[5] Hardware

The numbers after the model name (e.g. "CDR-102 (4x2/512K)") refer to the read and write speeds of the unit and the size of the write buffer. "4x2" would be a double-speed writer that's also a quad-speed reader. If it just says "?x2", the write speed is double-speed and the read speed isn't known (but presumably is at least 2x). Buffer sizes written with a '+', e.g. "2MB+", indicate that the buffer can be expanded further. If the recorder can write to CD-RW media, the specification will include a third value, e.g. "6x4x2/1MB" would be a drive that reads at 6x, writes to CD-R media at 4x, and writes to CD-RW media at 2x. Some manufacturers present the speed ratings in a different order, e.g. write/rewrite/read. There is no standard approach. (NOTE: the notation used in the FAQ prior to July 1999 was different.) Many units are repackaged versions of other manufacturer's devices, sometimes with slight changes in the firmware. Value-added retailers have been known to switch to a different manufacturer's drive without notice, so don't assume that everything here is accurate. All CD-R drives are SCSI unless labeled as IDE, USB, or parallel-port. Many of the models listed have been discontinued in favor of newer models, and some of them have yet to be released, so you will probably not be able to find all of the models listed here for sale. An excellent summary of CD-R features can be found on http://makecd.core.de/auto/Compatibility_toc.html. If you're new to SCSI, take a look at the comp.periphs.scsi FAQ, http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/scsi-faq/. It covers both novice and advanced questions. A wealth of information on Enhanced IDE and other storage technologies is available from http://thef-nym.sci.kun.nl/~pieterh/storage.html and http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/pc-hardware-faq/enhanced-IDE/top.html. Subject: [5-1] Which CD recorder should I buy? (1999/07/18) There are no absolutely perfect recorders, but some drives are better than others. The best are listed below, and the risky propositions are identified with "CAVEAT EMPTOR" warnings in the individual sections. In cases where a unit is built by company A and repackaged by company B, the warnings are listed with the original manufacturer (company A). Based on the experience of users posting to the comp.publish.cdrom.hardware Usenet newsgroup, the currently-selling models worth buying are: - Plextor PX-R820T - Sony CRX100E (often as HP 8100i) - Sony 948S - Yamaha CRW-4416 - Ricoh MP7040A - Ricoh MP-6200/MP-6200I/MP-6201S (also as Philips OmniWriter/26 and /26A) - Teac CD-R56S - Panasonic CW-7501/CW-7502/CW-7582 (often as Matsushita or Compro 7502) - Sanyo CRD-R800S (often as Smart & Friendly CD Rocket 8020) - Wearnes CDRW-622 (also as Memorex CRW-1622 and Dysan CRW-1622) - Philips CDD3600 (also as HP 7100/7200) Some older models that would be worth buying are: - Plextor PX-R412C - Yamaha CDR-100/CDR-102 (also as S&F 4000/S&F 1004) - Sony 920S/940S (also as S&F 1002/2004) - Teac CD-R55S - Teac CD-R50S (a/k/a Teac 4x4) - Yamaha CRW-4001/CRW-4260 (also as Smart & Friendly 426) and CRW-2260 - Ricoh RS-1420C (also as Turtle Beach 2040R) - Philips CDD2600 (also as HP 6020i, but w/o packet writing) - Philips CDD522 (also as Kodak PCD225) These have largely positive responses, but either haven't been around long enough or just aren't mentioned often enough to make a specific recommendation: - (no entries at present) These are discussed in the next few sections. Stand-alone audio recorders are discussed in section (5-12). See also the (somewhat Adaptec-specific but still useful) "CD RECORDABLE SUPPORT" section from "ftp://ftp.adaptec.com/pub/BBS/dos/ezlist.txt". The model numbers are important! Sometimes the older or newer models from the same manufacturer aren't as good. The units listed were considered independently from the software that they were bundled with, and it may be necessary to buy additional software to get the full value from the drive. If you have specific needs, you should verify with the manufacturer that the drive will do what you want. All computer-based recorders can create audio CDs and CD-ROMs, but some have additional features and some are just plain better at it. Many of the devices are simply OEM versions of another company's recorder. It's unwise to assume that the units are equivalent, however: in many cases the firmware has been changed, and may not work as well as related models. External drives are preferred to internal drives because of heat problems, though this is less of a concern for newer models. External models can also be moved between machines, and even between platforms. Most if not all SCSI models will work on both Macs and PCs. I'm not currently listing stand-alone recorders like the "CD Blaster" or "CD Dupe-It", which are boxes with a CPU, CD-R, and hard drive that can duplicate CDs without tying up a full machine. Most of these low-end CD production boxes are off-the-shelf hardware and software packaged into a single unit, so listing them separately doesn't make much sense. Besides, they're not of much interest to the average user. Subject: [5-1-1] Yamaha (1999/07/18) See http://www.yamahayst.com/ See http://www.yamahacdrwinfo.com/ (was http://www.datac.net/yamaha.htm) Models are: CDR-100 (4x4/512K) CDR-102 (4x2/512K) CDR-200 (6x2/1MB) CDR-400 (6x4/2MB; 'c' is caddy, 't' is tray, 'x' is external) CDR-401 (6x4/2MB;IDE) CRW-4001 (6x4x2/2MB;IDE) CRW-4260 (6x4x2/2MB) CRW-2260 (6x2x2/1MB) CRW-2216E (16x2x2/2MB;IDE) CRW-4416 (16x4x4/2MB; S)CSI and E)IDE) CRW-6416S (16x6x4/2MB) It has been reported that the CDR-102 is the same mechanism as the CDR-100, but with the 4x writing feature disabled. There is no known way to convert it into a 4x writer. Similar speculation has been made about the CDR-200 and CDR-400, and in fact some people have claimed success. Learn all about R621 at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/7023/index.html (or http://home.t-online.de/home/christoph.dittenberger if you prefer German). It may also be possible to convert a 2260 into a 4260 with the same method. Yamaha CDR-100 and CDR-102 units have problems doing digital audio extraction on some discs. See section (4-19). Yamaha CDR-100s with firmware version 1.08 may experience problems when recording audio (e.g. a click at the end of tracks recorded with the "copy prohibit" flag set to "off"). Upgrading to version 1.10 is recommended. Since the CDR-100 and CDR-102 units don't have flash ROM (and apparently the upgrade involves more than just changing a ROM chip), the drive needs to be sent back to the dealer for the upgrade. The CDR-100 reportedly works best when writing in 4x mode, and may produce poor results when used to write at 2x or 1x. The current firmware versions for the older Yamaha drives is v1.12 for the CDR-100 and v1.01 for the CDR-102. The change was to "allow mastering in Blue Book specs". If you aren't having problems, don't get the upgrade. The Yamaha CDR-400 is somewhere around 1.0g. The CDR-400 is flash upgradeable, and supports packet writing. The tray on the CDR-400 has been described as "flimsy". The tray eject moves quickly for the first half and then slows considerably; this is normal. The CRW-4001/CRW-4260 runs rather hot. External units or extra cooling fans are recommended. Upgrades for the CDR-200/CDR-400 and some .PDF documentation for all drives are available from ftp://ftp.yamahayst.com/pub/. Technical support info can be found on http://www.yamahayst.com/techsup/. CAVEAT EMPTOR - Yamaha CDR-200/CDR-400. Reports of units breaking down after a few months have been persistent. It appears that, unless the units are kept well-cooled, they will start rejecting discs after a month or two of use. The drives work very well otherwise, and one customer was told that the CDR-400AT model was a sturdier version. Subject: [5-1-2] Sony (1999/07/04) See http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/products/storage/ See http://www.sony-cp.com/_E/Products/Storage/CD-R/Index.html Models are: CDW-900E (2x2/3MB) CDU920S (2x2/1MB) CDU940S (4x2/1MB) CDU926S (6x2/512K) CDU928E (8x2/512K;IDE) CDU948S (8x4/2MB) CRX100E/CH (24x4x2/1MB;IDE) CRX100E/X (6x4x2/1MB;USB) CRX120E (24x4x4/1MB;IDE) The CDW-900E has a separate connector that allows multiple "slave" drives