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.

Cube replacement optical drive - missing driver. Please help!

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 06:16:08

I've installed a Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7640A drive inside a G4 Cube (using a 3D-printed bracket). I didn't give much thought to drivers when I bought the thing.

Neither Tiger or Leopard can recognise it. And I can't find any Apple drivers online.

It's one of these, so was running on later Intel Macs. Is this a lost cause? I've a feeling this was a rookie error.

Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7640A superdrive AD-7640A

www.thebookyard.com

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 06:44:43

It's among the compatible drives in this iFixit list:

SOLVED: What optical drives from other Mac devices can be used in replacement? - Power Mac G4 Cube

To replace the original CDROM drive, you need an : ATA/IDE slot-in Superdrive, 12.7mm high. Power Mac G4 Cube Optical Drive Replacement Some compatible models are : Matshita UJ-815-B Matshita UJ-85J Matshita UJ-845-C, UJ-845-CA (RPC1) Matshita UJ-875-B (RPC1) Sony Optiarc AD-5630A (RPC1) Sony...

www.ifixit.com

Posted by: François on 2023-08-13 07:07:29

Are you sure it’s not a master/slave problem? I have replaced the optical drive in a few cubes and don’t recall ever needing a driver.

Does the drive appear in System Profiler?

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 07:22:06

Are you sure it’s not a master/slave problem?

Ah, it could be. I think master/slave needs to be reversed?

It doesn't seem to be in System Profiler.

Posted by: François on 2023-08-13 07:24:39

As by default the hard drive is set to master, the optical drive should be set to slave (or ID 1). There should be a jumper on the little adapter board between the ribbon cable and the optical drive.

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 07:53:34

Thanks François. The optical drive adapter (green) doesn't seem to have a jumper but the one connect to the SSD hard drive (red) does. Any suggestions? Should I swap them round?

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 07:59:45

Actually I was looking at the wrong end. Jumper here, I think, but I don't know how to interpret.

Posted by: François on 2023-08-13 08:04:15

csel means cable select, the master/slave configuration is determined by the cable, but it’s not supported in the Cube. Lo (low) is master and Hi (high) is slave, or is it the other way around?!

Posted by: François on 2023-08-13 08:07:45

Turns out I have the exact same interface board: just remove the jumper, so 2-3 will be open and in the Hi configuration that would be slave!

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 08:27:34

So I've done that - and there's *some* progress. It now appears in System Profiler. But there's a DVD inside it - it happily swallowed it and I can see that the drive has power - but it hasn't mounted it.

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 08:31:18

ID=0 (hard drive); ID=1 IDVD) but "no mountable media inserted". I'm not sure where the eject is now to force it out.

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 08:36:17

After a couple of reboots it mounted it! But it's not happy for some reason...

Posted by: Treeblopez on 2023-08-13 09:01:34

Thanks very much, François - you solved my fundamental problem. It's half working. The Mac can see it and they're talking to each other. It ejected a disc quite comfortably when I rebooted and held down the mouse button. It's mounted a disc once. But it isn't reading it. And now I can't get it to accept a disc at all (I tried a different disc).

So there's a hardware problem somewhere? Either the drive is dodgy or I didn't install it properly - but if it ejects discs normally I'd expect it to accept them normally (ie it's not misaligned). Frustrating...