A belt too far?
My 50% successful repair shown in the last video gave me enough confidence to tackle another job I’d been putting off for some time. You might have seen me mention that the Sony bookshelf HiFi system that sits on the shelves behind me was faulty. Here’s how I got on with trying to sort that out.
https://youtu.be/EwWJRal2Ais
Judging from the stats on the last video, there’s a waning interest in my repair vids. This one wasn’t done for the views though, I just wanted to figure out if this thing was going to hang around or instead free up some shelf space for something else.
I’ll see if I can think of a topic that a few more people might prefer to watch next time. No promises though.
In other news I’ve just swapped my home cinema surround system in the lounge but I can’t experience it yet, as an ear infection has made me deaf in one ear. A situation only Alanis Morissette could appreciate. I’m off to the Drs in a few mins, hopefully to return with some magic tablets
Take care.
Comments (47)
Oooooo was just checking out what was on that CD, think I may go grab myself a copy on eBay 😁 Nice one!
"It's as easy as that" (desk covered in parts)
Not really my style this 2001 thing... I never understood the whole blue LED thing, otherwise than at that time it looked "modern"... I tend to replace blue LEDs with red ones in such systems...
I recall Alan Sugar's reaction to an Apprentice candidate proposing blue LEDs in a product. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THEY COST". Around the time this system was made a gold plated case would have been less impressive than a few blue LEDs. p.s. A quick Google suggests Blue LEDs were $30 each when launched in 1989.
this video has inspired me to take apart my old top loading CD player (a Sony CMT-EX1) and replace the belt on the loading mechanism. false confidence? maybe. but i'm looking forward to trying.
Let me know how it goes because someone somewhere might have one of these stored away in a storage locker that he has yet to look at.
Crikey, that went from anxiety-inducing to remarkably smooth. If this whole tech showman thing falls through, you've at least got a backup career option as a keyhole surgeon.
I think you’ll find they’re called locksmiths. ;-)
Funny thing, just before this was released, I was lured to a local Sony MD component. It was dirt cheap, but advertised as working. Off I went, when plugged it spit a disc, which is always a bit disappointing. Pushing it in did no good as it got stucked. After opening it and carefully prying it out, she said " just take it for free, see if you repair it" We had talked about the memories this thing brought her and, just like thst, I was entrusted with her memories and the disc. My repair record is... Well I haven't really gone into it though because I have no time so I piled it up with the rest of crap ain't working, for a day when I have time... Or someone comes over to pick up all the crap I've left behind
"Do it from the front" definitely makes MD belt swaps easier on the full hifi decks too, and that mini system has the belt in exactly the same place as my full sized deck (same MD mechanism I'd say). Enjoy it while it lasts!!
I would have thought on HiFi component MD decks it would still be easiest to just open the lid and hinge up the mech as in my previous vid on this https://youtu.be/C-KWJatb440 - since the front facia is fixed on these kind of decks the mech and the belt would be really deeply recessed if you tried to attack it though the slot.
There was going to be an Earth Wind and Fire reunion concert. Earth and Wind turned up, but Fire wasn't there. He'd gone out.
On a serious note, I really must try and get an MD-LP machine. Bought a non-LP player a few years back, then unaware LP was even a thing, and found some used blank discs at charity shop some time later, only to find there was no sound. Of course, I later learnt why, possibly from your MD video!
This one interested me because I have a vintage (2016) Denon mini system whose CD drawer refuses to open and would need a similar level of disassembly to fix. I've asked for help at a local repair cafe but they weren't able to do much, beyond taking the lid off and deciding that the mechanism is too deeply embedded in the player. There's a detailed repair video on YouTube but I haven't the courage to follow it as it involves unplugging many ribbon cables and almost certainly not remembering how to reassemble. It's annoying because I don't remember playing more than half a dozen discs on it from new; it's spent nearly all its life as a soundbar substitute for my TV.
This is probably a daft question with an obvious and long established answer, but rather than google it I'll ask here - is there or would there be a way of doing these kinds of mechanisms without perishable belts? Whether or not a manufacturer would have any interest in that idea is a different question of course!