to be daisy-chained, allowing multiple CD-Rs to be written in parallel. The Spressa 9211 is a 920 in an external case, the 9411 is a 940 in an external case, and the 9611 is a 926. The 940S drive is actually a 924S; the 940S designation refers to the complete bundle (software, cables, etc). Looks like each unit can be referenced by three different numbers. Some people have criticized the CRX100E for being unable to write more than about 78 minutes on an oversized (e.g. 80-minute) blank. For many people this capability is unimportant. Sony drives have a special "recover" feature, accessible from programs like Easy-CD Pro '95. This allows recovery of the CD-R media after certain classes of failed writes. All Sony drives can do packet writing. Firmware for some models can be hard to find. A good place to start searching is http://www.ahead.de/en/firmware.htm. CAVEAT EMPTOR - CDU926 and CDU928. Believe it or not, the CDU926 and CDU928 don't support disc-at-once recording (see section (2-9) for a description). Instead they use "variable-gap track-at-once", which allows TAO audio recordings with barely perceptible gaps between tracks. Some popular software packages aren't as useful when disc-at-once isn't available, so people considering these drives should carefully consider how they plan to use them. (The older 920 and 924, and newer 948 units DO support DAO.) Subject: [5-1-3] Smart & Friendly (1999/06/05) See http://www.smartandfriendly.com/ Models are: CDR1002 (2x2/1MB, based on the Sony CDU920S) CDR1004 (4x2/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-102) CDR2004 (4x2/1MB, based on the Sony 940S) CDR2006 "Pro" (6x2/512K, based on the Sony 926S) CDR2006 "Plus" (6x2/1MB, based on the JVC XR-W2020) CDR4000 (4x4/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) CDR4006 (6x4/2MB, based on the Yamaha CDR-400) CD-RW226 "Plus" (6x2x2/1MB, based on the JVC XR-W2042) CD-RW426 (6x4x2/2MB;IDE, based on the Yamaha CRW-4001/4260) SpeedWriter 4012 (12x4/1MB, based on the Teac CD-R55S) CD Racer 2x2x24 (24x2x2/2MB;IDE, based on the JVC XR-W2080) CD SpeedRacer (16x4x4/2MB, based on the Yamaha CRW-4416S?) CD TurboWriter (24x6/2MB, based on the Teac CD-R56S) CD Rocket 8020 (20x8/2MB, based on the Sanyo/Caravelle CRD-R800S) All models are recorders built by major manufacturers, repackaged and supported by Smart & Friendly. Subject: [5-1-4] Philips (1999/07/18) See http://www.km.philips.com/osc/cd-rw/index.html See http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/6893/ (2600/3600) See http://www.honiton5.freeserve.co.uk/ (3600) Models are: CDD522 (2x2/2MB) CDD2000 (4x2/1MB) CDD2600 (6x2/1MB) Omniwriter/26 (6x2x2/1MB) CDD3600 (6x2x2/1MB) and CDD3610 (IDE) CDRW200 (24x2x2/2MB;IDE, based on JVC XR-W2080) CDRW400 (16x4x4/2MB;IDE, based on Yamaha 4416E) The CDD521 (2x2/256K) is an ancient model; if you use one, the firmware upgrade is strongly recommended (but nearly impossible to find). The Omniwriter/26 and /26A appear to be repackaged Ricoh 6200 and 6200I OEMs. In Europe, the 3600 is packaged in a kit as the PCA350RW, the 3610 as the PCA362RW, and the 3610 with a parallel-port interface comes as the PCA363RW. The CDRW400 might be packaged as the PCA460RW. The CDD522 does not support reading of subcode-Q data. The CDD521, CDD522, and Kodak-labeled PCD225 have a sensor that can read the barcode data from the inner ring on a CD. See the HP section for comments about the CDD2000 firmware. The firmware is kept in flash ROM, so it can be updated with software obtainable over the net. You should be at version 1.25 or later for best results. Digital audio extraction may not work correctly at higher than 2x on the CDD2600, especially near the end of the disc. Philips has acknowledged that audio CDs and packet-written CDs may not read correctly at 6x, but many users have had problems at 4x as well. It may also suffer from the block offset problem described in section (4-19). The CDD2600 supports packet writing, but is NOT flash upgradeable. The CDD2600 may share the HP 6020i's difficulties with pressed CD-ROMs that have a small amount of data on them. The initial release (firmware v1.0) of the 3610 was unable to create audio discs reliably using disc-at-once recording. Firmware v2.02 fixed this and some other problems. Philips' drives, notably the CDD2600, have been shown to hang on some Amigas if SCSI disconnect is enabled and you try to read the session information from a multisession CD. Philips does not believe this problem happens on PCs, and consequently has declined to investigate further. If you are experiencing hangs when examining multisession CDs, try turning SCSI disconnect off for the CD recorder. Drivers are available for the CDD2000 from: http://www.philips.com/sv/pcaddon/cdr/ Firmware updates are available here: http://www.km.philips.com/osc/cd-rw/download/index.html CAVEAT EMPTOR - CDD2000. Some users of Philips CDD2000 and derivative units (like the HP4020i) have reported that the drives went bad over a short period of time, often 1 to 3 months. While these cases represent the minority of users, reports have been persistent. People with the technical skills (and bravery) required to replace a spring and/or lubricate inside the unit have reported good results (see section (4-10) for details). If you buy a CDD2000-based unit -- of which there are many -- be sure the dealer or manufacturer is aware of this problem and is willing to fix or exchange the drive should it arise. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Philips. Information is available at http://www.shortbusters.com/. A copy of the complaint is at http://www.shortbusters.com/lawsuits/philips/complain.html. Subject: [5-1-5] Hewlett-Packard (HP) (1999/06/05) See http://www.hp.com/storage/cdwriter/index.html See http://www.hp.com/isgsupport/cdr/ Models are: 4020i (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) (#C4324) 6020 (6x2/1MB, based on Philips CDD2600; i)nt, e)xt, p)arallel) (#C4325) 7100i/e (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on Philips CDD3610; 'i' is IDE (#C4353A), 'e' is parallel (#C4358A)) 7500i/e (24x2x2/?MB;IDE, based on JVC XR-W2080; parallel 'e' model is 6x2x2) 8100i (24x4x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Sony CRX100E) 8200i (24x4x4/1MB;IDE, based on a Sony CRX120E) The 7110 is identical to the 7100, but comes with an extra piece of software and is only available in the USA. The 7200 is a 7100 with updated firmware (2.x) and Easy CD Creator included. The 8110 is the same as the 8100 but with a bunch of extra software; ditto for 8210 vs 8200. The 6020ep appears to be the external SCSI drive with a parallel-to-SCSI converter. It's usable as a SCSI device as well. The 71XXe drives are 71XXi drives with a parallel-to-IDE converter. The 7500 series is often sold as 7570. The initial release of the 7100/7110 was unable to create audio discs reliably with disc-at-once recording. The 2.02 firmware upgrade fixes the problem. Some people have criticized the 8100i (same as Sony CRX100E) for being unable to write more than about 78 minutes on an oversized (e.g. 80-minute) blank. For many people this capability is unimportant. If you are having trouble getting the 7100e to work with your parallel port, see http://www.hp.com/isgsupport/cdr/tech/7100/par95.html for some important configuration advice. If your BIOS is configured to use address 03BCh, you should change it to 0378h or 0278h. It appears that discs written with a 7110 can't be read on a Toshiba XM6002B. Other models of CD-ROM drives, including other Toshiba models, work fine. CD-Rs written on other CD recorders work fine with the Toshiba. The 3.01 firmware upgrade fixes this. The HP 4020i got off to a rough start because of buggy firmware and problems with the AdvanSys SCSI controller shipped with the drive. Four firmware upgrades have been made available so far (v1.20, v1.25, v1.26, and v1.27), and most but not all problems with the firmware have been eliminated. HP recommends that users with the v1.20 or later firmware who aren't having problems should NOT get the upgrade. Contact HP tech support for more information. The comments about digital audio extraction problems and the CDD2600 apply to the 6020i as well. Unlike the CDD2600, the 6020 apparently does not support packet writing. The firmware is not flash upgradeable. (As