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| Author |
Message |
rcurl
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CD-ROM
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Jun 18 20:01 UTC 1996 |
CD-ROM hardware
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| 28 responses total. |
rcurl
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response 1 of 28:
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Jun 18 20:08 UTC 1996 |
I'm interested in getting a portable CD-ROM drive for a Mac. The usual
outlets don't list any simple (cheap) ones (2x, <$100). An advert in
Nuts&Volts, however, lists a new "Media Vision 'Reno Kit'" - a 2x, SCSI2,
with battery (for either Mac or PC, with accessories and docking bay for
PC, and software), for $100. Does anyone know this unit and can comment on
it for portable use, or point me to similar alternatives?
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ajax
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response 2 of 28:
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Jun 19 05:54 UTC 1996 |
I'm amazed at what *bad* deals I could find on portable CD-ROMs.
Didn't see any good ones. Some advice: make it clear whether or not
it includes Mac software (i.e. a driver). The Mac OS seems to support
only Apple's CD-ROM drives, and 3rd-party drivers start at around $20,
and go up to about $100 if they're part of a complete "disk utility
suite" (with a good caching program, hard drive diagnostics, etc.)
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rcurl
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response 3 of 28:
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Jun 19 06:23 UTC 1996 |
The Mac software comes with the 'Reno', but you remind me that I
already have software for a (nonportable!) Toshiba, called "CharisMac".
I had been thinking that CD-ROMS were like printers, each having to
have its own driver. So, they are generic?
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n8nxf
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response 4 of 28:
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Jun 19 11:36 UTC 1996 |
(There was a guy selling full size 1X CD ROMs at the Chelsea swap for
about $35. I put together a full sized 2X SCSI CD ROM for about $75
a year ago, including $25 for a driver.
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draven
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response 5 of 28:
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Jun 19 14:52 UTC 1996 |
Disk drives (CD-ROMs, hard drives, etc.) are all pretty similar.
A generic driver may not support all of the features, though (like random
playing audio CDs).
Mac specific CDs like the System CD don't even need a driver. I've
booted my computer with an NEC CD-ROM drive.
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ajax
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response 6 of 28:
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Jun 19 20:13 UTC 1996 |
I think most non-Apple drivers support most CD-ROM drives. Your manual
may say what it works with, or you could call the tech support to check.
I've seen great prices on internal CD-ROMs (2x SCSIs as low as $19 qty 10),
but portables (with a battery pack and all) are a different matter...Sony's
discman is something like $400!!!!!
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n8nxf
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response 7 of 28:
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Jun 20 11:25 UTC 1996 |
The guy at the Chelsea swap was also selling a single speed portable SCSI
CD ROM drive for under $100 new.
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rcurl
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response 8 of 28:
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Jun 21 06:51 UTC 1996 |
I found a Media Vision web site with the following information about the
"Reno":
http://www.sunrem.com/sunrem/mediavision.html - size 2K - 9 Apr 96
MEDIA VISION CD-ROM
Reno, the Fastest, Most Versitle Double Speed CD-ROM Player! Works
with a PC or a Mac!! (SCSI Interface)
Features:
* SCSI2, Double Speed, 180ms Portable CD-ROM Player
* Portable-- Works with AC Adapter or Batteries
* Includes Stereo Headphones, Carrying Case, AC Adapter
* Kodak Photo CD Multi Session Ready
* Includes Software Utilities for PC and Mac
$149.00 Media Vision 2x CD-ROM Part Number 513-305
($7 shipping/handling)
Another web page indicated that the unit was first announced in 1994, and sold
for $350.
So, any final thoughts on whether this is a good unit at a good price, etc?
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rickyb
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response 9 of 28:
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Jun 21 14:54 UTC 1996 |
Sunset Systems (in Ypsi) has 6x internal CD-ROMs under $100, and 8x for just
over $125.
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ajax
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response 10 of 28:
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Jun 21 16:04 UTC 1996 |
Rane, given the very limited number of portable units I've seen, I'd say
that's a fair price. I would bet that Sony's is a better unit, based just
on their reputation, but the cheapest I've seen it is $300 (it's also a
2x portable). A year or two ago, Apple was closing out their 1x portables
for $99, but I haven't seen ads for those in a long time.
