Slot Load Optical Drive Behavior?

M

Masejoer

Gawd
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Mar 11, 2001
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I just picked up a slot loading DVD/RW drive and had a couple questions for anyone with experience with pc-based slot loading drives. I feel that mine (Pioneer DVR-TS08) may not be behaving properly.

First, how much noise are they supposed to make when inserting or ejecting discs? This thing makes three loud clicks every time I put a disc in or eject it. From looking through the bottom of the drive, it appears that the drive is attempting to grab onto the disc multiple times and always gets it on the third attempt.

Second, to what extent should it pull the disc into the drive itself? I have to push the disc 2/3 in before the drive even attempts to pull the disc in to it and even then it just spins. I have to help the drive pull the disc in far enough where I can no longer touch it. It ejects the disc far enough where only 1/3 of it is still inside.

Is the first behavior normal but the second not? That's my thoughts on the drive's behavior.
 
The part where it tries to pull it in and can't though? At certain points it will pull in a little and get stuck and I have to help it pull the disc in the rest of the way.

If this is indeed the case, does anyone know of any drives that will pull the disc in themselves, and are quieter? This one is for a SFF system but I need a second drive for an indash carpc and getting rid of these two annoyances would be a huge benefit in that environment.
 
Oops, didn't realize there was an optical drive sub section in this forum section :p
 
My lite-on cd burner (tray load) does that sometimes. Seems there was some grease in places there shouldn't have been, and it picked up a load of dust on the drive rails that kept it from opening easily. After cleaning the drive rails really well it's been working like a champ. As far as slot loading drives, not much you can do about it. My old pioneer sucks and spits those disks without issue, no clicks or hesitation. My guess is it's just dirty inside and needs a cleaning, but I've never taken a part a slot load drive, it's probably not worth the effort.

edit: I had assumed it was a used drive, it's new?? If that's the case then it sounds fairly normal except for the part where you gotta stuff it in all the way. My drive's an old model that's dvd only and it hasn't been in a machine for a year, but I think once you got about half the disk in it grabbed it and wouldn't let go.
 
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The drive was purchased from newegg this month - it's new. I've tried inserting and ejecting the disc multiple times, and trying different discs, but its behavior doesn't improve or degrade in any way. It can read the discs themselves just fine.
 
Both things aren't something I have seen with new or even slightly older drives. My Samsung DVD-rewriters are nearly silent when the tray ejects or is pulled inside. I only have to push slightly on the front of the tray to make it retract as well.

To me it sounds like your drive is having issues.
 
Pioneer's tech support department got out of their "meeting"...

He told me that neither the disc loading or the eject shouldn't be making noises such as these, nor should it require additional help to get the disc into it. They recommended getting a replacement from newegg so I guess I will be going that route.

If I squeeze the drive sideways, I only get one clank when it's mounting, and it pulls the disc in easier.
 
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Yeah, I'd go for a replacement even though the drive is reading the discs fine. They aren't supposed to be that noisy AFAIK and I've never used one that got stuck after pulling the disc in part of the way, requiring another push to fully insert it.

I've still got a Pioneer slot-load DVD-ROM drive in my PC and I love it. It's the only PATA device I have left, and I refuse to give it up even though I hate dealing with PATA cables these days. I have no idea why tray loaders are so much more popular/prevalent. Perhaps slot load drives are more expensive to design and manufacture. I wish they'd make a full size slot loading SATA drive for PCs; the only ones I can find are for laptops. :(
 
imyourzero said:
Yeah, I'd go for a replacement even though the drive is reading the discs fine. They aren't supposed to be that noisy AFAIK and I've never used one that got stuck after pulling the disc in part of the way, requiring another push to fully insert it.

I've still got a Pioneer slot-load DVD-ROM drive in my PC and I love it. It's the only PATA device I have left, and I refuse to give it up even though I hate dealing with PATA cables these days. I have no idea why tray loaders are so much more popular/prevalent. Perhaps slot load drives are more expensive to design and manufacture. I wish they'd make a full size slot loading SATA drive for PCs; the only ones I can find are for laptops. :(
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Slot loading drives can damage the discs, or so I've heard.
 
Welsper said:
Slot loading drives can damage the discs, or so I've heard.
Click to expand...

It's mostly that the mechanism is more complex and slot load can't handle non-12 cm discs. It's also much easier for them to jam.

That said, I did encounter a slot load CD drive on an old HP PI system which seemed to be working just fine after years of abuse :)
 
I mounted it into my sg05 just to see what it does and the thing won't even fully take the disc in. If I push it, it gets pushed a little back out. After a few seconds, it ejects the cd again. I would have expected the opposite from the drive when mounted but apparently the screws and case must be twisting the drive housing in ways it doesn't like.

I purchased a slot load instead of tray as I plan on using one in-car, perhaps this one (after rma), in an external enclosure mounted flush within the dash. I've never had a problem with slot loaders in the past though - cd, dvd, car, stereo, whatever.
 
SGSeeker said:
I've never had a problem with slot loaders in the past though - cd, dvd, car, stereo, whatever.
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Issues mostly occur because slot load drives are more inviting to cram random stuff into, especially bad when you have children or the user has the intellectual capacity of one :)
 
But slot loaders can't be used as cup holders so they have other benefits over tray loaders.
 
SGSeeker said:
But slot loaders can't be used as cup holders so they have other benefits over tray loaders.
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I don't know about you, but I find the cup holder function to be the most useful of those drives.


:D
 
Kil4Thril said:
Ever damaged a disc in your car? Same mechanisms.
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Exactly...and since slot load drives are basically all Apple uses, if they were damaging discs I think we'd have heard something about it by now.
 
I got sick of using internal optical drive so I just keep one external slim dvd-rw that fulfills all my needs for my netbook and desktop. Sooo much more convenient.
 
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