it happens, the SCSI ID string *can* be changed, and it *is* possible to make the unit think it's a CDD2600. A representative from Adaptec has warned that the procedure could cause problems later on, however.) The 6020 with v1.07 firmware also has trouble reading some pressed CD-ROM discs, notably single-track CD-ROMs with less than 27MB of data. An unofficial HP 4020i FAQ maintained by Greg Volk can be found at http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/HP-FAQ.html. Drivers, software, and firmware upgrades are available from ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/information_storage/surestore/cd-writer/. The 7100/7110 firmware upgrade is available here: http://www.hp.com/isgsupport/cdr/70index.html IMPORTANT - 7100/7110. The 7100/7110 drew a lot of fire because it shipped with DirectCD (packet-writing software), a CD Copier, and an audio CD creator. It didn't include premastering software for data CDs. Because packet-written CDs can't be read on all operating systems or all CD-ROM drives, the inability to create plain Level 1 ISO-9660 discs was a problem for some users. People who buy this drive should expect to buy additional software. The software bundled with the 7200 was more wisely chosen. CAVEAT EMPTOR - 4020i. See the notes on the CDD2000 in the previous section. Also, the AdvanSys controller continues to cause problems for some users, which is made worse by HP's refusal to support people who try to use a different card. The best approach seems to be to try the card and stick with it if it works, otherwise buy an Adaptec board (e.g. the 1522A) and use it with that. There may be a newer rev of the AdvanSys board. A few 4020 users have reported that, after getting lots of "-24 - Target aborted" errors with jarnold's software, they successfully resolved their problems by getting a new drive from HP. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against HP (for the HP4020i and HP6020i) by the same people who filed the suit against Philips. See the end of section (5-1-4) for links. Subject: [5-1-6] Plasmon (1998/11/27) See http://www.plasmon.com/products/cdformat.htm See http://tech.plasmon.co.uk/ Models are: RF4100 (2x2/1MB+, based on the Philips CDD522 but with different firmware) CDR4220 (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) CDR4240 (4x2/1MB, based on the Panasonic CW-7501) CDR-4400 (4x2/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) CDR480 (8x4/1MB, based on the Panasonic CW-7502) The RF4102 is an RF4100 with more memory. The RF4100 does not support disc-at-once recording. Subject: [5-1-7] Kodak (1999/04/11) See http://www.kodak.com/ [ no CD recorder info? ] Models are: PCD200 (?x2/256K) PCD225 (2x2/2MB, based on the Philips CDD522) PCD240 (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) PCD600 (?x6/2MB+) 4801 (??;IDE, based on the Mitsumi 4801??) The Philips CDD522, Kodak PCD225, and Kodak PCD600 will interface with the Kodak Disc Transporter, which supports unattended duplication of up to 75 CD-Rs, making it a useful combo for CD-R production. Subject: [5-1-8] JVC (1999/05/30) See http://www.jvcinfo.com/ See http://www.smartstorage.com/ See http://www.e-cs.com/skx/jvc/xrw2010.htm Models are: XR-W1001 (1x1/64K) XR-W2001 (2x2/1MB) XR-W2010 (4x2/1MB) XRS-201 (2x2/1MB) XR-W2020 (6x2/1MB) XR-W2042 (6x2x2/1MB) [on the JVC web site, no model number?] (12x4/1MB;IDE) XR-W2080 (24x2x2/2MB;IDE). The drives are sometimes sold with model numbers that have 2 added, so XR-W2010 might appear as XR-W2012, XR-W2020 as XR-W2022, and XR-W2080 as XR-W2082. The XR-W2626 appears to be an XR-W2020. The drives often come bundled with JVC "Personal Archiver" or "RomMaker" software. The XR-W2010 and XR-W2020 also come with "FloppyCD" packet-writing software. JVC only provides support for drives purchased directly from them, but firmware updates can be found at http://www.jvcinfo.com/service/firmware.htm. If you don't buy a JVC drive from JVC, make sure your vendor provides a warranty. If you are getting "servo tracking error", "seek error", or "track following error" messages with an XR-W2010 or XR-W2020, your drive may need to be opened up and lubricated. Step-by-step instructions for doing so are at http://www.noord.bart.nl/~januzz/howtoget.htm. If you're not quite up to that, try turning the drive off and leaving it off until right before you're ready to burn. Some units have trouble when they get warm. Several users have reported difficulty installing the XR-W2020, but the troubles appear to stem from the SCSI card bundled with the drive rather than the drive itself. CAVEAT EMPTOR - XR-W2010. Firmware version 1.51 has some serious flaws that can cause problems when using the drive as either a writer or a reader. The v2.05 update fixed most of the problems, but some conflicts with 3rd-party software remained, so the update was withdrawn. Until these problems are fixed, this drive should only be used with the JVC software, and should not be used as a reader. Power-cycling the unit (i.e. powering it off and back on) immediately before a write may cure some problems. For examples and some tests, see http://www.fadden.com/doc/jvc-prob.txt. While there are a large number of people who are using these drives without problems, one person affiliated with a CD-R software company referred to the XR-W2010 as their "#1 tech support nightmare". CAVEAT EMPTOR - XR-W2020. The mechanism appears to have the same problems with lubrication as the XR-W2010. After several months of successful use, the unit will start returning "tracking error" messages. Subject: [5-1-9] Pinnacle (1998/06/05) See http://www.pinnaclemicro.com/producta1.htm Models are: RCD-202 (?x1/64K, based on the JVC XR-W1001) RCD-1000 (2x2/1MB, based on the JVC XR-W2001) RCD-5020 (2x2/1MB) RCD-5040 (4x2/1MB, based on the JVC XR-W2010) RCD-4X4 (4x4/1MB, based on the Teac CD-R50S) RCDW226 (6x2x2/1MB) The -1000, -5020, and -5040 models are flash ROM upgradeable. RCD-1000 units shipped after Sept 1995 can do audio extraction if they have firmware v2.35 or later. An upgrade is available from their BBS. If you are getting "servo tracking error", "seek error", or "track following error" with a 5040, see the notes in the JVC XR-W2010 section. CAVEAT EMPTOR - all drives. Pinnacle customer support is reported to be almost nonexistent, except for some recent tech support via e-mail. Many owners of the RCD-5040 are perfectly happy with their drives (see the caveat on the JVC XR-W2010), but most of the stories about Pinnacle's product support are negative. Pinnacle earned a bad reputation after shipping drives with buggy firmware, a poorly ventilated enclosure, and bad customer support. Some owners of the RCD-1000 have gotten the unit to work, others have given up in despair. Subject: [5-1-10] Ricoh (1999/07/18) See http://www.ricoh.com/ See http://www.ricohcorp.com/ See http://www.ricohcpg.com/product_index.html See http://www.ctours.com/ricoh [ was www.microse.com then www.dataweb.nl ] See http://www.arrakis-ttm.com/cdr/tommp6200.html Models are: RS-9200CD (?x1/1.2MB) RO-1060C/RS-1060C (2x2/512K) RS-1420C (4x2/512K+) MP-6200 (6x2x2/1MB; 'S' is SCSI, 'A' or 'I' is IDE) MP-7040 (20x4x4/2MB; 'S' is SCSI, 'A' is IDE) MP-7060 (6x writer?) The MP-6200 uses a tray, the MP-6201 uses caddies and has a 2MB buffer. The RS1060C does not support disc-at-once recording, reading of digital audio, or subcode-Q data. (One user reported that his RO1060C *could* read digital audio, but the drive took a little convincing. Another user says that it has always been supported, but not documented, so it can be done with the right software, e.g. CDDA v1.5.) The RS-1060C is the RO-1060C in an external case. The RS-1420C is flash upgradeable (though it can be a little tricky since there are different variants of the drive, and each requires a different ROM image). It does not support packet writing. Most of the commercial versions come with a 2MB buffer (the last digit of the firmware version will be 0, 1, or 2, indicating 512K, 1MB, and 2MB, respectively). The firmware on the flash-upgradeable MP-6200 should either be at v2.20 or later. Version 1.0 had several problems, version 2.0 didn't get along so well with DirectCD 2.0, and version 2.03 had some DAE issues. Firmware upgrades are available from Tom Varghese's page listed above (arrakis-ttm.com) and http://www.ricoh.co.jp/cd-r/cgi/e-/version.html. Subject: [5-1-11] Pioneer (1998/04/06) See http://www.pioneerusa.com/cds.html [ mass replication ] See http://www.pioneerproduct.com/prdsoft/cdr/index.html [ PDR-05 ] See http://www.pioneer.co.jp/ [ if you can read Japanese ] Models are: DW-S114X (4x4/1MB) The PDR-05 is an audio CD-R recorder, described in section (5-12). Does not support disc-at-once recording. Mainly sold in large jukebox systems. Subject: [5-1-12] Olympus (1998/04/06) See http://www.olympusamerica.com/digital/products/CDR2x4/CDR2x4.html See http://www.olympusamerica.com/digital/products/cdr2x6/cdr2x6.html Models are: CDS615E (2x2/1MB, based on the Sony CDU920S) CDS620E (4x2/1MB, based on the Sony CDU924S) CD-R2x6 (6x2/512K, based on the Sony CDU926S??) The CD-R2 is the CDS615E in an external case. The CD-R2x4 might be the external version of the CDS620E. The CD-R2x6 probably has a name like CDS640E, but it's not listed as such on their web site. Subject: [5-1-13] Optima (1998/04/06) See http://www.optimatech.com/CDR.html See http://www.optimatech.com/CDRW.html Models are: DisKovery 650 CD-R (2x2/1MB, based on the Sony CDU920S) DisKovery 1300 CD-R (6x2/512K, based on the Sony CDU960S?) Optima CDWriter (6x4x2/2MB, based on ??) Subject: [5-1-14] Mitsumi (1999/04/06) See http://www.mitsumi.com/ Models are: CR-2200CS (2x2/4MB, based partly on the Philips CDD2000) CR-2201CS (same as CR-2200CS but with 2x2/1MB) CR-2401TS (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) CR-2600TE (6x2/1MB;IDE) CR-2801TE (8x2/512K;IDE) CR-4801TE (8x4/2MB;IDE) CR-4802TE (8x4x2/2MB;IDE) and TU (USB) In all unit designations, 'C' means caddy, and 'T' means tray, 'S' is SCSI, and 'E' is EIDE. The devices based on the CDD2000 are flash upgradeable (you should be able to use Philips CDD2000 images). CAVEAT EMPTOR - CR-2600TE and CR-2801TE. These drives do not support disc-at-once recording. Like the Sony 926 and 928 units, they claim to support track-at-once with nearly imperceptible gaps instead. Ahead's Nero can reportedly do this with the CR-2801TE. The CR-4801TE with firmware 2.01 and later supports DAO recording. Earlier versions do not. If your recording software doesn't believe that the drive is capable of DAO, you may need to update the software to a version that is aware of the changes in the firmware update. Subject: [5-1-15] DynaTek Automation Systems (1998/12/20) [ DynaTek has reportedly gone out of business ] See http://raider.dynatek.ca/optcstor/cdm.htm See http://www.dynatek.co.uk/ Models are: CDM200 (2x2/1MB) CDM240J (4x2/512K, based on the JVC XR-W2010) CDM400 (4x4/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) CDE260R (6x2x2/1MB, based on the Ricoh 6200S) Older CDM240 units were based on the Yamaha CDR-102. Since the Yamaha CDR-100 is no longer being made, chances are the CDM400 is now a different unit as well. They also sell the CDM4000, which is a stand-alone CD burner. Subject: [5-1-16] Microboards of America (1998/06/14) See http://www.microboards.com/ Models are: PlayWrite 2000 (2x2/1MB, based on the Sony CDU920S) PlayWrite 2040 (4x2/512K+) PlayWrite 4000 (4x4/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) PlayWrite 4001RW (6x4x2/2MB;IDE, based on the Yamaha CDR4001t) PlayWrite 2060R (6x2x2/1MB, based on the Ricoh 6200S) Subject: [5-1-17] Micro Design International (1998/04/06) See http://www.mdi.com/mdinofr/products/cdwriter.htm Model is the Express Writer. There are no apparent model numbers. They used to sell the "old one" (2x2/1MB, based on a Pinnacle (i.e. JVC) drive), more recently they sold the "new one" (4x2/?). Subject: [5-1-18] MicroNet Technology (1998/04/06) See http://www.micronet.com/HTDOCS/products.html#cdr Models are: MasterCD Plus 4x4 (4x4/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) MasterCD Plus 4x6 (6x4/2MB, based on the Yamaha CDR-400) MasterCD Plus 4x12 (12x4/1MB, based on the Teac CD-R55S) Subject: [5-1-19] Procom Technology (1998/04/06) See http://www.procom.com/homepage/wbhrcdrs.html Models are: PCDR-4X (4x4/512K, based on the Yamaha CDR-100) Subject: [5-1-20] Grundig (1998/04/06) See http://www.grundig.com/ [mostly in German] Models are: CDR100IPW (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) Subject: [5-1-21] Plextor (1999/07/18) See http://www.plextor.com/ Models are: PlexWriter PX-R24CS (4x2/512K, a cousin of the Ricoh 1420C) PlexWriter "4/12max" PX-R412C (12x4/2MB) PlexWriter PX-R820T (20x8/4MB) PlexWriter PX-W4220T (20x4x2/2MB) PlexWriter PX-W8220T (20x8x2/4MB) For all units, 'C' indicates caddy, 'T' indicates tray, 'i' means internal, 'e' means external. All units are flash upgradeable. All units except the PX-R24CS support packet writing. Users having trouble with the PX-R412C should try turning synchronous transfer off for that drive. Subject: [5-1-22] Panasonic (1999/01/19) See http://www.panasonic.com/ [ no CD-R info? ] See http://www.acscdr.com/4x8x.htm See http://homepages.tig.com.au/~cdysan/cw-7502/ Models are: CW-7501 (4x2/1MB) CW-7502 (8x4/1MB) CW-7582 (8x4/1MB;IDE) Panasonic is part of Matsushita, so the units may also be sold under the Matsushita label. All units are flash-upgradeable. The CW-7501 should be at 2.0 or greater, and the CW-7502 should be at vX.10 or later (1.10, 3.10, or 4.10 depending on which recorder variant you have; check your current version). Upgrades are available from http://www.acscompro.com/ (click on "Support"). NOTE: there is a known conflict with the Diamond FirePort 40 and the Panasonic CW-7502 CD-R drive. You should upgrade the 7502 firmware to the latest (http://www.acscompro.com/support/cdr.htm), upgrade your FirePort 40 drivers (http://www.diamondmm.com/products/drivers/fireport.html), and add "DisableAutoReqSense=1;do_SCAM=0;" to the FirePort driver (go into the Win95 device settings, select the host adapter, click on Properties, and select the Settings tab). This problem may affect other NCR/Symbios Logic-based SCSI cards as well. Falling back to the original (1.01) NCR SCSI drivers that come with Win95 should fix the problem. Subject: [5-1-23] Teac (1999/02/12) See http://www.teac.com/dsp/cdrec/cdrec.html See http://www.teac.co.jp/dspd/product/cdr.htm Models are: CD-R50S (4x4/1MB) CD-R55S (12x4/1MB) CD-R56S (24x6/2MB) Apparently the CD-R50S needs to be at firmware 1.0E or later to do quad-speed writing reliably. Power calibration is done via a lookup table rather than adjusted dynamically, so a flash upgrade may be required before some brands of media will work. The CD-R50S and CD-R55S appear to use the same command set as the JVC XR-W2010. Upgrades for the CD-R50S and CD-R55S are at ftp://nemus.teac.de/. You can also go to http://www.teac.co.jp/dspd/product/cdr/updater.htm for a nice HTML page about the CD-R55S upgrade. Subject: [5-1-24] Wearnes (1998/08/07) See http://www.wpinet.com.sg/ See http://mars.asiabiz.com.sg/~whwang/ Models are: CDR-432 (4x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2000) CD-R 622 (6x2/1MB;IDE) CD-R 632P (6x2/1MB, based on the Philips CDD2600) CDRW-622 (6x2x2/1MB;IDE) The CDRW-622 supports packet writing, and is flash upgradeable. Subject: [5-1-25] Turtle Beach (1998/04/06) See http://www.tbeach.com/products/tbs2040r.htm Models are: 2040R (4x2/512K, based on the Ricoh RS-1420C) Many users have had trouble installing the AdvanSys SCSI card that is bundled with this unit. Most of the problems can be corrected by enabling PnP installation, which is disabled by default. Subject: [5-1-26] Creative Labs (1998/04/06) See http://www.creaf.com/wwwnew/tech/spec/cdrom/2000.html Models are: CDR2000 (2x2/512K, based on the Ricoh RS1060C) CDR4210 (4x2/1MB, based on the Panasonic CW-7501) Subject: [5-1-27] Taiyo Yuden (1998/04/06) See ? Models are: EW-50 (4x2/?) Subject: [5-1-28] Memorex (1999/03/06) See http://www.memorex.com/html/mp_peripherals.html Models are: CR-622 (6x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Wearnes CD-R 622) CRW-1622 (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Wearnes CDRW-622) CRW-2642 (6x4x2/2MB;IDE, based on the Yamaha CRW-4260??) CDRW-2216 (16x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Yamaha CRW-2216E) The CRW-1622 supports packet writing, and is flash upgradeable. Subject: [5-1-29] Hi-Val (1999/02/07) See http://www.hival.com/ Hi-Val doesn't build CD recorders. They repackage and