Mac Super-drives

Bummer but dont give up hope - there are plenty here that know more about this sort of thing than I do.
 
OK, I've done a lot of googling and a lot of tinkering, and it doesn't seem like this one is going to work. I've managed to confirm that the firmware on the PPC Mini doesn't pick up the drive.

So, since I've paid about three times as much as I should have, and since the seller is not returning my messages, I better find another way to make this work for me.

Has anyone seen Firewire/USB2 enclosures for this type of DVD writer?
 
Let me rephrase that question:

Has anyone seen Firewire/USB2 enclosures for this type of DVD writer, what has a face for a slotloading drive?

I've seen quite a few for tray loaders, but none for slotloaders. Of course, a slotloader will go in, but it'll just look a bit ugly.

Here's one:
http://www.bixnet.com/usenforslcdd.html
 
Bad luck about that drive. That external enclosure looks pretty decent though.
 
koffiejunkie said:
OK, I've done a lot of googling and a lot of tinkering, and it doesn't seem like this one is going to work. I've managed to confirm that the firmware on the PPC Mini doesn't pick up the drive.
Click to expand...

Waitaminute... if it really is just a firmware issue then PatchBurn should do the trick.

Can't believe I didn't think of asking whether you tried this earlier.

Of course if it's actually a hardware issue, Patchburn won't help at all.
 
I have tried it - mentioned it earlier. Didn't work, unless I'm not using it correctly. It simply opens up and says it's not seeing any drives.

Is there anything weird I have to do with it?
 
koffiejunkie said:
I have tried it - mentioned it earlier. Didn't work, unless I'm not using it correctly. It simply opens up and says it's not seeing any drives.

Is there anything weird I have to do with it?
Click to expand...

I completely forgot your mentioning that in the original post. No fiddling with Patchburn required.

This discussion may point to the issue foiling your installation.

Quoted from Las Vegas' post halfway down the page:

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-57497.html
The firmware on the drive could conceivably define the Master/Slave mode. There are like eight variations of Pioneer firmware for various OEM uses. A drive with Compaq firmware, for instance, will be locked into Slave mode. Mac notebooks normally use Master for their optical drives, but the Mac Mini uses Slave mode.
Click to expand...

So, if your drive was taken from a mac notebook ("PB" in serial = "powerbook"???) Then it's likely in Master mode when your Mini requires Slave mode... please note that I have NO idea what this actually means. :p

If I'm understanding the gist of that thread properly it sounds like step one would be to use a PC with DVRFlash to set the proper firmware on the drive, and then if that doesn't do the trick you can try the hardwiring solution outlined.

That discussion should at least give you enough ammunition to ask for much more specific advice over at the osxhints forum.
 
Hmm, I did see that post the other night, but I missed the bit about master/slave mode. This might be it. Unfortunately, I cannot find the firmware for that drive, and I don't have a PC to flash it with. I'm still contemplating whether I should shove it into my notebook (the shape and connector looks the same but I dunno if it *is* the same - might mess it up) so I can flash it there.

Thanks for the info though - gave me something new to think about.

Either ways, the other link I posted:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=130011949849&rd=1&rd=1

Being the impulsive buyer that I am, I saw the little apple on the sticker and ordered it straight away. I really really hope this one works!
 
Well the last thread I linked to states that a pioneer tech support person specifically stated that drives with the "PB" are slated for Mac use. So apple vs. pc doesn't seem to be the issue since yours is already mac formatted.

That said most posts I could find related to the mini and the K05 say that it was just plug and play for them. Very few even needing patchburn.

What OS X update are you using? (someone mentioned that the K05 is supposed to be officially profiled as of 10.4.4)

So it sounds as though you either have a Master formatted drive when you need it to be in slave mode, or got stuck with a lemon.
 
Oh, and as for your notebook it should definitely fit given that there are WAY more K05s in notebooks than anywhere else.

Is the laptop a mac or pc?
 
Actually, the drive I bought is a Mat****a UJ-846-C - the Pioneer is the second drive I ordered, but have not received yet (it's coming from Hong Kong).

The one in my notebook is a Mat****a too.

What bugs me is that some of the macs come with a Mat****a UJ-846-C, so I don't understand why it's not working.

I'm kinda disappointed that OSX, essentially being a UNIX, doesn't handle IDE drives in a generic way. In Linux, if you shove an IDE drive in, it will pick it up, and you'll be able to use all the features of the drive that the generic ide-cdrom driver supports.
 
Sheeeesh... I'm really not paying attention here. lol

And I hear you about the non-generic compatibility. The one thing that Mac absolutely excels in is peripherals being plug and play IF the peripherals are sold by apple. (or apple certified vendors/manufacturers) :rolleyes:

Apple's main strength is being idiot-proof, stylish and intuitive. Unfortunately this design and marketing scheme is at odds with hacking, modding, and DIY minded users.
 
So the drive you received doesn't visually match the label displayed in the auction image? :eek:

If so, you lucked out. Even if the auctioneer is unresponsive you can dispute the payment with your credit card company, paypal, ebay etc.
 
Yep. The seller has good rep on eBay, so I'm hopeful. He hasn't responded to my messages on eBay yet, but for some reason when I made the payment eBay displayed his e-mail addy, so I e-mailed him just now. Hope I get a response.
 
koffiejunkie said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=130011949849&rd=1&rd=1

Being the impulsive buyer that I am, I saw the little apple on the sticker and ordered it straight away. I really really hope this one works!
Click to expand...

Phew! Relief! Got the Pioneer today - a DVR-K05 - works like a charm. Just burned my first disc with it. :D It's far more quiet than the Mat****a too!

Speaking of the Mat****a, I ordered one of these:
http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPath=110_137&products_id=829

Put the Mat****a in, hooked it up to my notebook, and it works pretty well too. So now I have an external - never know when it might come in handy...

Thanks to all who responded.
 
Just an update. The Mat****a inside the USB enclosure is picked up by the Mac. System Profiler shows it as "Vendor/Unsupported"

I ran Patchburn, which now picked it up. Installed the profile for it, now it shows "Vendor/Supported"

So I thought, now that OSX has the correct profile for it, lets try putting it back into the Mini and see if that now works. Sadly no.

Something else I noticed (which might be the cause of the trouble). It is a UJ-846-C but when I plugged it into my notebook, my log showed UJ-846-S. Maybe that's why the Mac isn't seeing it?
 
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