Replacement optical drive and bracket for G4 Cube?

[Cktwo]

Hey guys,

I am sure I am not the first to do this, so I am sure you can help: Is there a replacement optical drive and 3D printable bracket for the G4 cube?

This rather old site suggests a Panasonic UJ-845-C:
www.atpm.com/12.03/cube.shtml

The drive seemingly was obtainable as new back when the site was made. Today it can be only obtained through ebay if at all. But there are other slot-in drives that might fit, either IDE drives or with an IDE->SATA adapter.

And are there any suitable brackets available to be 3D printed?

Thanks and happy Easter holidays!
CK

P.S.: I have tried to repair the original drive, replacing the belt and cleaning the rubber bar but it still doesn't work :-(.

 

[François]

I’ve done it a few times, with aluminum brackets and double sided foam tape:



Used the original drive as a template to properly align everything:

Nuts are stuck to the aluminum with superglue!

 

[ObeyDaleks]

Here’s how you ACTUALLY fix a cube CD-ROM with a slipping eject mechanism:

The ejection roller consists of a long metal rod and a rubber surround (that’s actually two rubber tubes that meet in the middle). The rubber is just press fit on the rod. What happens with these drives is that over time the rubber loosens and then starts spinning freely. So when the rod is spinning (being driven by the belt), the rubber surround doesn’t spin with it.

All you have to do is inject some adhesive (I use B-7000) between the metal rod and the rubber surround, let it cure, and your drive will eject like new.

Ideally you want to remove the roller assembly first, which is a bit involved (you need to slide off the belt wheel, then release the clip on the other side and slide it the whole assembly out). But you can do it without removing it as well.

If you don’t want to bother with removing the roller assembly, just lift up the rubber tube a bit and inject the glue into the 4 ends (two in the middle and two on the outside).

The other advice being offered out there, namely replacing the belt and cleaning the roller can help as well, but in my experience are not the main culprit.