way, while attempting a repair of an MDS-JE320. I searched 30 pages of Google images but couldn't find any worthy pics of the guts of a Minidisc mechanism. Mine's well packed away, or I'd give it a look. Hope this is a quick and successful fix!
Good luck!
I assumed the Yamaha "close & play" mechanism would be different from the Sony Minidisc mechanism. I learned not to break this tab off the hard way, while attempting a repair of an MDS-JE320. I searched 30 pages of Google images but couldn't find any worthy pics of the guts of a Minidisc mechanism. Mine's well packed away, or I'd give it a look. Hope this is a quick and successful fix!
Good luck!
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So with a lot of bending it appears to be working perfectly now. I've tested it with regular MD's and the 1 Data MD I have in all tracks. I have to test it further and make sure it can record all the way through a disc. The only issue is the line level input on track 2 seems to be really quiet. I haven't tried the mic in yet on that track but I think I should be able to get it sorted.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Right on!
Nice pic. How did you bend the tab? Did you bend it up to be more parallel with the surface of the disc? Does the tab-thing touch the disc, or should it ride just above the surface?
I'm glad the DIY of this fix worked out okay!
Nice pic. How did you bend the tab? Did you bend it up to be more parallel with the surface of the disc? Does the tab-thing touch the disc, or should it ride just above the surface?
I'm glad the DIY of this fix worked out okay!
I should really supply an after pic. I heard mixed things but general consensus from other recorders seems to be that the head should be touching the disc. It shouldn't harm it because it's covered in rubber except for the small openings underneath but they are indented. I did bend it up closer to the head to make it parallel but bent it down a bit towards the back so it stayed close to the disk surface. I also had to twist it a bit because it one side was up a little more than the other as well.
I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a dead head or a broken connection. Soldering little tiny wires wouldn't have been much fun.
I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a dead head or a broken connection. Soldering little tiny wires wouldn't have been much fun.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Parallel and touching. Got it!
Thanx!..................
No need to futz with it more. On to recording!
Thanx!..................
No need to futz with it more. On to recording!