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Laptop CD drive on a PC? 1

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NWgeek

NWgeek

Programmer
Mar 18, 2004
26
US
I am trying to build a very compact PC around a mini-MATX mobo. However, a standard CD-ROM drive is about the size of the motherboard itself! I was wondering if anyone out there has a pinout to the connectors on a Dell 4000 laptop CD drive -or- could point me to someplace where someone has done this?

Those little half-height CD-ROM drives that they install in 1U rackmount server cases are EXACTLY what I'm looking for. I am just not sure how to hook 'em up to a "standard" IDE cable. Has anyone done this, successfully?

TYIA
 
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It is quite common in 'slimline' desktops and mini PC's, you will need a 40 to 44pin IDE adapter. Most online stores that sell mini-ITX motherboards stock them.

Andy.
 
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Thanks Andy! I am curious if there is a standard for the laptop-style CD-ROM drive 44 pin connectors? Dell is notorious for making non-standard peripherals :( I'll check it out.

Will I need a special power connector too? Sound cable? Good grief, I suppose I should just pop it out of the dead laptop and take a look.....

Thank you again!
 
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My confusion....40 to 44pin = laptop HD to IDE; 40 to 50pin = laptop CD BUT I'm not sure about the Dell pinouts - the drives physically don't quite match the 'standard'. Would you like to swap?
See here for a CD adapter. I'm going to pull my drive out to compare.

Andy.
 
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Looks like you would need a Dell SFF-type cable - but they are celluloid! A quick Google drew a blank.

Andy.
 
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That's what I was afraid of :( *&^+*#&$ Dell One would think that these laptop manufacturers would get together and make interchangable parts! Of course, that make too much sense...
 
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I'm pretty sure the innards are interchangeable.....
Dell don't make their own kit, maybe there is another brand that would have an 'proper' adapter to SFFactor? Where are you based, the offer of a swap is real, I'm reachable via Yahoo! messenger.

Andy.
 
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I am located in Washington state. I am guessing, but because you sent that mini-ITX link, that you are in the UK? What are you offering to swap? You have a more "standard" laptop CD-ROM drive?
 
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Yeah, I have a standard CD-Rom, Torisan-make CDR-U241-Z 24x that has been gathering dust for about four years! Guess the mailing costs would be a little excessive!

Andy.
 
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After some thought, I guess I should just suck it up and go ahead and use one of the five or six "full-sized" CD-ROM drives I have laying around on MY workbench. Any laptop drive would most likely require a hack-job mounting bracket. The 5.25" standard width is easy enough to work with.

I appreciate your responses. At least I know that it is POSSIBLE to do. I guess I'll just hang on to the Dell for spare parts. There are four other Dell laptops at the office...

BTW, UK tele shows rock. Still waiting for more Red Dwarf to make it over to the west coast of the US....
 
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You probably only get to see some of the better stuff, I haven't turned the TV on this year! Red Dwarf was one of the best.
Guess I'll have to look out for a very SFF/mini-ITX case to fit my Torisan into. I have a PIII notebook here with the 'board and chip shot; must be some parts in there, DVD's not'quite' standard tho.....maybe I'll build a rig in a drawer of the desk.....

Andy.
 
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Send me a photo of your "Laptop-In-A-Drawer" when you get it finished. I guess you can't really call it a desk-TOP computer when you get it done, eh? I'll try and post some shots of my finished mini-microATX 'puter, if I ever get it done. This is an image of the tiny little mobo that I got off of eBay a month ago:


It has an embedded 600Mhz CPU, on board audio/LAN/video, 2 USB 1.0 slots and a single PCI slot. It will accept only a single stick of PC100/PC133, 256mb RAM maximum. It only has one IDE interface so I can connect a single hard disk and CD-ROM drive. It only set me back USD$32.50 You can easily rack up that amount on the PCI cards alone, so I think it was a pretty good deal.

I am hoping that I can install a USB 2.0 card in the single PCI slot [using a 90-degree riser to keep things compact of course] so I can connect external storage devices like another hard drive???

If you notice the driver CD that has been placed beside it for scale purposes. It is TINY :)

Sure I'm not going to use it to search through 2,000,000 database records or try and edit full motion video, but I think that it'd make a dandy little MP3 player!
 
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Can you "hack" an old CD drive and install the mini-board in that? If so, you could stack the "computer" and a good CD drive into a cute little "cube".
 
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Hadn't thought of that angle [hacking an old CD drive]. I've got a few laying around, I'm sure that one wouldn't mind donating it's "body" to science. Problem is all of those pesky little plastic gears that are required to open and close the tray. Still wish I could economically make a laptop CD drive work :(

I want to thank those who have been sustaining this thread. Some interesting ideas and helpful information. I will be sure and post the results of my little experiment, or at least post a link.

I've seen the mini-ITX boards and they are nice, but a bit rich for a workbench hack such as myself. I'll break something first, THEN call a professional :)
 
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Seems a shame to have to devote the single PCI slot on this motherboard for a USB 2.0 port card, BUT, that seems to be the best way to connect faster devices [scanners, external hard drives, CDR/RW, etc.] to this "legacy" board. I just hope that 256mb SDDRAM and 600MHz CPU won't be painfully slow with Windows 2k....
 
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You could use a combined USB2 and Firewire card.....

Andy.
 
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I just hope that 256mb SDDRAM and 600MHz CPU won't be painfully slow with Windows 2k...."

It should work just fine, I have Win2000 Pro on an Athlon 700MHz with 256MB RAM. I used to run Win2000 Server on an AMD K6-2/400MHz with 128MB RAM.
 
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Just got ahold of a Mitsumi SR243T CD-ROM that came out of a Satellite laptop. Hopefully the connector on the back will be more "standard" than the Dell device I am struggling with...

"Blujacket" - thanks for the confirmation about running Win2k on an Athlon 700HMz w/256MB SDRAM :)

"satrow" - I had forgotten about the combo FireWire/USB 2.0 cards. Thanks!

"micker377" - a mini-MATX is not quite that small. If I can get this laptop "slimline" CD-ROM drive to work, I could probably figure a more compact housing arrangement.

Not sure if the results of my little experience belong here or in a case modding forum.....
 
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