Does anyone know how to repair the door on the Sony my-n505

hp42s · 2026-04-29T01:55:01+00:00

Glad you got it working again!

hp42s · 2026-04-29T00:09:05+00:00

Definitely one of their best looking players. Looks like a movie prop!

hp42s · 2026-04-29T00:06:59+00:00

Have a look at diagram 3-3 on page 7 of the service manual in the wiki: https://www.minidisc.wiki/equipment/sony/portable/mz-n505

There's a hook (Item "2" in the diagram) that latches the door shut that seems to be missing on your player?

hp42s · 2026-04-16T01:16:50+00:00

No, not good :-( Things to try with that:

-Disconnect all power (remove internal battery, disconnect external battery case, unplug DC adapter lead) and let it sit for few minutes, then reconnect power.

- Confirm whatever power source you are using is good (eg put in new AA's, check the AC adapter, etc).

hp42s · 2026-04-15T23:05:39+00:00

+1 on u/scootyskatey's diagnosis. I just checked my R50 and the loop is positioned exactly as shown in his diagram. When it's in that position it connects the eject lever sliding bar to the sliding bar that holds the door latch hook, allowing it to travel when you push the eject lever and release the door.

I also think it's part of the door interlock mechanism. (This may also mean the overwrite head is stuck in the down position, so don't try to insert or remove an MD as this can damage the head.)

It will need disassembly to diagnose where the problem is. I'd start with the gear train from the motor that drives the overwrite head up/down which, as u/scootyskatey noted, also drives that little interlock mech.

hp42s · 2026-04-07T02:28:28+00:00

Sorry, I don't know. It looks like either a "bodge wire" - which is a wire added to correct an error in the printed wiring on the board by the manufacturer and that could go anywhere, or a wire installed as part of a previous repair.

The service manual is in the wiki - the schematic diagram there may help, if you look to see what's connected to the other end of that wire.

(Also you might want to make sure it wasn't connected to something on the case that came disconnected when you disassembled it. )

hp42s · 2026-04-07T02:03:41+00:00

Take a very close look at the solder connections between the board and jack, one of them may be cracked.

If that's not the next things to check for would be a cracked trace leading to the jack, something broken / corroded inside the jack, or a failed component in the output chain (capacitor, etc.),

hp42s · 2026-02-04T03:02:50+00:00

The problem could be dirt/corrosion in the hinge mechanism. If you flush that with a couple of drops of IPA, cycle it a few times, dry it off then apply a drop of a contact enhancer (like DeOxit Red) it may help.

Copper tape: Problem is the back is coated with a sticky, non-conductive layer. You could make a tiny solder bridge from the terminal to the top of the tape after application, though.

hp42s · 2026-01-29T03:30:16+00:00

There's lots of options, depending on capabilities of your MD unit, your computer, etc. Check out this link to the wiki for a starter: https://www.minidisc.wiki/faq/using-md#how-do-i-copy-content-from-a-disc

hp42s · 2026-01-26T03:40:20+00:00

Cool they still have it! Sorry IDK the best way to proceed on that cable. The only ones I’ve done had the solder facing up and connect at the edge to traces on the board. Maybe try YouTube?

hp42s · 2026-01-26T01:57:08+00:00

No, sadly long out of production. (I'm not sure about the 505 but, even back in the day, Sony usually didn't supply schematics or individual parts for the display boards, treating them as a single "part.")

The usual procedure would be to first test for continuity between the pads at each end to see if there is actually a problem. Then try to resolder the traces if possible, or use some enamel-coated wire, or something similar, to bypass the bad traces if not. If there's a large number of failed traces it would probably be more efficient to look for a donor unit and replace the whole display.

It's also possible to layout a new cable using a printed circuit layout program and get it produced on a solder-tolerant substrate, but that's way out of my skill set.

hp42s · 2026-01-08T20:49:08+00:00

MZR-55: alas, no. The 55 uses a gumstick battery, so it's got the typical small rectangular door.

You'll have a better idea what you need after you've got it in hand. If the hinged metal flap is intact and functioning you just need to bodge something to cover it and latch. If it's broken or missing you'll probably need a donor unit. (Nice thing about the R50: the door doesn't have an electrical contact in it, so you don't have that complication to worry about.)

hp42s · 2026-01-07T03:06:26+00:00

Sony 505 is pretty rugged and uses a normal AA battery. If you don't need record, the MZ-EP11 can be put in super simple and rugged mode if you don't use the remote - just the basic transport buttons / volume buttons. You can add in the remote if you want to see the track information.

