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Hawkeye_a · Sep 2, 2005, 08:25 PM

My combo drive mas been mal functioning for over a year now. It barely ever mounts or reads DVDs (usually takes like 10-20 tries before it mounts the damn thing). So i decided to take a peek on Ebay, and this auction came up:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Apple-Combo-D...QQcmdZViewItem

(Combo drive from Macmini).

Now i live in Australia, and dont have a credit card. So was wondering if this drive would work in my Titanium PowerBook G4 550.

Cheers

mgehman · Sep 2, 2005, 09:07 PM

In all likelihood, no. The cables may not match, and the form factor may not be the same. That said, $20 is pretty cheap and if it doesn't fit, you could probably resell it. Hope this helps.

pcummins · Sep 3, 2005, 02:12 AM

That drive should work fine, the original TiBooks had the CW-8122 combo drive, seems to be the slightly upgraded model (CW-8123). You should be able to swap the back IDE connector over and slot the new drive right in without any major issues (well, except pulling your TiBook apart).

If you're interested, you can get a 8x DVD DL burner for your TiBook for about $165 Au brand new (check www.staticice.com.au for the DVR-K05), which should let you get a good idea about what it's worth to you to get the CW-8123. The DVR-K05 should fit right in as well without any problems, same form factor as the CW-812x drive.

Hawkeye_a · Sep 3, 2005, 04:42 AM

Originally Posted by pcummins

That drive should work fine, the original TiBooks had the CW-8122 combo drive, seems to be the slightly upgraded model (CW-8123). You should be able to swap the back IDE connector over and slot the new drive right in without any major issues (well, except pulling your TiBook apart).

If you're interested, you can get a 8x DVD DL burner for your TiBook for about $165 Au brand new (check www.staticice.com.au for the DVR-K05), which should let you get a good idea about what it's worth to you to get the CW-8123. The DVR-K05 should fit right in as well without any problems, same form factor as the CW-812x drive.

Cheers, i'll definately look into that !!

tooki · Sep 3, 2005, 10:49 AM

All TiBooks with VGA video output used oddball drives. A standard one (such as from a Mac mini) will NOT fit without an adapter bracket, which of course is nearly impossible to procure.

Companies like MCE and OtherWorld sell replacement drives with the necessary bracket -- they just gouge you on the price.

tooki

Hawkeye_a · Sep 3, 2005, 09:24 PM

hmmm...tis is getting a lot more complicated that i'd initially hoped. Maybe i just aught to start saving up for my next Mac

Cheers

kmarketing · Sep 3, 2005, 09:45 PM

shouldn't be complicated at all. I see these drives on ebay going for less than $50. the problem may be the shipping.

you should be able to find some here:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...arch&fgtp=

good luck!

pcummins · Sep 4, 2005, 03:49 AM

Hawkeye - check what drive you have now. If you have a CW-812x drive you can replace it with the Mac Mini drive that is a CW-8123. As Tooki mentions, if you have just a DVD drive (I doubt that) you'll get bracket problems. (Correction to my earlier post, the TiBook 550 had the CW-8121 if it had a Combo drive).

Specs and sizes if anyone is interested (and you'll notice the sizes are all the same):

CW-8121: http://panasonic.co.jp/psec/en/devic...cw_8121_b.html
CW-8123: http://panasonic.co.jp/psec/en/devic...cw_8123_b.html

(You can also get the CW-8124 and CW-8122 by modifying the URL's). Other drives such as the UJ-8x5 series can be found: http://panasonic.co.jp/psec/en/device/index.html

Hawkeye_a · Sep 11, 2005, 12:30 AM

Yeah i got a combo drive. Apple system profiler lists it as a "MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8121"

I hate to have to ask u, but i dont have a clue where to find this information myself....
What drives can i just buy, and replace them in my PowerBook ?

Thanks everyone for your help.

Cheers.

pcummins · Sep 11, 2005, 01:20 AM

Generally there's about 3 main types of slot load drives you can replace in your PowerBook.

CW-812x - these are the DVD/CD-RW combo drives.
UJ-8x5 - these are the majority of the DVD-RW drives in most Macs now.
DVR-K0x - these are used in the iMacs as DVD-RW drives.

If you check my earlier messages you can find the specifications for all the drives.

The DVR-K05 is found here: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...204516,00.html

If you've about $165 and some time to install it, you can get the DVR-K05 for your TiBook and use that as a slot-in replacement for your CW-8121, or you can check eBay etc for a UJ-8x5 or CW-812x drive instead for about $50+. Check http://www.staticice.com.au for the cheapest price on the DVR-K05, that's about the only model easily accessible within Australia. (Otherwise, eBay or buy from USA via http://www.froogle.com).

I prefer the DVR-K05 myself as the UJ-8x5's no longer support raw DVD-Video reads, so programs like VideoLAN don't work properly for multi-region discs, and I find it's a lot more reliable than the UJ-825 that I swapped out of my PowerBook earlier for burning DVDs. (It maxes at about 5.5x across a disc at 8x, so it's really best to burn at 4x anyhow...)

Hawkeye_a · Sep 11, 2005, 09:35 AM

Thanks a lot dude, i really appreciate it. ill be reading up on this info and how to get the job done myself.

Cheers.

pcummins · Sep 12, 2005, 08:26 AM

Not a problem. http://www.pbfixit.com is your friend for guides on how to replace the drive itself, just a nuisance with the extra hardware on the drive side that needs to be taken off and onto the new drive. Apart from that, shouldn't be a problem.

I was David B. · Sep 12, 2005, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

My combo drive mas been mal functioning for over a year now. It barely ever mounts or reads DVDs (usually takes like 10-20 tries before it mounts the damn thing). So i decided to take a peek on Ebay, and this auction came up:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Apple-Combo-D...QQcmdZViewItem

(Combo drive from Macmini).

Now i live in Australia, and dont have a credit card. So was wondering if this drive would work in my Titanium PowerBook G4 550.

Cheers

I had the same problem with my TiBook 500 drive. I bought the original replacement drive at ebay and some months later it failed again.

If you don't buy the original drive it might not fit well simply because it is too long, too short or the screws are not at the right places.

I would spend my money only for a replacement drive from another manufacturer because the original is bad. MCE offers drives for your TiBook (http://www.mcetech.com/). This looks pretty good and it is new and comes with warranty.

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They also have a couple of distributors in Australia.