Discman D-181
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Discman · D-181 · Concept
Sony · 1998 · Portable CD

Discman

D-181 · Groove

Seventy-four minutes of light, read by a laser at 1.2 metres per second. The lid is cut around the disc; it is the only decoration the player needs.

DISC
120 mm · 74 min
CELLS
2 × AA · about 10 h
THIN
approx. 28 mm
Formatmm · disc diameter

A lid the size of the disc

Every portable CD player is a 120 mm circle with a battery bay. The D-181 cuts its lid around the disc and keeps the controls on one dark curve at the front.

Body approx. 138 × 156 × 28 mm
W × D estimated from photos · to confirm
Weight about 220 g · to confirm
Resume · AVLS
LoadingOpen · Seat · Play
  1. ▲ Open

    Press OPEN. The lid springs up and shows the spindle.

  2. Seat

    Press the disc until it clicks. Close the lid.

  3. ▶ Play

    The disc spins up, the sled reads the TOC, track 01.

The disc slows as the laser moves outward · 500 to 200 rpm
— rpm
1.2m/s
Linear velocity
ControlsKeys · Switches · Jacks

Every control
along
one curve

Open

One key on the front edge.

Play · Pause

One key. Resume remembers the spot.

AMS

Skip and search, both ways.

Groove · Sound

One key steps the bass boost.

Hold

Locks the keys for the bag.

AVLS · DC in 4.5 V

Caps the volume, underneath. Or run it on the mains.

CD-74

Sony Discman D-181 · 1998

Discman D-181

DIGITAL AUDIOGROOVE
TITLE / CONTENTSDATE · 1998
  1. Track 1 · Open, seat, play0:00
  2. 120 mm disc, 74 minutes, 1.2 m/s3:20
  3. Rainbows off a 1.6 µm track pitch5:30
  4. Resume remembers the spot7:45
  5. Groove bass, AVLS volume cap9:20
  6. 2 × AA, about 10 h · 28 mm thin12:10
  7. 1998 · launch price to confirm14:40
  8. Discs: CD · CD-R · 120 mm16:05
  9. Size: approx. 138 × 156 × 28 mm, to confirm17:30
  10. Weight: about 220 g, to confirm19:00
handle by the edges
Unofficial concept · Sony and Discman are trademarks of Sony Group Corporation · body figures estimated from photos

3D model built in Blender from photographs of the device; the disc's colours come from a diffraction model of its 1.6 µm track pitch, computed live.

Reference photos via Wikimedia Commons: Sony D-181 by Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0); D-145 by MiNe (CC BY 2.0); D-E206CK by Dillan Payne, D-E307CK by Mikus (CC BY-SA 4.0); D-E330 by Lcarsdata, D-E775 by Darekm135 (CC BY-SA 3.0).