68kMLA Classic Interface

This is a version of the 68kMLA forums for viewing on your favorite old mac. Visitors on modern platforms may prefer the main site.

Click here to select a new forum.
Another Quadra 900/950 CD-Bezel (Caddy Style!)
Posted by: ktkm on 2021-08-16 01:25:51
I’ve been spending more time with my Quadra 950 recently. After successfully recapping and restoring an internal caddy-loaded 300 drive, I decided it was time to have a CD-equipped tower. But just as for many before me, the bezel-less front became an eyesore. So I decided to design my own.

You can find the STL file at Cults and a couple of my other takes on 3D printed peripherals. However, I could need some help in finding a suitable spraypaint.

QuadraCDCaddyBezel-001.jpeg
QuadraCDCaddyBezel-002.jpeg
QuadraCDCaddyBezel-003.jpeg
QuadraCDCaddyBezel-004.jpeg
Posted by: demik on 2021-08-16 03:26:58
Awesome ! Looks like it's from factory. What material did you use ?

Someone used a near matching paint in the 3D-Printed object threads: https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/3d-printed-objects.4483/post-338727
Posted by: cheesestraws on 2021-08-16 04:19:37
ooh, that's a much better match than the spraypaint I've been using here for stuff.
Posted by: ktkm on 2021-08-16 05:22:29
Awesome ! Looks like it's from factory. What material did you use ?
Thank you. The bezel is printed in high-temperature PLA. I’ll check out the near matching paint! 🙂
Posted by: valejacobo on 2021-08-20 15:50:27
Nice mod! I have a question regarding the caddy cd drive. You open the caddy, place your cd and inside it goes? Or do you have to get cds "caddied" from factory? Also, any reason to recap the floppy drive? Mine's dead and I wonder if recap is a must like on older motherboards; that's mostly for when I get my greasy hands on a working unit.
Posted by: ktkm on 2021-08-21 01:05:12
Nice mod! I have a question regarding the caddy cd drive. You open the caddy, place your cd and inside it goes? Or do you have to get cds "caddied" from factory? Also, any reason to recap the floppy drive? Mine's dead and I wonder if recap is a must like on older motherboards; that's mostly for when I get my greasy hands on a working unit.
Thanks, and yes, that is correct, just open the caddy and put the CD inside. It is not the most convenient way, but it feels more professional.
Recap is almost always a good idea, but floppy drive failure is usually due to other factors; broken eject gears and headers.
Posted by: joshc on 2021-08-21 02:11:43
You open the caddy, place your cd and inside it goes? Or do you have to get cds "caddied" from factory?
It's just how it's loaded. Your CD is inserted into the caddy, then you insert the caddy into drive and that's it. The original idea behind the CD caddy is that they would be used to store your CDs in. At the time, the caddies were expensive and nobody ended up using them that way. After a few years, they were abandoned in favour of the tray loader.
Posted by: DracheMitch on 2021-08-23 11:16:38
It's just how it's loaded. Your CD is inserted into the caddy, then you insert the caddy into drive and that's it. The original idea behind the CD caddy is that they would be used to store your CDs in. At the time, the caddies were expensive and nobody ended up using them that way. After a few years, they were abandoned in favour of the tray loader.
Yeah, it seems weird that CDs didn‘t just ship in the caddies. Of course they would cost more than a jewel case, but if everyone had done it, the cost would have gone down.

The insane amount of over-engineering to stabilise a loose, spinning CD and matching the laser to the wobble…
Posted by: Unknown_K on 2021-08-24 00:41:06
The caddy was to keep CDs from getting scratched and made for a simpler method of loading. Early CD software was specialized and not cheap so getting a CD scratched would be expensive to replace. The original CD drives were pretty pricey and the original caddy loading CDR drives were VERY pricey.

You can put a CD in wrong and try loading it and watch it get stuck with a tray loader.

Once prices dropped tray loading was the norm and Panasonic I think it was used the same just stick it in the slot mechanism used in car CD players and also like much later Apple laptops.
1