slot-loading optical drives

[Generic User #2]

I was wondering if there were any slot-loading 5.25" drives out there(with DVD playback at least). burning performance isn't a factor for me(i rarely find the need for it). full-height is preferable.

[enaberif]

Negative.

The only time you'll effectively see these are in macs and they have a ton of issues.

[MacJunky]

Actually, Macs with slot loading drives use notebook size ones, not a big 5.25" one that would nicely fit in your PC's 5.25" bays.
I have only ever seen one normal sized 5.25" slot loading drive as far as I am aware but it was 50 pin SCSI and made by Pioneer.
Pioneer DVD-ROM U05S to be exact.

There is probably a PATA version but I doubt SATA.

If you want to see what I mean about the SL SCSI drive look at what this guy did to his old Mac.
Putting My 6500 under the knife... -- The 6400 Zone - Forums <- initial thread
Update: Putting My 6500 Under the Knife (Blue Cathodes) -- The 6400 Zone - Forums <- update

[b1lk1]

Originally Posted by enaberif

Negative.

The only time you'll effectively see these are in macs and they have a ton of issues.

Wrong.

Pioneer makes them. They are IDE only and they are not the easiest to find. You can also find SCSI units but they have obvious limitations. Try Ebay as I don't believe they are in the retail channels any more as well.

Pioneer DVD-106S DVD-ROM drive slot-loaded - (eBay.ca item 220328934637 end time 11-Jan-09 16:02:44 EST)

That one is IDE and there are also a few SCSI ones as well. If you need it black then spray paint is your friend.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by b1lk1

Wrong.

Pioneer makes them. They are IDE only and they are not the easiest to find. You can also find SCSI units but they have obvious limitations. Try Ebay as I don't believe they are in the retail channels any more as well.

Pioneer DVD-106S DVD-ROM drive slot-loaded - (eBay.ca item 220328934637 end time 11-Jan-09 16:02:44 EST)

That one is IDE and there are also a few SCSI ones as well. If you need it black then spray paint is your friend.

Right.

The reason you don't see these in a PC for is because they are loud, noisy and have high failure rates.

[b1lk1]

I always wanted one, but they used to be expensive and not worth it since they are read only. I have to agree that they are not the best idea on the planet.

[NyteOwl]

Samsung made an external though I don't know if it's still available.

[mbobrowski]

Hi everyone,

I've found a great solution for 5.25" slot load that is actually quite dependable and a prefect fit for my custom system. I scoured the market for any kind of slot loading Blu-ray burner and wasn't able to find anything in production. I found that there aren't any manufacturer's who create this particular spec.. luckily I happened to stumble upon this soluton from Sunland International and Digistor.



Digistor 5.25" Blu-ray Writer SATA (Slot Load)

This is a chassis system which costs $28 bucks and allows you to fit ANY 12.7mm slot load optical drive into your 5.25" drive bay! The company sells a full kit which has an integrated Panasonic drive - or you can just buy the chassis alone and use any kind of drive you want. Since you can choose any 12.7mm drive - it makes the product much more dependable since the choice is yours - I prefer Panasonic for slot load drives based on my experience. Check it out, this from what I hear is the only 5.25" solution for slot load optical drives worldwide (I've definitely spent the time to find this out firsthand!).

Thanks,

M.

[Dr_BenD_over]

I had a Pioneer SCSI one, about the only drive I ever saw actually come close to it's rated transfer speed when ripping.

[futures]

Originally Posted by Generic User #2

I was wondering if there were any slot-loading 5.25" drives out there(with DVD playback at least). burning performance isn't a factor for me(i rarely find the need for it). full-height is preferable.

Seems like slot loading optical drives aren't so available.

I also thought about the drives.. I got a little one who gets his kicks from ejecting the dvd drives of our players and computers.