NWZ-A826, NWZ-A826K, NWZ-A828, NWZ-A828K, NWZ-A829, NWZ-A829K - Sony Audio Service Manual (repair manual)

2008I05-1

© 

2008.09

Photo: NWZ-A828

• ATRAC is trademark of Sony Corporation.
• “WALKMAN” and “WALKMAN” logo are registered trademarks of Sony

Corporation.

•

and

are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

• Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and Windows Media are trademarks or registered trademarks of

Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

• Adobe, Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe

Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

• MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology and patents licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.

• IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

• Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Inc.
• QuickTime and the QuickTime logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc., used under

license therefrom.

• Pentium is a trademark or a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
•

•

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

• THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED UNDER THE MPEG-4 VISUAL PATENT PORTFOLIO LICENSE

FOR THE PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE OF A CONSUMER FOR
(i) ENCODING VIDEO IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MPEG-4 VISUAL STANDARD

(“MPEG-4 VIDEO”) AND/OR

(ii) DECODING MPEG-4 VIDEO THAT WAS ENCODED BY A CONSUMER ENGAGED IN A 

PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AND/OR WAS OBTAINED FROM A 
VIDEO PROVIDER LICENSED BY MPEG LA TO PROVIDE MPEG-4 VIDEO.

NO LICENSE IS GRANTED OR SHALL BE IMPLIED FOR ANY OTHER USE. ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION INCLUDING THAT RELATING TO PROMOTIONAL, INTERNAL AND 
COMMERCIAL USES AND LICENSING MAY BE OBTAINED FROM MPEG LA, LLC. SEE
HTTP://WWW.MPEGLA.COM
THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED UNDER THE AVC PATENT PORTFOLIO LICENSE FOR THE 
PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE OF A CONSUMER TO
(i) ENCODE VIDEO IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AVC STANDARD (“AVC VIDEO”) AND/OR
(ii) DECODE AVC VIDEO THAT WAS ENCODED BY A CONSUMER ENGAGED IN A 

PERSONAL AND

NON-COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AND/OR WAS OBTAINED FROM A VIDEO PROVIDER
LICENSED TO PROVIDE AVC VIDEO. NO LICENSE IS GRANTED OR SHALL BE IMPLIED FOR
ANY OTHER USE.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM MPEG LA, L.L.C. SEE
HTTP://MPEGLA.COM

•  NWZ-A826K/A828K/A829K, Wirless stereo headset (DR-BT21G), it attaches.
  About DR-BT21G, refer to the following service manual.
  US, Canadian, E, Australian models: 9-887-599-[][]
  AEP, UK models: 9-887-601-[][]

•

•
•

 The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the

Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Sony
Corporation is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
US and foreign patents licensed from Dolby Laboratories.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders. In this manual,

TM

and ® marks are not specified.

This product is protected by certain intellectual property rights of Microsoft Corporation. Use or
distribution of such technology outside of this product is prohibited without a license from Microsoft
or an authorized Microsoft subsidiary.

Content providers are using the digital rights management technology for Windows Media contained
in this device (“WM-DRM”) to protect the integrity of their content (“Secure Content”) so that their
intellectual property, including copyright, in such content is not misappropriated.
This device uses WM-DRM software to play Secure Content (“WM-DRM Software”). If the security
of the WM-DRM Software in this device has been compromised, owners of Secure Content (“Secure
Content Owners”) may request that Microsoft revoke the WM-DRM Software’s right to acquire new
licenses to copy, display and/or play Secure Content. Revocation does not alter the WM-DRM
Software’s ability to play unprotected content.  A list of revoked WM-DRM Software is sent to your
device whenever you download a license for Secure Content from the Internet or from a PC.
Microsoft may, in conjunction with such license, also download revocation lists onto your device on
behalf of Secure Content Owners.

Program ©2008 Sony Corporation
Documentation ©2008 Sony Corporation

The approximate times are based on the case in which you transfer or record only 4 
minutes songs (not including videos and photos) in the MP3 format. Other playable audio
file format song numbers and times may differ from MP3 format.

Bit rate

Songs

Time

Songs

Time

48 kbps

2,450

163 hr. 20 min.

5,050

336 hr. 40 min.

64 kbps

1,850

123 hr. 20 min.

3,750

250 hr. 00 min.

128 kbps

925

61 hr. 40 min.

1,850

123 hr. 20 min.

256 kbps

460

30 hr. 40 min.

945

63 hr. 00 min.

320 kbps

370

24 hr. 40 min.

755

50 hr. 20 min.

Bit rate

Songs

Time

48 kbps

10,200

680 hr. 00 min.