I’d imagine the fact that belts can slip is beneficial in dealing with situations where disks get forced in too quickly or alternatively emerge a bit too slowly. A rubber belt grants a degree of variability to a fixed mechanism. At least that’s what I think…but you’d need to find a CD eject mechanism designer to get a qualified response.
I've only ever had portable MD players but always fancied getting a bookshelf system at some point. Thought this one may be an option, right until you showed the CD belt location. Think I'll pass. Very much enjoyed the video otherwise, though, so thank you. I was ready to dismiss that "Cyber" branding as one being of that late 90s/early 00s fad that was eventually replaced with i-everything, but then I saw the start-up message describing it more fully as "Cyber Egg", and I'm now consumed with the thought of what creature would lay such an egg... (Current money is on either Mechagodzilla or some Dr. Robotnik experiment.)
Cyber seems to have disappeared in a similar way to ‘solid state’ and ‘information superhighway’.
Mat, you're on a roll now with these successful repair videos. After years of seeing you showing a variety of mini- and micro-systems, I'm always tempted to get one. But I've got plenty of music-playing devices as it is, so it doesn't make sense to get another gadget. Not to mention (although I will anyway) that as a USAnian, I have no history with MiniDisc, so it would make even less sense for me to get anything with that included. Oh well, I enjoy watching you fiddle with these things just the same.🙂
While you don't recommend getting one, the Sony certainly looks like one of the nicer options to have. Definitely more attractive than those overhyped CD players in supposedly 'stylish' housings that seem to have flooded the market recently. But I get your point, those vintage devices are on borrowed time. I hope the waning interest in the repair videos isn't too substantial, as I really enjoy them.
• I believe you have a PhD in MD surgery. Nicely done. • Once again I must bemoan the lack of MiniDisc technology in my locale when it was at its peak. • Ear infections are the worst - I always get massive headaches along with the hearing impairment. 😵💫🔨 • You look very nice at the video intro, so much so that you must be cartoonized. https://i.postimg.cc/V6wVhhqR/Untitled-design-20251007-155010-0000.png • Seems a bit pretentious to call itself a 'Cyber Age Disc System?" • I happen to like repair videos, no matter the outcome. Take care 🤍
Cartoon me always looks better than real me. I wonder if any of these services would survive if they made people look worse than normal. Oh and yes I’ve got the headaches, so it’s a low effort week so far.
I always enjoy your repair videos, even the ones that end in failure, because it's important to keep the knowledge of these electronics out there for the future. So, please keep making them when they come up!
I love the repair videos, shame they don't seem to be doing well
We need to be able to feed a belt as a simple cord, then solder the two ends together with a special paste or heat. It's 2025, we're getting pictures from Mars, we can do it!
We need a material that doesn't turn to goop in a couple of decades, or stop using belts and use gears (but hopefully not made of brittle plastic!).
Another really interesting video 👍
I did purchase one of these, complete with the unusually shaped speakers and remote some months ago on eBay for around £90, but I had second thoughts and asked for a refund before it was dispatched as I decided then I wanted 1980s Technics separates for a hi-fi build and I would possibly add a MD/CD combo unit into that setup at a later date. I did end up importing the Sony LAM-1 MD/CD unit from Japan and bought some small Sony active speakers on UK eBay, so I’ve essentially got a small “secondary” set-up for just Minidisc, as I have a FiiO CD player plugged into the Technics-dominated “main hi-fi”, but at least I have got 4x speed CD-to-MD copying on the LAM-1 when I require it. I must admit I’m dreading the day the belt on the LAM-1’s MD drive fails, but the tips you showed here made it look like it might be a similar repair, Mat, and at least the CD section of that device isn’t a slot loader also.
Always a treat to see a new video. I’d love to see the yellow Sony sports camcorder ( if that’s what it is behind you on the shelf ) I think I’ve seen pretty much all your videos but don’t remember seeing this. Thanks for all your videos I’ve enjoyed watching every one.
