This is topic DTS CD-ROM drive upgrade in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Michael Rourke (Member # 1142) on 03-28-2002, 12:09 PM:
Hello, I have two DTS units that still have the old cd-rom drives that require the DTS cd be placed in a "diskette" and then into the drive. Supposing I went and bought some moderately priced CD-ROM drives with disk trays instead of ordering the TEAC drives that were specified on this site, would the rest of the upgrade still be the same (SCSI card upgrade)?
I printed out the DTS upgrade available on this site, so I am just looking for a simple answer. Would the upgrade work without the specified equipment that would cost my boss more than he could stomach?
Thanks, Mike.
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-28-2002, 12:14 PM:
If they haven't failed, I wouldn't replace them. The guys that I talk to at DTS say they are very sturdy drives and last a long time. "Some of the better ones" they say. Other people in the field have echoed this when I've talked with them about it. I think it's the proverbial "If it's not broke, don't fix it" thing.------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/
Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 03-28-2002, 12:24 PM:
Definetly do not upgrade unless the Drives are having a problem. If anything you may want to upgrade to the latest firmware chip.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-28-2002, 12:33 PM:
There are original units from 1993 still running with those cdrom drives. Sure the readers have died, but that's pretty impressive...9 YEARS! Definitely keep those drives until they really do die.Has anyone had a failure on the Teac upgrade kit drives failing yet?
Posted by Michael Rourke (Member # 1142) on 03-28-2002, 01:57 PM:
The older units I have at my 7 plex don't act up once they accept the "diskettes", but that can be quite a chore at times. They have prejiduces against certain "diskettes", but not consistanly the same ones.The newer units at the 4 plex I "inherited" (3 DTS-6D and one 2 deck) do have problems booting, but once the show starts they don't drop out like was mentioned in the review of the Toshiba drives. I expect to run into problems with those in the future. I think they've only been around since just before Phantom Menace came out.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-28-2002, 02:03 PM:
I have not had any failures of the Teac drives.
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-28-2002, 05:39 PM:
When you say "diskettes" do you mean the caddies? Sometimes the metal sliding trap door gets goofed up on those and won't open right. Maybe that's it. Often you can find those caddies at old computer recycling places for next to nuthin.------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 03-28-2002, 06:48 PM:
What about a drive whose light flashes on/off regularly quite apart from any disk reads? Isn't that a sign of impending doom?
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-28-2002, 06:49 PM:
One thing you might want to check on is that you do ahe the latest Time Code formware installed as applicable to your unit. It can dramatically improve stability of the unit. Also that you ahve the upgraded time code reader as well. The formware and reader upgrade should be done together. As far as the old drives go, keep em till they die!
Mark @ GTS
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-28-2002, 06:51 PM:
Back when DTS disks were shipped in the caddies, we got one where the small metal decorative plate in the center of the caddy had dislodged just slightly. It was enough to keep the disk from spinning correctly in the caddie, but it was off such a small amount that I didn't notice it until the machine failed to read it. Popped it back into place and it worked fine.
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 03-28-2002, 07:08 PM:
If the CD-ROM light flashes on-off every other second (only Toshiba drives do this), it means the drive is dirty and wants to be cleaned. If the drive is too far gone, it will require replacement.If the drive light goes on solid, that means the drive cannot read the disc. The disc could be bad or the drive could be dirty or defective.
To clean a CD-ROM drive, you need to get a CD-ROM drive cleaning disc. Don't get a CD cleaning disc, the little brush has to be in the right place = close to the center hole. It's not a super high-tech thing. A tiny brush swoops around as the disc spins and cleans off the laser window. A few spins should do it. We recommend using the disc in each drive once a week or to keep the laser window clean.
We've had very good luck with TEAC 32X drives. They are good little work horses and you'll be happy with them. I know they are expensive but when you replace the drives using a DTS upgrade kit, they are fully warrantied for a full year.
Our ROM-DOS software only supports certian drives. I cannot guarantee that an "off the shelf" drive will work. But, you are free to give it a try.
Karen at DTS
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-28-2002, 10:21 PM:
My friend's theater here in Lawton has three of the old 2-drive SCSI DTS-6 players (circa 1993 and 1994) and none of those drives have failed. He has been dealing with CD drive problems on his 5 other DTS-6D players. At least two or three of them have a drive out, but all have two other working drives. Hopefully Carmike will allow him to get those bad drives replaced before he loses any more.One thing he has been having to do with the 6D players occaisionally is turn them off and reboot them in between shows when more than one film is doubled up on a particular auditorium. A couple of his machines will act up and not play digital if the CDs are switched out without the player being reset.
Posted by Michael Rourke (Member # 1142) on 03-28-2002, 11:36 PM:
To Karen: The CD-ROM cleaning cd wouldn't work in the older DTS units that have the caddies, would it? If not, how do I clean the older drives?
Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 03-29-2002, 05:44 AM:
MichaelI believe that the older drives have a tiny brush built into the drive. When you push the caddy in, it manually pushes the brush mechanism across the laser window. Then when the caddy is ejected, it makes another pass across it. This is probably the reason there are very few of the older drives failing.
Rick
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 04-01-2002, 11:48 AM:
Richard is correct. The older "caddy-ed" drives had a built-in brush. Too bad no one makes those drives anymore.Karen at DTS