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Apple CD 300 External laser

techknight

Well-known member
I am overhauling an external 300 drive I picked up dirt cheap. These drives are basically re-badged Matsushita CR-563/CR-563-B. 

It has no surface mount capacitors, but it does have through-hole electrolytics. The majority of them arnt leaking but there is a couple that are. So chances are, its best to change them all. Theres only 9 of them. All different sizes though. 

But more importantly, my drive had trouble reading disks. 

Turns out, it uses a Sanyo SF-92.5 Laser pickup. these are still available today and can be had cheaply. 

So I am going to pick another one up for the overhaul. 

I figured I would let you know what laser it is. 

Keep in mind there are different versions that have slightly different cable pinous/types so gotta be careful to get the right one!

NEW-REPLACEMENT-OPTICAL-PICK-UP-CD-LASER-font-b-LENS-b-font-FOR-font-b-SANYO.jpg

Thats the correct cable configuration! There are multiple different ones. 

 
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CC_333

Well-known member
Neat!

That means these drives *can* still be refurbished if the laser goes bad!

I have a few drives that have gotten a bit temperamental (in particular, the stock drive for my Mac Pro, which reads CDs, but not DVDs), and I wonder if it's due to either a weak laser or bad caps? And if so, how easy it is to repair?

I forget the make, but it was manufactured sometime during 2009-2010, and it failed sometime during 2011 or 2012.

c

 
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techknight

Well-known member
the laser is bad. the DVD lasers would wear out really fast. Especially if it was used alot. 

We STILL have this problem today, the xbox 360 consoles and even PS3 consoles the optical blocks would drop like flies. I dont know if its because the manufacturer of the diode is just crap, or if the lifetime of a laser diode is really short. 

 

CC_333

Well-known member
I never really used it more than the average person might've at the time (2009-2012, before optical media in general started becoming somewhat obsolescent). I replaced it once after the original died within a year, and the replacement subsequently died within another year, so I suspect that its in part related to a defective design for that particular make and model of drive, as I've used the drives of other computers quite a bit harder, and they're still working to this day (of course, the Mac Pro's internal layout doesn't help much either, as the PSU fans pull air straight through the optical drive bays, which of course also draws in all sorts of dust and deposits it right on the optical drive).

Also, is it true that PATA optical drives aren't being produced anymore? If that's so, then having the ability to repair them would actually be rather useful.

c

 
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rsolberg

Well-known member
I've had to use PATA/SATA adapters for the last couple optical drive replacements at work. The good news is that the new drives have all been the shallower form factor, leaving plenty of room for the adapter behind the drive.

 
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