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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Using a mini-CD in a mac mini

Using a mini-CD in a mac mini
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Mar 15, 2006, 03:03 AM
 
How does one go about using a mini-CD in a mac mini, or any other slot-loading drive, for that matter. I'm not about to stick it it and find out, because my insticts tell me that would be a baaaad idea...

I tried searching this forum, but of course searching a mac mini forum using the words mini cd (with no phrase search available to my knowledge - a big shortcoming of these types of forums, by the way) is fruitless.

Thx.
     
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Mar 15, 2006, 03:31 AM
 
I cannot say for sure, but I do know that mini CDs would get stuck in the first (CRT) slot loading iMac drives and require a stripdown to remove.
     
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Mar 15, 2006, 05:28 AM
 
Will C is right - you cannot use anything other than regular-size and shape CD-ROM's in a slot loading drive.

If you put one in it will get stuck and require the CD-Drive to be opened in order to remove it. This won't be covered by AppleCare and will cosrt you a fortune!

The only work around I know of is to use an external tray-loading drive.

Phil.
     
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Mar 15, 2006, 05:36 AM
 
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=re...svWw3xBXsZxS7g

On page 28-29, it says that one should never put a CD smaller than the standard size into a mac with a slot-loading drive.
     
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Mar 15, 2006, 05:57 AM
 
Thanks to everyone that replied...I figured it would have been a no-no, and you've confirmed it for me...! :-)
     
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Mar 15, 2006, 05:01 PM
 
Here's a link I found when I searched for "CD Single Adaptor":

http://www.canford.co.uk/commerce/it...9_3002035.aspx

And this is a quote from cdrfaq.org:

(Note the part number for the adaptor)

Subject: [7-14] Can I get 80mm (3-inch "cd single") CD-Rs?
(2001/11/27)




The 80mm CD didn't catch on everywhere. In some markets, notably the USA, pressed "CD single" discs are rarely seen. The 80mm CD-R made a brief appearance, and then vanished for a while. As of the middle of the year 2000, they were once again easy to find. In mid-2001, Sony started using them in one of their Mavica camera models, and towards the end of 2001 80mm-based MP3 players appeared. They're pretty easy to find now.

Using them is not as straightforward as could be hoped. Most *software* will work just fine, because all CD-Rs have slightly different capacities, especially when you consider 63-minute, 74-minute, and 80-minute blanks. The problems stem from their physical dimensions.

Pretty much all tray-based recorders have grooves for 120mm discs and 80mm discs. However, not all of them can actually record 80mm discs. Web sites for recent drives will sometimes indicate whether or not they're compatible. Some CD recorders can read the discs but not write them, possibly because the clamping mechanism raises the disc to a level where it's no longer sufficiently supported at the edges.

If you have a caddy-based recorder, you will have a problem: while trays have two different rings for 80mm and 120mm discs, caddies don't. According to the Yamaha CDR-102 manual, there is a "Disk Adaptor", referenced as part #ADP08, that sits in the caddy and keeps the disc properly positioned. A device that performed a similar function used to be sold by music stores so that standard players could handle 80mm CD-singles; it looks like a plastic doughnut that clips onto the disc.

If you have one of these, great. If you don't, you may have difficulty finding them. You will likely have even worse luck figuring out how to play an 80mm disc on a "slot in" CD-ROM drive -- the kind where you push the disc into a slot, and it slurps it up. Some manufacturers have indicated that their traction-feed drives work fine with 80mm discs, but before you try it might be wise to have a screwdriver handy.

A less common issue with 80mm discs has to do with playback. A loose sheet included with the CDR-100/102 "CD Expert" manual states:


"An 8-cm disc recorded at normal speed on the CD Expert may not playback correctly on some manufacturer's CD-ROM drives. This is likely on drives that have a playback PLL (phase lock loop) bandwidth of 1.5 kHz. Most drives, however, have a playback PLL bandwidth of 2.5 kHz, in which case this is not a problem."
The final discouragement for 80mm discs is that they only hold 21 minutes of audio (about 95250 sectors on Ritek silver-blue discs, or about 186MB), but at present cost more than their full-sized counterparts. They are an interesting curiosity, and a cute gift when placed in a miniature jewel case, but little more. There appear to be 80mm discs that hold 34 minutes (just shy of 300MB), but these come with the same caveats as 90-minute 120mm discs: the discs have to be constructed at or outside the limits of what the specifications allow, and you may have problems with compatibility.

[ On a personal note: my Plextor 8/20 refuses to accept 80mm discs when I put them in the tray. I was able to use them with a (caddy-load) Yamaha CDR-102 when I put the discs in a CD-single caddy adapter. It turns out that the Plextor 8/20 will write to the discs when the caddy adapter is used for it as well. There seems to be some problem with the Plextor's mechanics when the disc is resting in the 80mm tray. I don't know of a source for the adapters, though I'm told http://www.cddigitalcard.com/ carries them. ]


Finally, I have a Sony CSA-8 CD Single Adaptor. I have not tried it in a slot load device, but might be able to lend it to you (I really need it back!) if you get in a jam.

Val
     
   
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