Sony SCD-1/777ES firmware update: my DIY project

Yeah, I'm sure 2.53 was the last. Even players made in June/Sept 2002 (very last builds) came from the factory with V2.40. The update only came out to 'fix' those discs authored strangely.

 

I know I should feel lucky but I actually feel guilty that I may have snagged the last one. I checked the on-line parts site and all of the above are in stock. It makes me wonder if I should start shopping for a used SCD-1 to use for parts?

Here is what probably is the situation. The firmware chip is small (I can tell by the size of the package it is in and the number of leads on the package). Almost for sure it is not the latest silicon technology and given that it is a chip that has evolved yields should be very high. Again almost for sure it is made on an 8 inch wafer and let's just guess that you get 100 chips per wafer. In almost any fab in the world the standard wafer lot is 25 wafers. Sony probably ordered one wafer lot. Sam, You had total count for SCD-1 and 777 machines made, how many was it?

 

You shouldn't be Tony... Funny though how we both ordered on the same day....

Could these parts be on back order from Japan? I mean the people who answer the phones at Sony are just there to take your order. They don't have any more information then what their computer screen tells them.

But for how long?

 

SCD-1 (US) serial Nos: 800001 - 801353
SCD-1 (Euro/Asia) serial Nos: 500001 - 500739
SCD-777ES (US) serial Nos: 800001 - 801625
SCD-777ES (Euro/Asia) serial Nos: 500001 – 501366

Not so many! It wouldn't surprise me at all if they only made 25 firmware chips. Judging by the people who actively reported that they had an upgrade, either here or AA, the number is less than 10. Many of the SCD-1/777ES owners who care about such things are active members of the online community.

Even though all three of those parts are listed in stock now, they could be just a handful of each. Oyama, please see if you can get them to tell you quanitites during your call today.

 

Sam, I am sure they made more than 25 chips, they would get more than that off of one wafer. I count a total of 5079 machines. If they made 2500 v 2.53 chips you can see where there could be a problem.

 

Oh Gotcha... I misread your original post about wafers. Maybe they use the same size chip in something else? Who knows, it's Sony after all. I still can't imagine more than 100 chips being out there.

 

Hi guys,

I called Sony again and they really couldn't help me much. When I inquired about the IC being "out of stock", all they could tell me was that it's probably on back-order. I asked the individual if he was certain about this and he said no, but if it was no longer available it would say so on their system. Anyway, he suggested I callGlobal Electronic Supplies
(One of Sony's Canadian Authorized Parts Centers, on the East Coast) to order the part from....which I did. The fellow there told me it would be approximately 3-6 weeks for availability, so let's hope I have better luck this time.

Sam, I also asked if they (Sony) could tell me how many of the above parts that they still had left in stock and he said that they didn't have access to this information. All he knew was that they were still available. Actually, all he was doing was searching the DAPC site for this info.

 

Oyama, I hope this works out for you, good luck.

 

Hi all SCD 1 owners and lovers.

Successful upgrade on the UT Radio SCD-1 units and Ingrid's 3 (my wife), It looks like I will be getting one for my 42nd. birthday. No glitches and all upgraded in one afternoon. I love this player! Keep me updated on parts availability and your experiences.

 

Thanks Tony!

 

Seeing as this firmware chip is most likley just a programmable ROM chip. i wonder if one could be copied??

I Used to make PC BIOS rom copies, Car CPU Rom Copies, etc. So i wonder if there is something special about this chip??

Are there any other numbers on the chip? maybe we could identify what sort of ROM it is, or if it is a ROM and what machine would be needed to make a copy with.

I dont want to take any monies from sony, but if there are truley no more available...

Zc

 

ZC, I wondered about this myself because I have seen EPROM's blown to update firmware. If this is the case then the situation is probably not as dire as we thought. As long as the ROM chip is still available then Sony only needs to buy more of them and program them to the 2.53 level and they will be available again.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

 

I just bought a SCD-1 tonight. got it for a pretty good deal, but it is Missing the Stabilizer and Remote. I just ordered a Sony AX-4000 touch screen remote so i can get by without that for a while. But i have to find a Stabilizer quickly. I know Sont has them for about $100.00 But im broke now. Anybody have an extra one they want to sell for $50-60 bucks???

