Hey everyone, two quick questions, one probably easier than the other... first, to convert a laptop dvd drive to work under a standard system setup (standard pc instead of laptop) what would you need? Is the data cable/connector and voltage the same? I assume Mashie would know the answer after Anenome (wicked WICKED job there btw) and the rest of you boys too prolly... and second, is there such a thing as a ribbon pci slot adapter that would allow a pci card to be connected somewhat akin to an ide drive? I have a home system cd player i want to convert to a pc, but the flex atx mobo i have has crummy onboard sound, and i want to use an extra soundcard i have. The case is rather slender, so I cant just slap it on, it would be way too tall, BUT, if it had an adapter that allowed the board to connect, but still be parallel to the board, it would be perfect. Any chance this exists somewhere? I live in North America and have heard of nothing of the sort...but with modders taking over the computer world, perhaps it has been born some beautiful place far away? cheers all.
>DVD Drive from a laptop It isn't the same connector, but there is an adapter cable you can get. >PCI Thingy There are riser cards that will do that, if that is what you want.
this is the answer, sir. risers wern't all that cheap the last time I checked, but they are the solution. There are standard risers and flexible risers. The problem w/ the standard immoble risers is, sometimes they can cause the card to bump into the cpu heatsink. However, I think (if my memory serves me) that the standard ones are slightly cheaper than the flexible, if you can use them. (will look for linky...)
Link for convertor from Laptop CD Rom to IDE rom found here I never ordered one. But I think others might have. Iamgoodyy
as for the drive adapter, ive used a very similar looking adapter to use a laptop HDD inside a household PC.. worked nicely.. as for a flexable riser, im sure they exist, but ive never seen one.. -scoob8000
hmm for some cheaper action and a flexible pci risers, visit http://www.adexelec.com/agp32.htm#AGPFLEX as for the lappy connector, go here and scroll down to the post made by kwlt......
Ok, to get a slimline CD/DVD to work is quite easy. Step 1: Get an adaptor, se link posted above by Iamgoodyy. Step 2: Remove the current connector that the laptop manufacturer has mounted on the back of the cd-rom to make it proprietory (it is two layers of connectors on the back) remove the outer one by unscrewing the two screws closest to the edges and you will find a small standardized connector under it. All you need to do is to attach the adaptor, plug in the power, audio out and your normal IDE cable.
No, just get one of those premade boards since you will have a hard time to get the proper connetor anyway...
It's not that connector that is hard to get, it is the other one facing the CD-ROM that is a bitch. You are only wasting time and money trying to do it yourself...
Actually I think this is an excellent idea, it is after all only 40 pins, power and audio out you need to solder. And that all those pins ends up at a connector 1" wide will just make it more interesting. Good luck and post pics when you got it working.
Or get one here in UK http://www.milesie.co.uk/asp/productdetail.asp?ProductID=338 It seems like their server is messed up right now since it sais the price for one is £360... used to say £12.