64 kbps

7,650

510 hr. 00 min.

128 kbps

3,800

253 hr. 20 min.

256 kbps

1,900

126 hr. 40 min.

320 kbps

1,500

100 hr. 00 min.

The approximate recordable times are estimated in the case where only videos are
transferred. The time may differ, depending on the conditions under which the player is
used.

Bit rate

Time

Time

Time

Video Format: 384 kbps

15 hr. 00 min.

30 hr. 40 min.

62 hr. 00 min.

Audio Format: 128 kbps

Video Format: 768 kbps

8 hr. 30 min.

17 hr. 30 min.

35 hr. 30 min.

Audio Format: 128 kbps

Max. 10,000
Recordable number of photos may be less depending on file sizes.

NWZ-A826/A826K: 4 GB (Approx. 3.57 GB = 3,840,638,976 bytes)
NWZ-A828/A828K: 8 GB (Approx. 7.30 GB = 7,840,956,416 bytes)
NWZ-A829/A829K: 16 GB (Approx. 14.7 GB = 15,841,820,672 bytes)
*

1

Available storage capacity of the player may vary.

  A portion of the memory is used for data management functions.

Frequency response
20 to 20,000 Hz (when playing data file, single signal measurement)

v

Headphones (1)
USB cable (1)
Earbuds (Size S, L) (1)
Attachment (1)

* Do not attempt to play this CD-ROM in an audio CD player.
* Depending on the country/region in which you have purchased the player,
    the bundled software may be different.

Stand (1)
CD-ROM*  *  (1)

Use when connectiong the player to the optical cradle, etc.

v

1

v

2

−A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)

−MP3 Conversion Tool

Quick Start Guide  (1)

Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

−Media Manager for WALKMAN
−Windows Media Player 11
−Operation Guide (PDF file)

−AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile)

2

1

1

2

2.4-inch, TFT color display with white LED-backlight, QVGA (240 × 320 pixels), 262,144 
colors

50.2 × 93.6 × 9.3 mm (2 × 3 

3

/

4

 × 

3

/

8

 inches)

51.0 × 93.9 × 9.3 mm (2 

1

/

8

 × 3 

3

/

4

 × 

3

/

8

 inches)

Approx. 58 g (Approx. 2.1 oz)

File format

MP3(MPEG-1 Layer3) file format, ASF file format, MP4 file format, Wave-Riff file
format

File extension

MP3 (.mp3), WMA*

1

 (.wma), AAC-LC*

2

 (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp), Linear PCM (.wav)

Codec

MP3

Bit rate: 32 to 320 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))
Sampling frequency*

3

: 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

WMA*

1

Bit rate: 32 to 192 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))
Sampling frequency*

3

: 44.1 kHz

AAC-LC*

2

Bit rate: 16 to 320 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))*

4

Sampling frequency*

3

: 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

Linear PCM

Bit rate: 1,411 kbps
Sampling frequency*

3

: 44.1 kHz

File format

MP4 file format, “Memory Stick” video format

File extension

.mp4, .m4v

Codec

Video

AVC
(H.264/AVC)

Profile: Baseline Profile
Level: Max. 1.3
Bit rate: Max. 768 kbps

MPEG-4

Profile: Simple Profile
Bit rate: Max. 2,500 kbps

Frame rate: Max. 30 fps
Resolution: Max. QVGA (320 × 240)

Audio

AAC-LC

Channel number: Max. 2 channels
Sampling frequency*

3

: 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

Bit rate: Max. 288 kbps per 1 channel

File size

Max. 2 GB

The number of files

Max. 1,000

File format

Compatible with DCF 2.0/Exif 2.21file format

File extension

.jpg

Codec

Profile: Baseline Profile
Number of pixels: Max. 4,000 × 4,000 pixels (16,000,000 pixels)

The number of files

Max. 10,000

1

WM-DRM 10 files are compatible.

2

Copyright protected AAC-LC files cannot be played back.

3

Sampling frequency may not correspond to all encoders.

4

Non-standard bit rates or non-guaranteed bit rates are included depending on the
sampling frequency.

5

Some photo files cannot be played back, depending on their file formats.