I have to find the website that shows how to check firmware level. something about holding 2 buttons at the same time. My deck is a Sept 2001 model so it probably has old firmware?

My deck has the transport noise some report. that kid toy grinding sound when it searches a track. but it plays just fine. I can live with the noise as long as it stays working.

I am interested in knowing more about the MODS that are available. I am a tech so i can do the work myself if kits are available.

Thanks everyone for all the info. It was because there was so much interest in this deck that i felt comfortable enough to buy it. Guess now i should buy some SACD's eh??

Thanks


Dave

 

Congratulations on your purchase Dave.

To check the ROM version on your SCD-1, do the following:

1. Set the CD1/CD2 on the remote to CD1.
2. With the power turned on, press the "Check" button on the remote while pressing the "Text" on the unit.
3. You will see a 15 digit numeric value displayed, the top left 4 digits will be your ROM version.
4. To cancel the ROM version check, press the "Check" button on the remote while pressing the "Text" button on the unit.

 

Hi Dave,

I've sent you a PM regarding the stabilizer.....


As for the firmware check - following Oyama's instructions will get you what you want. Just don't be surprised if some of the digits keep changing in front of your eyes - this is perfectly normal!

Welcome to the forum

Mal

 

Thanks, guess i need to get a remote first! My Sony AX-4000 remote will be here next thursday. Im sure sony has codes for it. maybe i can check the revision with that. will have to see.

MAL, i sent you a message.

Thanks

ZC

 

I'm not sure if the Sony SCD-XA9000ES's remote uses the same discrete codes for the "Check" button, but perhaps you can find a Sony Dealer near you that would let you program this function onto your AX-4000. It's worth a shot....

 

If anyone is interested. i found the Sony Service Manual online. Its a large file. 10 meg. but i have it in multiple pieces in .RAR format at 1.7m each.

Zc

 

ZC, Congrats on your SCD-1. My unit (bought new) was made in July 2001 and has the firmware version 2.4 the last production version so yours is for sure 2.4. The version 2.53 came out post production and takes care of the burping noise that some multi channel SACD's will make at the end of play when played on an SCD-1 or 777ES.

I am surprised your unit is so noisy, mine is very quite. By the time Sony made these they were near end of production and they had all of the bugs out of the system.

 

I have some basic SACD questions. Are 5.1 SACD's compatible with the SCD-1?? i assume it would only play 2 channels of course.

If you use the digital out to a surround sound proccessor, will it output the 5.1 audio to the surround proccessor??

ZC

 

Yes. Up to a point. There have been a couple of out of spec 5.1 only SACDs released. These will not play. Every other SACD with 5.1 also has a stereo program which will play. However, unless the SCD-1 has had it's firmware chip updated to version 2.53 then some disks will produce a horrible noise at the end of the SACD stereo program.

Correct.

No. Digital out is strictly red book only.

 

I went to my local Surplus shop today and found this odd roller to make a weight from. i had to shave a little ridge off the top. then i glued it to a large washer and added some cloth tape to the bottom. the inside of the roller is tapered perfectly, works great! it will get me buy until the real deal comes along!

 

Dude you win the prize for most original handy work for an SACD player! That's pretty amazing

 

Thanks! I went looking for something, anything that was heavy with the right sized hole in the middle. I had seen these rollers there many times and never thought twice about them! I was just going to use the roller by itself, then i thought about using a large washer to help spread the weight out and it just sort of came together. It works better then i expected it to and it cost me less then $2.00 hahahaha

Now if i could just craft a remote out of a bar of soap i would be set hahahahha

BUT, on that note. i found a guy local that has a 777 and he said i could stop by and use his remote to program my Sony AX-4000 Universal remote for the time being. It arrives Thursday and i will see what it has for codes already in it.

 

Ok well a bit if internet research shows that this is a standard flash eprom that can be copied in any standard burner that supports these chips!

SO, I will look into buying a eprom burner and a small quantity of chips but that means i need to find one 2.53 ver chip to at least borrow to make a copy from. that seems to be the hardest part of this so far.

Zc