provide support for recorders built by others. The actual model you get will vary (Wearnes, Ricoh, Philips, JVC, Mitsumi, and others have been reported). Subject: [5-1-30] Dysan (1999/02/07) See http://www.hanny-magnetics-europe.com/products/ Models are: CR-622 (6x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Wearnes CD-R 622) CRW-1420C (6x2/512K, based on the Ricoh 1420C??) CRW-1622 (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Wearnes CDRW-622) CDRW-2216 (16x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Yamaha CRW-2216E) The CR-622 does not support disc-at-once recording. The CRW-1622 often came bundled with NTI's software, but the version included didn't work correctly. Upgrading to a more recent version of the software (http://www.ntius.com/) resolved the problems. Subject: [5-1-31] Traxdata (1999/01/11) See http://www.traxdata.com/ Models are: CDR4120 (12x4/1MB, based on the Teac CD-R55S) CDRW2260 "Pro" (6x2x2/1MB, based on the Yamaha CRW-2260) CDRW2260 "Plus" (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Philips CDD-3610?) CDRW-4260 "Pro" (6x4x2/2MB, based on the Yamaha CRW-4260) The CDRW2260 "Pro" may also use a Philips CDD-3600? Subject: [5-1-32] Acer (1998/07/18) See http://www.acerperipherals.com/ Models are: CDW6206A (6x2x2/512K;IDE) CDW4432A (32x4x4;IDE) The 6206A is flash upgradeable. Subject: [5-1-33] Waitec (1998/06/14) See http://www.waitec.com/ Models are: WT4046 (6x4x2/2MB; "EI" model is IDE) WT2036 (6x2x2/1MB; "EI" model is IDE) WT412 (12x4/1MB) WT48 (8x4/1MB) Subject: [5-1-34] BTC (1998/11/18) See http://www.btc-corp.com/ Models are: BCE62IE (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Philips CDD3610??) The BCE62IPE is the BCE62IE with a parallel-port IDE converter. Subject: [5-1-35] Caravelle (Sanyo) (1999/07/18) See ? Models are: CRD-R800S (20x8/2MB) Firmware v1.10 or later is highly recommended for the CRD-R800S. Subject: [5-1-36] Micro Solutions (1999/02/26) See http://www.micro-solutions.com/ Models are: 190100 (6x2x2/1MB;Parallel, based on the Ricoh MP-6200) 190120/190126 (6x4x2/?MB;Parallel, based on the Yamaha CRW-4261) 190127 (8x4x2/2MB;Parallel, based on the Mitsumi CD-4802TE) All products are standard recorders combined with Micro Solution's parallel-port interface. Subject: [5-1-37] Pacific Digital See http://www.1pdc.com/ Models are: 224ei (24x2x2/2MB;IDE, based on the JVC XR-W2080) 226ei (6x2x2/1MB;IDE, based on the Philips CDD3610??) 428ei (8x4x2/2MB;IDE, based on ??) 428USB (8x4x2/2MB;USB, based on ??) 416si (16x4x4/2MB, based on CRW-4416S?) Subject: [5-2] How long do CD recorders last? (1998/04/06) The MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) on these drives is typically 25,000 to 50,000 hours, and they come with a 1 year warranty. Compare that to hard drives rated at between 500,000 and 1,000,000 hours with a 3 or 5 year warranty and that should give you some idea. Most of the drives available today weren't meant for mass production of CD-Rs; notable exceptions are the venerable Philips CDD 522, Kodak PCD 600, and Sony CDW-900E. Incidentally, MTBF is not an estimate of how long the drive will last. Rather, it's an estimate of the failure rate of the drives during the expected lifetime of the device. Once you exceed the expected lifetime, which is often on the order of a couple of years, the anticipated failure rate increases. If you have new drives with an MTBF of 25,000 hours, and you run 1000 units for 100 hours, you can expect to see four of them fail. It does NOT mean you can expect them to run for 2.8 years and then all fail at once. Subject: [5-3] What kind of PC is recommended? (1998/08/18) If you're about to buy a computer system and are seriously thinking about buying a CD-R, here are some things to keep in mind. (See the next section if you're interested in Mac hardware instead of an IBM PC.) CPU: buy a Pentium, the faster the better. This is true in general, since systems tend to be outdated after a year and obsolete after three or four. A '486 is a *minimum* configuration for a CD-R system; a Pentium gives you some breathing room. PentiumPro or Pentium II is overdoing it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Motherboard: get one with PCI slots. Not only can PCI cards move data more quickly, they're much easier to configure. IDE: whatever comes on your motherboard will work. See section (5-15) for configuration notes and a warning about certain bus-mastering drivers. SCSI: the SCSI interface remains a popular choice for CD recorders and CD-ROM drives. Whether it's built into the motherboard or on a separate card, make sure the host adapter supports ASPI and ASPI for Windows (see section (5-7)). Don't bother with Wide SCSI unless you're planning to buy a disk array or fancy devices - most 7200rpm drives don't exceed the limits of 8-bit Fast SCSI anyway. Bus mastering SCSI cards are preferred over non-bus-mastering cards (they can move data to and from system memory directly, without the CPU's involvement, making things faster). Parallel: some vendors are selling parallel-port CD-R drives. You should have an EPP-enabled parallel port (if you have a Pentium or better, chances are you have one). Sound: the Creative Labs SB16 and AWE32 boards are widely supported and very popular, but if you're thinking seriously about recording sound through it, you'll want to consider alternatives. See sections (3-12) and (3-13) for other options. Hard drive: needs to be reasonably fast, and large enough to hold whatever data you plan to put on a CD. IDE hard drives work fine. See section (5-6) for more details. Video card and monitor: depends on what you want to do. A PCI-based video card is a good idea (though more expensive than an ISA-based card), and a 15" or 17" monitor will work fine for most applications. If you're planning on creating multimedia products, you'll want a PCI video card with 4MB of {D,V,W,SD,SG}RAM and a good 17" or 20" monitor. CD-ROM: you may want a SCSI CD-ROM rather than an IDE one. See section (5-5). Subject: [5-4] What kind of Mac is recommended? (1999/06/05) Any Mac of Quadra 700 or higher capability with a reasonably fast disk should be suitable for 2x writing. All PowerMac-class machines, and probably most Mac clones, should work fine. PowerBook users should proceed with caution on machines earlier than the 3400 and G3 models. Any of the SCSI recorders should work. Verify with the vendor of the software you plan to use that the drive you have in mind is supported. Don't try to use an IDE drive on the Mac (some Macs have internal IDE hard drives, but none of the software supports a CD recorder connected to that interface). Creating a disc image and then writing from it is safer than on-the-fly recording. If your pre-mastering software has to assemble files and build an ISO-9660 filesystem on the fly, you need a decent PowerMac. Using the "simulated cut" feature available on Toast and other software is also prudent, at least until you get a feel for the system. Make sure you turn off file sharing before you start a burn, or things will fail if it tries to read a file that's already open. You may also have trouble writing from the boot/system volume, since it will always have files open. The good news for Mac owners is that the hardware and software configuration for CD-R usually goes rather smoothly. For a not-so-smooth example, see http://socsci.colorado.edu/~resnicka/cdburn.html. Subject: [5-5] Which standard CD-ROM drives work well with CD-R? (1998/04/06) Besides the obvious question - can it read CD-R discs that you create - there's also the question of how well the drive works as the source device when copying discs. To be more specific: - Does the drive support digital audio extraction? - Does the drive hog the SCSI bus, obstructing writes to the CD-R? - Does the drive support multisession discs? Plextor SCSI models generally work well. The Plextor 6Plex and higher can extract digital audio at high speeds, and come with a set of utilities that are actually useful. The 8Plex, 12Plex, and 12/20 are often recommended. The 12Plex can extract audio at about 9x, and the 12/20 will extract at up to 20x. The error correction on the 12/20 seems to slip a little above 8x though, so unless the disc is very clean you should extract at a slower speed. Many hard drives have trouble streaming