Headphone: Stereo mini-jack
WM-PORT (multiple connecting terminal): 22 pins
Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0 compliant)

5 °C to 35 °C (41 °F to 95 °F)

Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
USB power (from a computer via the supplied USB cable)

USB-based charging
Approx. 3 hours (full charge), Approx.1.5 hours (approx. 80 %)

By setting as follows, a longer battery life can be expected.
The times below are approximated when “New Song Pop Up”, “Clear Stereo” , “DSEE
(Sound Enhancer)”, “Dynamic Normalizer”, “Equalizer” and “VPT(Surround)” are
deactivated, and “Screensaver” is set to “Blank.”
Furthermore, for videos, the time approximated when the brightness of the screen
is set to “3,” or when “Sound Quality Mode” is set to “Normal Mode”.
The time below may differ depending on ambient temperature or the status of use.
Battery life may be shortened by the radio waves generated by ambient Bluetooth devices
or wireless LAN devices, or by the communication distance between the player and the
communicating device.

Music

Playback at MP3 128 kbps

Approximately 15 hours

Approximately 36 hours

Playback at WMA 128 kbps

Approximately 15 hours

Approximately 35.5 hours

Playback at AAC-LC 128 kbps

Approximately 15 hours

Approximately 33.5 hours

Playback at Linear PCM 1411 kbps

Approximately 15 hours

Approximately 34.5 hours

Video (Only sound in Bluetooth communication)

Playback at MPEG-4 384 kbps

Approximately 7 hours

Approximately 10 hours

Playback at MPEG-4 768 kbps

Approximately 7 hours

Approximately 9 hours

Playback at AVC 384 kbps

Approximately 6 hours

Approximately 8 hours

Playback at AVC 768 kbps

Approximately 6 hours

Approximately 8 hours

UNLEADED  SOLDER
Boards requiring use of unleaded solder are printed with the lead-
free mark (LF) indicating the solder contains no lead.
(Caution: Some printed circuit boards may not come printed with 

the lead free mark due to their particular size)

Unleaded solder has the following characteristics.
•  Unleaded solder melts at a temperature about 40 °C higher 

than ordinary solder.

 

Ordinary soldering irons can be used but the iron tip has to be 
applied to the solder joint for a slightly longer time.

 

Soldering irons using a temperature regulator should be set to 
about 350 °C.
Caution:  The printed pattern (copper foil) may peel away if the 

heated tip is applied for too long, so be careful!

• Strong 

viscosity

 

Unleaded solder is more viscous (sticky, less prone to fl ow) 
than ordinary solder so use caution not to let solder bridges 
occur such as on IC pins, etc.

• 

Usable with ordinary solder

 

It is best to use only unleaded solder but unleaded solder may 
also be added to ordinary solder.

Notes on chip component replacement
• 

Never reuse a disconnected chip component.

• 

Notice that the minus side of a tantalum capacitor may be dam-
aged by heat.

Flexible Circuit Board Repairing
• 

Keep the temperature of soldering iron around 270 °C during 
repairing.

• 

Do not touch the soldering iron on the same conductor of the 
circuit board (within 3 times).

• 

Be careful not to apply force on the conductor when soldering 
or unsoldering.

  .............................................   3

  ..................................................................   5

3-1.   Disassembly Flow  ..........................................................   6
3-2.   Cover (Rear), Rear Assy .................................................   6
3-3.   Battery .............................................................................   7
3-4.   MAIN Board ...................................................................   7
3-5.   LCD Assy ........................................................................   8

TEST  MODE 

 ............................................................  

9

5-1.  Block Diagram - MAIN Section - ...................................   17
5-2. Block 

Diagram 

 

- PANEL, POWER SUPPLY Section - ...........................   18

5-3.  Printed Wiring Board - MAIN Board (Side A) - ............   20
5-4.  Printed Wiring Board - MAIN Board (Side B) - ............   21
5-5.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (1/7) - .....................   22
5-6.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (2/7) - .....................   23
5-7.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (3/7) - .....................   24
5-8.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (4/7) - .....................   25
5-9.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (5/7) - .....................   26
5-10.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (6/7) - .....................   27
5-11.  Schematic Diagram - MAIN Board (7/7) - .....................   28
5-12.  Printed Wiring Board - SW Board - ................................   29
5-13.  Schematic Diagram - SW Board (1/2) - ..........................   30
5-14.  Schematic Diagram - SW Board (2/2) - ..........................   31

6-1.  Cover (Rear) Section ......................................................   43
6-2. Rear 

Assy 

Section 

...........................................................  44

6-3.  MAIN Board Section ......................................................   45
6-4. Front 

Section 

...................................................................  46

  ..............................   47

CAUTION
Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with the same or equivalent type.

