Never Stop Learning!

I'm excited to announce that the awesome MiniDisc community has a first-of-its-kind MiniDisc-focused convention in collaboration with the VCF (Vintage Computing Foundation).  Whether you're a lifelong MiniDisc enthusiast or a recent addition, check it out if you can make it to Dallas, Texas in June 2024! See the website for full details: MDcon 2024 I'm proud to contribute a Sony MZ-B100 MDLP MiniDisc field recorder for an onsite giveaway! The Sony MZ-B100 is a classic Sony device with the quality and feel you'd expect from Sony. The model I'm giving away is in great shape for more than 20 years of its life and I've cleaned and lubed it.  Check out the MiniDisc Wiki for more details about the Sony MZ-B100!  Look below for pics of the actual unit that will be given away - good luck!

The Sony MZ-E900 (late 2001) was one of the world's first portable MDLP-capable players. Many collectors still love this model because of its brushed metal finish and small (but powerful) size. To me, it really seems like a later-generation MiniDisc player and I understand the appeal. I've never had one until recently, and the one that I got wasn't working!  This one was super-noisy as the sled was seeking around, and apparently the laser never could read a disc. Sometimes I got "No Disc" and sometimes it would just spin forever, never loading the TOC. I decided to get inside, clean/lube it and also lube that sled motor to see if it would help. Please check out the video on YouTube for the detailed fix!

Disclaimer: Working with Li-po battery packs can be dangerous - compressing or bending them can break the internal layers resulting in fire risk. Currently, I do not recommend these batteries since the fit is too tight. Sony's MZ-E95 was the world's first portable MiniDisc player with a Li-ion polymer battery that allowed for flat, compact shapes. The body is very much like the gumstick-using MZ-E75. It came with a nice drop-in charging dock and a cool LED strip on the top lid that showed charging status. As you can imagine, these original batteries are long dead, but there are some replacements listed on AliExpress. A friend sent me three MZ-E95s and three sets of batteries to see if they could be replaced like they claimed. Spoiler alert: they work, but not without some minor squeezing and modifications.  As always, be super careful working with Lithium batteries! It wasn't too long ago that Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phones were infamous for catching fire due to a bat...