data at that speed anyway. The Panasonic 12x IDE and Panasonic CR585 24x IDE have been recommended several times, as has the Teac CD516S. The CD-DA FAQ (http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~psyche/cdda/) lists some drives that work well for DAE, as does http://www.mp3.com/cdrom.html. NEC models tend to hog the SCSI bus. Older NEC models (especially the NEC 3x), some Mitsumi models, and some Acer models (e.g. Acer 8x) may have trouble reading CD-Rs. Some IDE CD-ROM drives can be used for direct CD-to-CD copies with some programs (e.g. Adaptec CD-Creator 2 and WinOnCD). It's the same story as with digital audio extraction: some drives work, some don't, and the ones that do don't work with all available software. The Teac 8x has been mentioned as working with CD Creator for CD-to-CD copies of data discs. There is one hard and fast rule for direct CD-to-CD duplication: the source drive must be faster than the target drive (e.g. source 4x if target is 2x, source 6x if target is 4x). A performance test on some mid-range models can be found at: http://www.pcmag.com/features/cdrom/cd-test.htm A quick summary of features for several models can be found at: http://www.fwb.com/ts/cdt/cdt_support.html Subject: [5-6] What kind of HD should I use with CD-R? Must it be AV-rated? (1998/07/26) There is a fair amount of confusion over what exactly is an "AV drive". A brief discussion is presented here; for more information see Bertel Schmitt's article at http://www.fadden.com/doc/avdrive.txt. The most important issue is thermal recalibration. Your basic hard drive will pause for up to half a second (or even up to a full second, depending on who you believe) every so often to adjust the head positioning to the current operating temperature. For most applications this goes unnoticed, but when recording a CD-R you must write the current track to completion without interruption. AV drives deal with the problem in a way that doesn't disrupt the disk activity. A drive that does a quick thermal recalibration is acceptable if the system is otherwise fast enough or the buffer in the CD-R unit or in the recording software is large enough (early drives had only 64KB, while current drives have 512KB or 1MB, making it much less of an issue). You need to be sure that the recorder's write buffer won't empty during the recal period, or you'll end up with a buffer underrun. If your recorder's buffer is less than 512KB, or you're planning to record at 4x or greater, you should seriously consider an AV drive. Otherwise, it probably won't matter. Also, don't believe everything you hear from a salesman -- verify with the manufacturer that the drive model is AV-rated. What separates a Seagate Barracuda from a Seagate Barracuda AV is that the latter is tuned for AV performance. This is simply a software change that affects cache allocation algorithms, error correction, and other SCSI parameters that may will give better performance for transfers of large blocks of contiguous data. These sorts of optimizations are more important for digital video (which runs at a few MB/sec) than CD recording (which is only 600K/sec at 4x). If you think AV optimizations will help you, you should take a look at "Dr. SCSI" at http://www.scsitools.com/. It will help you do the same optimizations that the AV drive sellers do, for a price that's about equal to the difference between a standard drive and an AV drive. It's not necessary to use a SCSI hard drive. In most cases IDE will work just fine. On a separate but related issue, all reports from people burning CDs from Win95 OSR2 FAT-32 filesystems have been positive. Subject: [5-7] What SCSI adapter should I use with a CD recorder? (1999/03/07) This section only applies to PC users who aren't interested in an IDE recorder. Macs and most non-PC-based UNIX systems have SCSI built in. Using different SCSI adapters for the HD and the CD recorder used to be recommended, but may not be necessary with non-ISA adapters. If your recorder hogs the SCSI bus the HD may not be able to keep the write buffer full. Under some operating systems, particularly OS/2, devices that support SCSI disconnect will work better than those that don't. In general, the faster the better. PCI or VLB is better than ISA, and the board should support (and have enabled) SCSI disconnect. It is *not* necessary to use Wide SCSI on any component. The speed requirements for CD-R, not to mention the maximum throughput of most hard drives, are easily met by "narrow" SCSI. You should enable synchronous transfers for devices that support it. Most CD recorders should. If the device doesn't work with it on, turn it off and try again. The adapter MUST support the ASPI standard (ASPI provides an interface between software and the SCSI controller) for both DOS and Windows. For some tips on cabling and termination, see Bertel Schmitt's article at http://www.fadden.com/doc/scsi-trm.txt. The next few sections detail the more popular SCSI cards. There are many others, e.g: Advansys - http://www.advansys.com/ DTC - http://www.datatechnology.com/ CSC - http://www.corpsys.com/ Subject: [5-7-1] Adaptec - 1510/1522A/1540/1542CF (1998/04/06) See http://www.adaptec.com/ These are all ISA controllers, good for putting a CD recorder on, not so good for putting a hard drive or fast CD-ROM drive on. If you have an IDE-based system and just want a SCSI card for driving your CD recorder and maybe a scanner or tape drive, any of these (as well as any of the variations of these) will work fine. Subject: [5-7-2] Adaptec - 2840/2910/2920/2940 (1999/01/28) See http://www.adaptec.com/ See http://www.adaptec.com/products/datasheets/specs/ The Adaptec 2940 (PCI) is a popular choice -- if not *the* most popular choice -- though some users have reported problems with the Adaptec 2840 (VLB). See the README that comes with Adaptec EZ-SCSI v4.0 and later for some important performance tests you can do with SCSIBench. If you're having trouble writing CD-Rs with the 2940UW, go into the configuration menu (hit Ctrl-A while booting) and make sure the drive is set for 10MB/sec with Wide Negotiation disabled. A few notes on the 2910, 2920, and 2940 cards: 2910 Bus-mastering, no BIOS, Fast SCSI-2. 2920A/B Not bus-mastering, has BIOS, Fast SCSI-2. 2920C Bus-mastering, has BIOS, Fast SCSI-2. 2940/W/U/UW/U2/UW2 Bus-mastering, has BIOS, fast/ultra/wide/whatever depending on model. Booting from a CD-ROM requires that the card have a BIOS that supports booting from CD-ROM, and that the PC also supports booting from CD-ROM. Subject: [5-7-3] ASUS - SC-200/SC-875 (1998/05/16) See http://www.asus.com.tw/ The ASUS SC-200 is one example of an NCR/Symbios Logic 810-based card (in this case, the NCR 53C810). Such cards offer solid performance at a reasonable price, and may be a better choice than the Adaptec cards for many users. (Be sure to examine these types of cards closely though; the least expensive among them are only meant to work with a motherboard BIOS that supports SCSI.) The ASUS SC-875, based on the 53C875 chip, offers Wide SCSI connectors as well. Subject: [5-7-4] Diamond - FirePort 20/40/40dual (1998/05/16) See http://www.diamondmm.com/ High-performance SCSI cards based around Symbios Logic SCSI controller chips. Both cards offer high performance and compete directly with the Adaptec 2940 series. The FirePort 20 and 40 are based on the SYM53C875, and the FirePort 40 Dual is based on the SYM53C876. A list of compatibility-tested hardware is available from the web site. Subject: [5-8] Can I use a CD recorder as a general-purpose reader? (1999/02/18) You can, but it's not clear that you'd want to. The seek times tend to be slower than a standard CD-ROM drive because the head assembly is heavier. There's also not much need for rapid seeks when writing a disc, so there's little reason for manufacturers to try to optimize this. Some users have reported jerky video playback on a CD-R drive. (Some of the recent models actually have pretty good access time figures, so this may be changing.) The MTBF on CD-R units tends to be low, so it may be wise to use a different drive for general use to preserve the life of the CD-R, especially if you have a tray model. If you're using Win95, some older CD recorders don't show up as readers without additional drivers, or (for SCSI drives) show up as 8 