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#1 2005-03-27 1:48 am
- JJZCP
- Member
- Registered: 2004-09-12
- Posts: 6
CD Rom in LC 475
Hi I recently bought a used samsung 32x CD rom and I and I want to put into my LC 475. The cables that fit it are conected to the HD. What would i need to get this working?
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#2 2005-03-27 1:54 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9143
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
Thats a pizza box right?
I remember seeing a CD ROM mod done to a LCII a few years back. May have even been in the MA mag as part of one of their wild modding stories. It was quite a bit of work but it was possible.
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#3 2005-03-27 4:59 pm
- Orion
- Bovi-sapiens

- From: America's Dairyland
- Registered: 2000-09-12
- Posts: 2959
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
You would probably be better off getting an external SCSI case for it and plop it in there.
There was an article in MacAddict a few years ago about hacking a drive into a pizza box mac, just like NightCougar_37 said. To put the drive inside the computer, you have to cut out the top of the case and mount the drive on top of the machine. Not the prettiest hack in the world.
Last edited by Orion (2005-03-27 5:02 pm)
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#4 2005-03-28 6:07 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator

- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18100
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
I don't think the 475 is tall enough to put a CD-ROM into... certainly not enough space, unless you took out the logic board.
External case = Way to go.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#6 2005-03-30 7:28 pm
- JJZCP
- Member
- Registered: 2004-09-12
- Posts: 6
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
Yeah A slot loading cd would fit but what cables would i need? the HD connections are the ones that fit but there are only one set. could i get a set set of cables that duplicate the connections?
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#7 2005-03-30 9:16 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator

- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18100
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
Probably wouldn't work - most all of those slot loading notebook drives are some kind of IDE or ATAPI device - even the old Powerbook 1400, the first Apple laptop to include a CD-ROM drive, used IDE - the 475 only uses SCSI internally - no way to add IDE that I know of, at least not easily.
You could use one one of these, combined with a Standard laptop CD-ROM Drive to end up with a slimline CD-ROM drive that has a standard 40-pin IDE connector.
Add a SCSI/IDE Converter board to do the job - you'll probably have to fudge component placement, removing the floppy drive at minimum. You'll also need a three-plug SCSI cable to attach the HD and the CD-ROM simultaneously.
On eBay about a year ago, I bought an external SCSI 4x CD-ROM drive, powered by 4x AA batteries or an AC adapter. It works fine and even boots my Duo 280 and Powerbook 5300. If you dug up something like that, it wouldn't be too hard to jury righ internally, but probably would require more case hacks than just a slimline CD drive in the floppy bay.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#8 2005-03-30 9:20 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator

- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18100
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
JJZCP wrote:
Yeah A slot loading cd would fit but what cables would i need? the HD connections are the ones that fit but there are only one set. could i get a set set of cables that duplicate the connections?
Yessir, all you need is a 2 or 3 device 50-pin SCSI cable. Like the ones for sale, actually not too expensively, here. Make sure the device on the end of the chain is terminated, and the one in the middle isn't. You'll probably need a 18" with three connectors.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#9 2005-03-31 12:03 am
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
dvpierce wrote:
You could use one one of these, combined with a Standard laptop CD-ROM Drive to end up with a slimline CD-ROM drive that has a standard 40-pin IDE connector.
Add a SCSI/IDE Converter board to do the job - you'll probably have to fudge component placement, removing the floppy drive at minimum. You'll also need a three-plug SCSI cable to attach the HD and the CD-ROM simultaneously.
Yeah, that's about the idea.
Sounds like a fun project to break in my new Dremel with.
Doesn't sound so fun to my poor LC475, though.
Maybe if I can lay my hands on another LC475 I might go for such a hack.
,xtG
.tsooJ
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#10 2005-03-31 8:47 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator

- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 18100
Re: CD Rom in LC 475
Glad I could give you a good idea - apologize to your significant other for me, would you?
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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