That’s just set decoration, bought solely for the purpose of looking cool, which it does well..but that’s all it does.
Well done, excellent. You are constantly getting better at these repairs.
Just Another Excellent Video, good sir. Boy, did YOU get lucky....!
Sony made some really desirable audio systems back in the day. It's a shame that all they appear to make these days are bluetooth speakers.
wishing you a speedy recovery. those aren't fun.
Enjoyed the video, Matt. I did chuckle when you turned it on. It displayed “How do you do?”, (only showed part of it). That is so British. It reminded me of the first time James Bond meets Goldfinger at the golf course: “How do you do?”, “How do you do?” I wondered if this is a specific greeting for units going to the UK? If they had units that were shipping to the U.S., would it display: “Howdy?”, or “How’s it going?”
It only seems to do this after a full power cycle. I suspect it’s not UK centric though as it doesn’t say Cheerio when powered off.
The repair videos are my favorite, but I watch them all!
Re: the video itself - yes on the Toslink. My sister has used her minisystem she got in 2000 as her TV audio system. Of course she uses RCA plugs but whatever. Pleasantly surprised about the ease of the mini disc belt replacement. It's always weird seeing these videos and seeing the combination of absolutely brilliant engineering sometimes with thoughtful repair paths, but also making some things next to impossible, and also strange UI decisions. Like, they made the mini system to be convenient for ripping things to mini disc but... You have to cycle through the modes? Come on. And another thing, why the heck did they put 90% of the features on the remote? I know it was common but like they could have a "feature" button where you press it, it shows the feature on the display and then you press play and it is like selecting the button on the remote. Or something. I love quirky tech
It doesn’t help that the illuminated symbols on the few buttons there are on the device can’t be viewed at an angle. I’ve pressed MD Eject when I wanted to Play more times than I care to remember.
I will watch whatever you post, as I like maker/build/repair channels with a perspective and willingness to 'bring the viewer along.' And decent production values. Wishing you stereo sound ASAP! :-)
It's always weird hearing that metrics don't like the repair videos. I believe your video production is so good that you make just about anything be compelling. Yeah, I started watching for the camera reviews ages ago, then maintained watching religiously and scoping out old videos I missed when you got the big bumps during lockdown, but now I'm into it. When you show strange technology, it's so much better than most of these other guys, like LGR and stuff like that, because when I see retro AV stuff on other channels, it feels like a showcase and I have a shallow understanding. When you do it it feels like I KNOW the product inside and out, and of course I don't, I just watched you fiddle with something for 15 minutes... But I can't be the only one who feels that way. We just need to get people to buy into the concept. I wonder if you really clickbait these things if people might watch more. I mean genuinely those music making machines you had are some of the most compelling pieces of tech you've had on the channel. More than soundburgers or mini discs or tefifon. But if I knew how to have a YouTube following I wouldn't be some loser watching Vwestlife unbox a plug in flashlight, I'd be unboxing the flashlight.
One of the main reasons I love this channel is BECAUSE Mat has too much integrity to 'Clickbait' anything! Honest stuff from this guy.
I have that exact same system! It certainly sounds decent to my ears.
I have a couple of similar size Sony units with Tape Deck as well so I expect to be doing the same some time soon.
Looking at my analytics a few days ago, I noticed a trail off on view generally, and losing more subscribers than usual. I put it down to too many cassette videos in a row. But I did notice that my most viewed videos tend to be the repair videos. I think generally the YouTube view numbers are down for everyone. Not sure why. Maybe enshitification and AI slop with short-form videos taking over. I fear that those of us who like human videos are going to see our favourite channels dwindle.
Unfortunately when incomes shrink some channels will do more sponsorships, adverts and paid content to keep the income flowing. Those individuals who just want to make a video about something interesting while earning enough to keep doing this, but aren’t interested in selling products, will be the ones who go.
Really! Its the repair videos that were part of the draw to you, also showing what worked as well as what didn't added that human touch. Please don't stop them totally even got me to start dabbling back into the older tape decks and "attempting" to change the belts ! lol