separate LUNs. (LUNs are Logical UNits, useful for distinguishing between different items loaded in a CD jukebox.) The reason why some older recorders don't show up by default is that they're classified as "type 4" SCSI-2 devices, which is used to indicate write-once devices. Standard CD-ROM drives are "type 5". HP and Philips supply drivers for their older units, Corel used to supply several drivers for with their CD Creator product, and the Sony 920S works as-is. If you have an Adaptec CD recording product, you can get a patch from Adaptec at ftp://ftp.adaptec.com/pub/BBS/win95/cdr4up.exe that will allow many type 4 drives, including the Yamaha CDR-100/102 and JVC XR-W2010, to appear as CD-ROM drives. If you don't have the drivers, you can still get the recorder to work by loading the real-mode drivers like this (example is for an Adaptec 2940): In Config.sys: DEVICEHIGH=C:\SCSI\ASPI8DOS.SYS /D DEVICEHIGH=C:\SCSI\ASPICD.SYS /D:ASPICD0 In Autoexec.bat: LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:ASPICD0 /M:12 Incidentally, to *remove* the Adaptec cdr4up driver, you should remove the file "CDR4VSD.VXD" from \Windows\System\Iosubsys, and reboot. For IDE recorders, you need a more specific driver. The manufacturer's web page likely has a link. Subject: [5-9] To caddy or not to caddy? (1998/04/06) This is a general CD-ROM question rather than a CD-R question, but since some of the newer recorders are available in either configuration it seems worthwhile to address it here. The advantage of a tray is convenience. If you want to put a CD in the drive, you can just drop it in, instead of buying a pile of caddies and hunting for a free one. The advantage of a caddy is durability. CDs are less likely to be scratched if they're put into a caddy and left there (VERY important if you have children), and the internal mechanism is less likely to collect dust. The tray units usually have a worse MTBF rating, because they have more moving parts. There have been reports that, at 12x and higher, some CDs will cause loud vibrations in tray models, but work fine in caddy models. Not everyone has had this problem though. It used to be the case that you had to get a caddy drive if you wanted to mount it sideways, but many tray models have tabs that will hold the CD in place. Having to use the tabs does reduce the convenience normally offered by a tray model though. Which you should choose depends on your needs and circumstances. If you are planning to write to a disc several times (multisession, packet writing, or anything with CD-RW), you are better off with the disc in a caddy. Subject: [5-10] Can I burn CDs from a Jaz drive? Tape drive? (1998/04/06) With a little extra care, yes. For a Jaz drive, defragmenting the drive right before starting a burn seems to be the key to success. It's also very important to ensure that nothing else is trying to access the drive while the write is underway. One user reported being able to write at 1x from a DDS tape drive using Seagate's Direct Tape Access, but this isn't recommended. Copying the data to a hard drive and doing the burn from there is much more likely to succeed. There are no known instances of successful CD-R burns using punched card readers as the source device. Doing a test run is strongly recommended when using any of these devices. Subject: [5-11] What is "Running OPC"? (1998/04/06) OPC stands for Optimum Power Control. Most CD-R units do a power calibration test before writing to adjust the laser power to the correct strength. Different brands of media require slightly different power levels. Running OPC goes a step farther by actively monitoring the write process and adjusting the laser power as needed. If the writer encounters dust or fingerprints, the laser power can be increased to burn through the obstacles. This is especially useful for discs that are moved around between recording sessions, such as CD-RW discs or multisession CD-Rs. For more information, see http://www2.osta.org/osta/html/opc.html. Subject: [5-12] What's the story with stand-alone audio CD recorders? (1999/04/05) Audio CD-R/CD-RW recorders are similar to computer CD-Rs, except that they're intended to be part of a recording system rather than attached to a Mac or PC. They have audio inputs and front-panel controls like you'd find on a tape deck. They are usually more expensive than CD-Rs meant for computers. Some CD-Rs have both audio and SCSI-II interfaces. There are two classes of audio CD-R, consumer and professional. The units targeted at consumers require special audio blanks, and employ SCMS (Serial Copy Management System, section (2-25)) to prevent making copies from a copy. The audio blanks used to be 4x to 5x the cost of computer CD-R blanks and only held 60 minutes of audio, but 74-minute "Consumer Audio" blanks are now available for moderately more than regular CD-R blanks. The "professional" units use regular CD-R blanks and don't obey SCMS, and generally have a wider set of features and input/output connectors. If you already have a computer, it's probably cheaper to buy a computer CD-R and a good sound card or digital transfer card (see sections (3-12) and (3-13) for more info). The ability to edit the sound on a computer before writing a CD can be very useful. However, there are some advantages to using an audio CD-R (not all features are present on all models): - much easier to configure the hardware, and no software to learn - the A/D converter is probably better than most PC sound cards - automatic DAT start_id to CD index mark conversion - sample rate conversion for 32K - 48K DATs - analog inputs - pause button - buffer underruns are unlikely Of course, since you're recording the music "live", it has to happen at 1x, and any skips or pauses in the audio input will show up on the duplicate. Depending on your situation, this may not be a problem. (Incidentally, the difference in price for the audio CD-R blanks is due to licensing agreements and volume. The manufacturer pays a royalty to a studio consortium under the assumption that everything recorded to an audio CD-R is pirated material. The technology is identical; the "audio" discs just have a mark that says a royalty has been paid.) It is theoretically possible to convince a "consumer" audio CD recorder to accept regular blanks, but in practice this would require replacing the firmware chip. If somebody has figured out how to do this, they've been quiet about it. With the Philips 870/880 units manufactured prior to November 1998, it's possible to trick the recorder by manually ejecting and replacing the disc right before recording. (I don't know how to make regular blanks work on any of the other units. If you do, let me know; it's a popular question.) Examples of "consumer" audio CD-R units are the Pioneer PDR-04 and PDR-05 (http://www.pioneerproduct.com/prdsoft/cdr/index.html). Marantz makes professional-grade CD-R units, e.g. the CDR615 and CDR620. See http://www-us.philips.com/marantz/product/professional/cdrecorder/. Philips sells the CDR870 and CDR880 (based on the CDD3600), which support both CD-R and CD-RW media. http://www-us.sv.philips.com/sound/cr.html. If you're interested in the Philips CDR765, a consumer-grade dual CD deck, see a detailed article at http://www.gallagher.com/music/cdr.htm and some notes at http://members.tripod.com/~charleswolff/cdr765.html. HHB sells a "professional" unit, the CDR880. http://www.hhb.co.uk/. Subject: [5-13] What's firmware? How and why should I upgrade my recorder? (1999/06/28) In computer terms, hardware is the stuff you can hit with a baseball bat, and software is the stuff you can only swear at. Firmware is software that lives on your hardware. In more concrete terms, the firmware on your CD recorder is what controls the operation of the device, and handles everything from decoding CD-ROM sectors to writing the disc table of contents. Sometimes there are bugs or missing features that are added by updates. Firmware upgrades have been used to add features like disc-at-once recording and fix bugs like reversed left and right audio channels. Sometimes the upgrade will inadvertently add bugs, causing the recorder to work improperly. Firmware can be stored in an umodifiable form, such as a ROM chip, or in a rewritable form, such as "flash" ROM. In the former case, firmware