Computer Hope

Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: comda on December 27, 2010, 01:05:03 PM

Title: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: comda on December 27, 2010, 01:05:03 PM

ok so I got this external cd rom drive that i bought used anyways. I noticed that the back ports had a port like the old parallel printer ports did but its a little bigger. THen I opened it and well that the ide ribbon cable was to a big one and the wierd thing is that the cd rom wasn't connected due to the wire being to big. What is this cable called? The normal cd has 40 or 29 pins this 50 pins? Am i able to still get this kind of cable and cd rom or do i have to do some cutting and soldering to change the cable to an actual parallel cable.

Any ideas? Its a blue LaCie Cd Rom. The power supply on t works for when i connected it and hit the switch the fan came on and the cd came to life. I want this to work for i have an old NEC Versa 2000c without usb or cd ROm.

i even found a pic =
http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://interloper.com/graphics/storage/cdrw/lacie_detail.jpg&imgrefurl=http://livredor.hiwit.org/topic/search/cd-rw-drives.html&usg=__dAkQIWuiyncspA7ln-v1ayTLXqk=&h=497&w=520&sz=16&hl=en&start=89&zoom=1&tbnid=JMBMrBm_GN5oDM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlacie%2Bexternal%2Bcd%2Brom%2Bdrive%2B16x10x40%2Bscsi%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1279%26bih%3D620%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2591&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=322&ei=Fv0YTYuRJ8a8nAfm5IWvDg&oei=DP0YTf_6DY3ZnAfP4p31DQ&esq=2&page=6&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:89&tx=104&ty=43&biw=1279&bih=620

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: BC_Programmer on December 27, 2010, 04:38:19 PM

Looks like SCSI to me.

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: comda on December 27, 2010, 04:50:28 PM

yeah but bigger than that

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: BC_Programmer on December 27, 2010, 04:53:30 PM

No. Pretty sure It's SCSI.



(http://www.kernelpoweruk.com/UserFiles/Image/externalscsiconnectors.gif)

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: Computer_Commando on December 27, 2010, 05:06:45 PM

It is High Density Centronics 50-pin.  I had a bunch of those, gone now.  It was widely used on 1st gen Apple Macintosh.

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: comda on December 27, 2010, 10:34:33 PM

ok then u see the weird thing is is that since there 50 pin connectors the ide conector to the dc rom is bigger not fitting the ide connection found on the
cd rom. Do computer store still sell ide to scsi adapter? The powersupply works on it so it is worth it depending on how much the adapted is.

Title: Re: LaCie External Cd Rom Drive?
Post by: Computer_Commando on December 28, 2010, 01:18:44 PM

There's nothing weird about, you just don't understand.  It's not an IDE cable inside, it's 50-conductor SCSI, looks like a wide IDE.  AFIK, there was never a SCSI to IDE adapter.  The CDROM is SCSI.  They used to have SCSI ISA & PCI adapter cards.  Adaptec was the major manufacturer.  Some had 50-pin Centronics on the back.  Study up on SCSI & then come back.