Skip to main content

YouTube - MiniDisc Repair - Sony LIP-12 adding a new 18650 cell for longer life!


The Sony LIP-12 Lithium-ion battery was used in many different models like this MZ-R30 I have.

Sony MiniDisc devices that use the LIP-12:

  • Sony MZ-R2, Sony MZ-R3, Sony MZ-R4, Sony MZ-R4ST
  • Sony MZ-R30, Sony MZ-R35
  • Sony MZ-B3, Sony MZ-E3

The original was a 1350 mAh battery and most of them, as you can imagine, are dead and won't hold a charge. Since the internal cell is actually an old 18650, there are plenty of options to replace it.

Opening the case is technically "destructive", but if you're careful, you can reseal it cleanly and it will slide into/out of the battery cavity smoothly. There's not much room for error in the battery compartment, so work carefully and slowly.

Also - working with Lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous! Make sure to get the polarity correct! The positive side will usually be designated on the label. If it isn't you can tell by the "rings" around that end of the battery. The negative terminal will be smooth and flat.

Additionally, you do not want to solder onto a Lithium-ion battery! In this case, the friction fit is so tight, that a thin piece of electrical tape or Kapton tape will do just fine. I even have a working cell with no tape - the terminals and tight friction fit are holding it the battery in place

New 18650s like the Samsung I'm using can be had for anywhere from $4 (USD) and up with more than double the capacity. In my case, the new Samsung can supply 2500 mAh, so that's nearly double the capacity of the original.

Here are the basic steps, but if you need to see how it's done, please watch the video! Thanks and I hope that helps give you an option to breathe new life into your old MiniDisc device!

  • Using a small/flat screwdriver, pry open the case from the "battery indicator slider"
  • Pry carefully all the way around - away from the insertion direction. If you're careful, we can actually hinge that piece and not remove it completely.
  • As you work your way around, work slowly and carefully. At some point, you may be able to "slide" your screwdriver down the side and open the case quickly.
  • Once it's 3/4 open you should be able to carefully pry out the battery and the bottom part of the case.


  • The terminals are still attached and we'll gently pry those off with the same screwdriver. Don't worry that they're not flat anymore - we can flatten them later.
  • After removing the battery - test fit the new one, paying attention to the polarity!


  • Set your battery inside and tape (electrical or Kapton) the terminals to your battery.
  • Close the case gently, and glue if desired
  • After letting the glue set, I recommend adding a pull tab (made from tape) to pull the battery out if the fit is tight
  • That's it - test your battery and hopefully it all works fine!





Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Recertifying your CCIE for less than $600 (or less than $800)! Updated 2023

This is a 2023 update to my previous post about using Cisco Continuing Education (CE) credits to recertify your CCIE. Let's cut to the chase: You need/want to recertify your CCIE without taking an exam and you need to do it as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Thanks to Cisco's Continuing Education program, you've had the option earn CE credits for years, but sorting through courses to find the best use of your time and money wasn't the easiest. Since it's time for me to recertify, I've had to dig into it a bit more and I hope this updated information helps you, too! Can I expense this? Probably! If you're working at a company that requires/benefits from your certifications and ongoing training, you should be able to expense your training courses! Step 1 - Determine your status Go to https://ce.cisco.com and login with your credentials to view your Dashboard of current certifications and training items you have taken in the past.  Mine looks like th...
Read more

Giveaway #9 - 800+ Subscribers on YouTube - Sony MZ-E810SP + MiniDiscs directly from Japan!

  Thank you all for subscribing (if you haven't already, please consider it!) to my YouTube  where I try my best to repair some of these great old devices. 800 subs ago I never thought this would get this far! Thank you again for your support and I hope I can continue to help the great MiniDisc global community in some form. To celebrate 800 subscribers, I'm doing something a little bit different this time! I'm going to give away this sweet Sony MZ-E810SP - a nice MD unit with a folding speaker dock, and I'm going to direct-ship some MiniDiscs that I won in Japan straight to you! So the winner will get two packages, one Sony MZ-E810SP, and one set of MiniDiscs from Japan! For this  NINTH  giveaway (completely free to enter!), use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter between October 26th and November 3, midnight US Pacific time. a Rafflecopter giveaway Please see official rules, here!      Privacy policy is included here also - I don't need/wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Year's Giveaway! YouTube - MiniDisc Giveaway #3 - Panasonic SJ-MR230 Complete Set with Speakers and Dock ENDS 1/1/2024 US Pacific

To celebrate the New Year 2024, I'm giving away a Panasonic SJ-MR230 complete set with recorder, speakers, dock and charger! These have exceptionally good speakers for their size and the dock is a nice way to charge and display your recorder ( NOTE - you must have the AC power connected AND a battery inside to play audio through the speakers ) YouTube video: I just repaired the Record button and everything's working fine! For the third giveway (completely free to enter!), use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter between December 26th and January 1st midnight US Pacific time. a Rafflecopter giveaway If you're not in a region that uses 100v, please get the proper adapter/transformer ( US users can use the one here ).  Please see official rules, here! Privacy policy is included here also - I don't need/want your info outside of getting this device to you! To enter, just use your email (I don't use Facebook so I don't know where those entries will go...) and I...
Post a Comment
Read more