NOTE  THE  CN601,  CN602,  IC301,  IC302,  IC305,  IC453,  
IC501,  IC503,  IC508,  IC509,  IC601,  IC602,  IC701,  
IC751,  IC752,  IC901,  IC902  AND  IC903  ON  THE  MAIN  
BOARD  REPLACING
CN601, CN602, IC301, IC302, IC305, IC453, IC501, IC503, 
IC508, IC509, IC601, IC602, IC701, IC751, IC752, IC901, IC902 
and IC903 on the MAIN board cannot exchange with single. When 
CN601, CN602, IC301, IC302, IC305, IC453, IC501, IC503, 
IC508, IC509, IC601, IC602, IC701, IC751, IC752, IC901, IC902 
and IC903 on the MAIN board are damaged, exchange the entire 
mounted board.

NOTE  THE  CN801,  CN881  AND  IC801  ON  THE  SW  
BOARD  REPLACING
CN801, CN881 and IC801 on the SW board cannot exchange with 
single. When CN801, CN881 and IC801 on the SW board are dam-
aged, exchange the entire mounted board.

 Supported Codecs*

3

: SBC (Subband Codec)

 Transmission range (A2DP): 20 - 20,000Hz (Sampling frequency 44.1kHz)

 *

1

 The actual range will vary depending on factors such as obstacles between devices, 

magnetic fields, static electricity, reception sensitivity, antenna (aerial) performance, 
operating system, software application, etc.

*

2

 Bluetooth profiles are standardized according to the purpose of the Bluetooth device.

*

3

 Codec indicates the audio signal compression and conversion format.

 Computer 

IBM PC/AT or compatible computer preinstalled with the following Windows operating 
systems*

1

:

Windows XP Home Edition (Service Pack 2 or later) / Windows XP Professional 
(Service Pack 2 or later) / Windows Vista Home Basic / Windows Vista Home Premium 
/ Windows Vista Business / Windows Vista Ultimate
Not supported by 64 bit version OS.
Not supported by OSs other than above. 
*

1

 Excluding OS Versions not supported by Microsoft.

 CPU: Pentium 4 1.0 GHz or higher

 RAM: 512 MB or more

 Hard Disk drive: 380 MB or more of available space

 Display: 

Screen Resolution: 800 × 600 pixels (or higher) (recommended 1,024 × 768 or higher)
Colors: 8 bit or higher (16 bit recommended)

 CD-ROM drive (supporting Digital Music CD playback capabilities using WDM)

To create original CDs, a CD-R/RW drive is required.

 Sound board

 USB port (Hi-Speed USB is recommended)

 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or 3.0, QuickTime 7.2, Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0, 

Windows Media Player 10 or 11 (Windows Media Player 11 recommended. Some 
computers that already have Windows Media Player 10 installed may encounter file 
limitation (AAC, video files, etc.) that can be transferred by dragging and dropping.).

 Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher needs to be installed.

 Broadband Internet connection is required to use Electronic Music Distribution (EMD) 

or to visit the web site.

We do not guarantee operation for all computers even if they meet the above System 
Requirements.

Not supported by the following environments:
Personally constructed computers or operating systems
An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed operating 

system

Multi-boot environment
Multi-monitor environment
Macintosh

NOTE  THE  MAIN  BOARD  REPLACING
When the MAIN board is replaced, format it according to the fol-
lowing.

You can format the built-in flash memory of the player.
If the memory is formatted, all data and settings will be erased. Be sure to 
verify the data stored in memory prior to formatting and export any important 
data to the hard disk of your computer.

Settings

5-way button

BACK/HOME 

button

 This function is only available in the pause mode.

 This function is not available while the Bluetooth function is turned on.





/// button to select   (Settings), and then press 

 button to confirm.

Select “No” in step 



 or 



 and press the 

 button to confirm. You can also 

cancel the operation by pressing the BACK/HOME button in step 



 or 



.

 Do not format the built-in flash memory using software or Windows Explorer.



/// button to select “Common Settings,” and then 

 button to confirm.

The list of “Common Settings” options appears.



/// button to select “Format,” and then press the 

 button to confirm.
“All data including songs will be deleted. Proceed?” appears.



/ button to select “Yes,” and then press the  button 

to confirm.
“All data will be deleted. Proceed?” appears.



/ button to select “Yes,” and then press the  button 

to confirm.
While the memory is being formatted, an animated display appears.
When initialization finishes, “Memory formatted.” appears.

NWZ-A826

AEP, UK

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French

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East European

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E

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Mexican

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Chinese

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NWZ-A826K

ALL model

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NWZ-A828

AEP, UK

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French

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East European

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E

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Chinese

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NWZ-A828K

ALL model

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NWZ-A829

US

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Canadian

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AEP, UK

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French

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East European

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E, Tourist

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Mexican

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NWZ-A829K

ALL model

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