Sony Discman D 88 BP-2 battery

[match69]

Hi to All,

               I have just come across my long misplaced D 88 minidisc player  (I moved house 24 years ago so it is at least since then that I have used it.) and as is always the case it seems, the original battery, BP-2 is defunkt and they are no longer available. I wondered if anyone else has had this problem and that they could help me find the best solution for a replacement. My current options are 3D printed housings and LiPo rechargeable batteries. My worry is that the original psu is 9v and the original battery was a 4V Lead/Acid type and used the 9v psu to charge it. The options I have seen use two single 3.7 cells in parallel or a preformed 3.7 battery (two cells in parallel bound into a battery). The issue is  charging them. I guess there must be a voltage downconverter in the housing to charge the original 4v battery but would this work with LiPo cells/ batteries or should I buy a separate LiPo charger? I am aware of all the horror stories of LiPo batteries catching fire and exploding and wouldn't want to damage my player or myself.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Mark.

[NonhumanHominid]

That thing's over 30 years old! Seriously, donate it to a museum or something, you're never going to make it functional again! In tech terms, it's prehistoric! 

By the way, you're in Latvia, aren't you…? Apart from the misspelling of 'defunct', I'd never had guessed English wasn't your first language - I thought you were British! 

[match69]

Hi NonhumanHominid,

      I am English, though I originate from Yorksire in the north of England, so some would argue 🙂

My Discman is fully functional, not had much use, which makes it rare but the battery is u/s. I could have a housing 3D printed as I first said. Fit this with Lipo batteries. My problem was, could I use the original 9v psu (same as was used to charge the sealed lead/acid 4V battery) to charge the LiPo 4v batteries in situ or should I recharge them off-board with a dedicated charger. As for giving it away, I love it and it is quite a novelty. Thanks for your reply.

Mark.

[jamesj74]

I fixed my Sony D-250 at the weekend.  It was spinning up and reading the correct number of tracks, but the linear drive that moves the laser had a seized middle drive wheel.  Glad to say I managed to fix it.  Did you find a battery solution?

[jamesj74]

I'm also part way through fixing my WM-702 Walkman - just needs a new drive belt.  These devices are iconic and deserve to be resurrected - if for no other reason than to being a smile and teach kids about the past...