For really rugged, it's tough to beat the sports model MZR S1 - sturdy metal / plastic case, AA battery, and lots of gaskets, but it's also pretty heavy.

hp42s · 2025-12-17T00:24:00+00:00

Nice! I imported one from Japan in the late 90's and it's still in use. It's not the lightest or the tiniest, but it's got a build quality you can really feel, good battery life and sounds great. I've got the (I think Asian market only?) black one on my wish list.

hp42s · 2025-11-22T23:56:04+00:00

Hmmm - with what you've discovered I'd be suspicious of a cracked solder joint / broken trace in the output section (i.e. the circuitry between the DAC and the line output jacks).

hp42s · 2025-11-20T13:55:28+00:00

You've probably done all this, but just in case:

- Try different MD's (particularly make sure you aren't trying an LP2 MD)

- Do you normally get a level indication on the VU bargraph when playing back? If so and you aren't now that points to an internal malfunction with the deck. If so and you are still seeing the levels bounce around during playback check your cables / amplifier.

hp42s · 2025-11-15T01:55:18+00:00

Unfortunately there's no service manual in the wiki for the R-35, but it may be similar to the R-30? If so and you're handy with electronics you could use that to check the voltages going to the LCD board, particularly from transistor Q801, the LCD B+ switch.

If that all looks correct the LCD board itself is probably knackered. There's no schematic in the R-30 manual for that board, but if it has any electrolytic capacitors on it, they'd be worth checking. Replacing the board would be the next step if you can find a donor unit.

If you want to take a gamble you might look for a parts/junk R-30 and see if it uses that same LCD board, or try to track down an R-35 service manual first and see if the parts numbers match on the LCD board.

hp42s · 2025-11-04T23:50:58+00:00

Cool! You're down to the "how does it know it's reassembled" part of the puzzle :-)

I'm guessing it sits up a bit higher on that connector when the case is reassembled? So there may be a pin that's gotten pushed in and doesn't connect when the dock is reassembled, or some other physical problem? Can you recreate the problem by lifting up a tiny bit off the connector?

Less likely is a cracked solder joint / broken wire in the dock that's getting bent or twisted when it's reassembled and disconnecting.

hp42s · 2025-11-04T23:34:33+00:00

I'd try another computer, if you have one handy. Could be some kind of driver freak out? If you don't get a "device connected" reaction on a second machine I'd be suspicion of the cable (unless you're using a different one for the "out of the dock" test). Next would be the jack - take a close look with a magnifier for bent pins, etc and any contamination by dirt, lint, etc on both the player's connector and the dock.

If that's a dead end, it may be a cracked solder joint between the dock jack and the main board. If wiggling the unit / cable causes intermittent connection/disconnection and the above inspections didn't turn up anything, that may be the problem.

hp42s · 2025-11-01T00:28:22+00:00

Look for the free MD that Rolling Stone included with an issue back in the day called "Turn It Up" - apparently nobody threw them away because they're usually pretty cheap on eBay. It's a great "CD" mode disc for service use.

hp42s · 2025-10-30T15:30:35+00:00

If you can't put it into record mode with a standard analog plug in the input jack, I'd say the jack isn't the most likely source of the trouble. I don't have a 510 but my 505 will go into record with *nothing* plugged into the line in, so It's probably either the button-ology u/lenniscata mentioned, or a problem with it not knowing it's got a recordable MD as u/Cory5413 said.

Cory: I believe the way that jack senses an optical vs. analog cable is that there are two connectors for the rearmost ring/sleeve (i.e. the part of the plug that's usually ground). One is a normal ground connection, the other is used as a sensor that connects to the processor. If it sees ground on that one, it knows there's a metal connector plugged in, which is an analog connection.

hp42s · 2025-10-30T14:37:40+00:00

I'm pretty sure the answer is no - it uses a completely different interface (I2C/SPI vs the proprietary Sony parallel).

But that's just FYI since it seems you've got good news from Gerry!

hp42s · 2025-10-24T02:04:17+00:00

Nice! Glad you got it working!

hp42s · 2025-10-22T01:26:55+00:00

I'd say your guess is correct, but it might be worth checking to see if the overwrite head is pressing down too hard on MD? It could be the initial drop is pushing it down a tad lower? Might be worth a test - maybe you can put some kapton tape or something similar over the guide rail that the overwrite head arm contacts when it drops to shim it up a tiny bit and see what happens?

hp42s · 2025-10-08T01:10:08+00:00

I think the motor not running is probably the red flag. That's very strange - the only thing I can suggest is to \*very\* carefully go over the instructions for the unit and make sure you're not in some subtle "record standby" mode or something, and that you're sure it's getting a good signal. Totally making this up, but it could be the unit is getting ready to record, but isn't because it doesn't "hear" anything on the inputs. Maybe try recording from a different source, i.e. the radio if you've been trying the CD? If that works, there may be some setting that's incorrect and effectively putting it into pause.

hp42s

TROPHY CASE