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rcurl
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response 11 of 28:
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Jun 21 19:59 UTC 1996 |
I wondered what happened to the Apple portables..why they didn't continue
the line. What I don't know is whether the "Reno" will run off a car
battery. I thought I once saw something about it using 18V. It might
need an inverter to use with the AC adapter......nuisance. A bonus on
the Reno is it would give me car CD...now, where can I plug it into my
car radio....
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ajax
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response 12 of 28:
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Jun 21 21:47 UTC 1996 |
I think Apple discontinued theirs because the 1x speed seemed obsolete.
They were cool units though, you could hook them up to TVs without a
computer to display Kodak Photodiscs. I don't know why they (seemingly)
don't still sell portable CD-ROM drives.
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rcurl
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response 13 of 28:
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Oct 23 22:11 UTC 1996 |
I bought the Reno Kit. It works fine for both CD-ROM (driven by the
Charis-Mac softwsre I already had), and as an Audio CD player. It can use
batteries (either 8 AA, for CD-ROM use, or 4 AA, for Audio use) but the
play time is 90-110 minutes. However it runs fine on nominal 12 volts,
from either the AC adapter provided, or from an auto battery. The power
jack on it is very unusual, but I just put an in-line plug-jack in the
power cable that uses a conventional 5.5x2.1 plug/jack. I've used it for
Audio in my car, and it never skipped (that I could tell). [In that
connection - my radio does not have an input jack, so I bought a tiny FM
transmitter sold just to feed radios with tape or CD player outputs: that
worked very well. I wondered if any nearby motorists were puzzled by
finding Shostakovich on a channel with no radio station otherwise.]
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albaugh
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response 14 of 28:
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Jun 21 05:32 UTC 2001 |
I just had to replace my CD-ROM drive on my Intel-compatible Win98 PC.
As advertized, plug-and-play, no problem. However, when the drive is cranked
up to "warp speed", it is noisy as hell! :-( Any suggestions?
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mdw
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response 15 of 28:
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Jun 21 05:51 UTC 2001 |
Call for Scotty, from engineering.
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scott
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response 16 of 28:
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Jun 21 12:16 UTC 2001 |
Learn to live with it.
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albaugh
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response 17 of 28:
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Jun 21 14:15 UTC 2001 |
I'm talking *LOUD* here. It can't be normal - how could anyone stand to use
their PC with the CD drowning everything out. I hoping that someone has
experience with "dampening" or something...
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rcurl
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response 18 of 28:
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Jun 21 18:03 UTC 2001 |
The CD drive on my PowerMac also gets very noisy when it is idling with a
CD-ROM in place. I'm not sure why, though it sounds like it is going very
fast. It is quiet when it is being read.
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gull
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response 19 of 28:
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Jun 21 19:23 UTC 2001 |
That's the main problem that's happened as CD-ROM drives have gotten
faster and faster. They've gotten louder and louder. In my experience
the noise is directly proportional to the speed of the drive, and
inversely proportional to the price. A cheap, fast drive is the
worst. They're especially loud if you put in a CD that happens to be a
little off balance.
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albaugh
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response 20 of 28:
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Jun 22 01:03 UTC 2001 |
Yes, I have a $40 "50x" drive.
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mdw
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response 21 of 28:
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Jun 22 01:05 UTC 2001 |
Is it actually "50x"?
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albaugh
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response 22 of 28:
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Jun 22 23:04 UTC 2001 |
Who knows? It's printed on the unit and its box and documentation. I bought
it because it was cheap. Never did I expect that it would be 50x noisy!
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gull
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response 23 of 28:
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Jun 23 00:06 UTC 2001 |
I have a $36 "44x" drive. In my experience it maxes out at about 24x,
but I haven't done any scientific tests. It's possible it reaches 44x
on the very outer edge of the CD. It's much noisier than my CD-RW
drive, which is a 36x and was much more expensive.
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rcurl
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response 24 of 28:
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Jun 23 05:05 UTC 2001 |
Come to think of it, my CD-RW drive is listed as 24x - but I just
wrote a disc and had to train it down to 2x not to get an underflow.
It's the thinest pipe that limits the flow...
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