upgrades are accomplished by physically removing a chip from inside the device, and replacing it with a new one. Devices with "flashable" firmware, on the other hand, can be upgraded by downloading a new set of firmware over the Internet. You have to be careful when upgrading the firmware on a drive yourself. If it requires physical replacement, you run the risk of breaking pins off of the chip. Flash upgrades won't result in physical damage, but in some cases a failed upgrade can render the device unusable. Always follow the instructions exactly, and NEVER do an upgrade with anything that didn't come from the manufacturer or a trusted source. Suppose you want to upgrade your recorder. The first step is to remember famous words of wisdom: if it ain't broke, don't fix it! The second step is to figure out if your firmware is upgradeable. The manual should tell you. Most drives are, but some exceptions are noted for specific drives in the subsections under (5-1). The third step is to determine what version of firmware you currently have. Some SCSI cards on PC or UNIX systems will display a list of attached devices when the system boots. There's usually a column with a version number in it. On a PC running Win95, go into the Device Manager (either from the Control Panels or by asking for Properties on My Computer), and find the CD-ROM drives in the device tree. Select the CD-R drive, hit the "Properties" button, and then click on the "Settings" Tab of the window that opens. Look for "Firmware Revision". Mac users with Toast can hit Command-R to display the information. If your software doesn't have such a feature, you will need to run SCSI Tools to check the identification string. The fourth step is to find the upgrade file. Usually the manufacturer's web site will have them. If not, try a repository like http://www.ahead.de/en/firmware.htm. The fifth step is to apply the upgrade. This can be trivial or fairly challenging, depending on the device. Be sure to read the instructions *carefully* before applying the upgrade -- if it fails, the recorder could be rendered inoperable. Subject: [5-14] How well do ATAPI (IDE), parallel-port, and USB recorders work? (1999/07/18) By all accounts, they work just fine. Some people have argued that IDE CD-Rs are easier to install than SCSI. The only significant limitation at this time is that a wider variety of software is available for SCSI drives, but that's changing. There were some concerns about whether or not a CD-to-CD copy would be reliable if the source CD-ROM drive and target CD-R drive are both IDE. The concern was that the increased CPU and bus utilization associated with IDE would cause buffer underruns. So far, all reports indicate that the concerns were unfounded. Parallel-port drives require an ECP/EPP parallel port, which most (all?) machines have. Some BIOSs allow you to switch between ECP/EPP and "standard" mode; if you're having trouble, be sure it's set correctly. Some people who have bought off-the-shelf parallel-to-IDE converters have found that writing at 4x doesn't work very well. This may account for why all drives that ship with parallel port support are 2x writers. USB recorders work fine at 4x when connected directly to the computer. You may need to reduce speed to 2x if you use a hub. Some people have reported that their systems were crashing until they turned auto-insert notification off (see section (4-1-1)). Subject: [5-15] How should I configure my system for an ATAPI CD recorder? (1999/02/27) You want the hard drives and CD-ROM drives on different channels, or the slow CD-ROM drive will affect the performance of the hard drive. A typical configuration looks like this: primary: master: first hard drive slave: second hard drive secondary: master: CD-ROM drive slave: CD-R/CD-RW drive It doesn't seem to matter whether the CD-ROM or CD recorder is the master. Having both on the same channel doesn't necessarily impede CD-to-CD copying (though you're still better off writing from the hard drive). Keep the cables as short as you can. Sometimes the longer (60cm) cables will work fine with one drive but start having integrity problems when two devices are attached. NOTE: the Intel PIIX Bus Mastering IDE driver may interfere with the ability to write to a disc. Typical symptom is a system hang when writing or test-writing to a disc. An uninstaller can be found at http://developer.intel.com/design/pcisets/busmastr/FAQs.htm#faq3e. The Adaptec page http://www.adaptec.com/support/configuration/cdrecide.html also describes the problem. NOTE: The VIA Bus Mastering IDE drivers are similarly afflicted. See http://www.via.com.tw/support/faq.htm#11. The ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programmer's Interface) layer is used during CD recording, even for IDE recorders. Take a look at Adaptec's FAQ on the subject, and grab a copy of ASPICHK while you're at it from http://www.adaptec.com/support/faqs/aspilayer.html. The original Win95A/B WinASPI may have problems with IDE recorders. Subject: [5-16] How important is CD-RW? (1999/06/25) It depends on what you're doing. With the cost of CD-R discs dropping through the floor, there's less of an incentive to burn a test disc first. At prices around US$1.00 per disc, the extra time needed to do two full burns isn't worthwhile unless you're really tight for money. Besides, CD-RW discs aren't readable on many older CD-ROM and audio CD players. The manual for Easy CD Creator Deluxe says that CD-RW discs are "more cost effective for near-line data storage requirements than CD-R." The definition of near-line storage puts it somewhere between online storage and offline storage. On the other hand, if you're expecting to use packet writing to treat the disc as a big floppy, it may be useful. You should consider other forms of media for such purposes though, such as Jaz drives, which are faster and hold more, but are slightly harder to find readers for (but only slightly: CD-RW discs aren't readable on all drives, and packet-written discs may not be readable under some operating systems). Software developers who need to create test CDs frequently will find CD-RW invaluable. CD-Rewritable drives can write to both CD-R and CD-RW media, so you're not going to miss out on anything if you buy a drive that supports CD-RW. If you don't mind spending the extra money for CD-RW, it may come in handy, but if you're concerned about the cost of the recorder, chances are you won't miss CD-RW if you don't have it. Subject: [5-17] What is an "MMC Compliant" recorder? (1999/02/21) Historically, each manufacturer of CD recorders used a different command set, and perhaps even altered the commands with each new recorder. This has placed a significant burden on CD-R software authors, who have to write new drivers for each new device. MMC (Multi Media Command) compliant recorders use a common command set. Programs that can write to one MMC-compliant recorder should be able to write to all others, and consumers should be able to use their choice of software without the long delays usually associated with the introduction of new hardware. The reality is not so kind, unfortunately, due to firmware bugs or deliberate deviations from the standard. Do not assume that a particular piece of software will work with your recorder simply because it works for other MMC-compliant devices. The spec sheets for recorders usually indicate whether or not the drive is MMC compliant. Draft proposals for the MMC-1 and MMC-2 standards can be obtained from ftp://ftp.symbios.com/pub/standards/io/. Subject: [5-18] What should I use to record from a UNIX system? (1999/04/11) The choice of what hardware to buy is dictated by software availability. Find the software you want to use (common choices include "cdrecord", listed in section (6-1-20), and GEAR for UNIX, in section (6-1-3). Both support a variety of recorders, primarily SCSI devices. Consult the software manufacturer's web site for any specific recommendations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [ continued in part 4 of the FAQ ] -- Send mail to fadden@netcom.com (Andy McFadden) CD-Recordable FAQ - http://www.fadden.com/cdrfaq/ (a/k/a www.spies.com/~fadden) Fight Internet Spam - http://spam.abuse.net/spam/ & news.admin.net-abuse.email

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