need to replace DVD-R/RW writer

Sry, I'm just getting started on this project and I'm almost completely in the dark.

My DVD-R/RW for my ACER ASPIRE 1690 seems to be dying. It is a Pioneer DVR-K05RA slot loading internal.

I want to replace it, ideally with something newer and better, but I have no idea how to go about looking for a replacement. Could someone tell me the variables that I need to take into consideration?

For example, I don't really care if it is a tray or slot loader, but I'm not sure a tray loading device will fit correctly. I have found a Plextor PX-608AL, which seems to be relatively similar, but I don't know how to determine if it is compatible or not. I would post a link but i have'nt posted 15 times on this board and it won't let me.

Any help would be mightily appreciated!!!

Bry

 

It looks like you can replace it with any CD/DVD/BR-rom for laptops, looks like the standard that 90% of all notebooks uses!

 

The Pioneer DVR-K06 and the DVR-K17 are great options. They are slotloading and tray loading respectively. Pioneer usually makes really good optical drives. I am wondering why yous is dying. It could be dust related, but you never know.

I suggest looking at the plastic bexel of the drive and find a replacement drive with a bezel which has the same shape.
Usually most optical drives are backwards compatible, but their are a few things to note. Their are 12.7mm thick optical drives, 9mm thick optical drives and than their are the even smaller ones.
I believe your DVR-K05 is the more standard 12.7mm thick optical drive.
You can browse different manufacturers websites for laptop optical drives, and that should reap some results.
Pioneer, Matsu****a (nbr auto bleeps bad words, so the hidden is the s -word, they are a Japanese manufacturer of optical drives), TSST, Sony and Panasonic are the main manufacturers of notebook optical drives.

Your laptop uses the standard ATAPI interface for optical drives, so do not buy a sata optical drive for your system, it will not work.

K-TRON

 

thanks alot for your responses Michel.k and K-Tron.

K-tron-
You wonder why it is dying...
It works fine when there is a DVD in it, the problem is getting the DVDs in and out. I guess it's the motor that pulls the DVD in and later ejects the DVD which is having difficulty.

Could it be worth while to open the device up and have a look inside?

Bry

 

Bry,

Yeah, that's one of the downsides of slot-loading optical drives. I love them personally, but there are additional mechanical factors that have that small chance of wearing out. Good luck with a new drive. K-TRONs advice is very good. Though if you can get a Plextor that fits, I'd go that route. I miss my Plexi! Best optical drives I've ever owned (had two CD-RW drives back in the day and my last desktop had a DVD-ROM and a DVD-RW... all Plextor)

 

mcbry,
you do not need to replace the optical drive because of that problem.
I will upload some pictures for you to show you why it is not working.
I have the dvrK06, which is very similar to the dvrK05, so the opening mechanism should be the same.
Its a very easy fix to get the drive to open again.
It should only take about 10 minutes to fix.

K-TRON

 

Here is what the DVR-K06 looks like with the top cover removed (simply remove the 5 small screws ontop and slowly hinge the cover off.)


When the drive acts the way yours is doing, the small mechanism on the front, which prevents the disc from shooting out of the drive, gets stuck in the up position. This is almost always because of the front bezel. Sometimes the bezel comes off track and gets pushed in a millimeter or so. That will cause the mechanism to stay stuck in the up position.
Here is what the mechanism looks like in the up position:


You can use a small flat head screwdriver to push the mechanism down:


When facing down, the mechanism (small u-shaped steel piece in cross section) is flat with the plane the cd sits on :


Than when the mechanism is reset, use some hot glue to glue the tabs of teh bezel in the right way. That will help prevent the bezel from getting pushed in, thus fixing the problem with the mechanism staying in the up position. (Only use a small amount of glue, cause you do not want the glue seeping through the gaps causing the drive not to work. Use hot glue cause its non-conductive)

when finished, the slot should look like this:


K-TRON

 

K-tron-
a special thanks to you for going above and beyond normal expectations for helping a complete stranger. Your photos and explanations made the whole process easy and, perhaps more importantly,gave me the confidence to try something I probably wouldn't ordinarily do.

In the end, as I was cleaning out the dust bunnies that had taken up residence in my DVD drive (almost as big a dustbunny colony as the one I found the last time I cleaned under my bed...), a tiny piece of plastic fell out, which I identified as being one of the stubs that held the bezel in place. Apparently, it had broken off and was not allowing the mechanism which you identified for me to open completely and allow the dvds to pass easily in and out. The drive is now cleaner, happier, and functioning as well as the first day.

Thanks again, I'll try to pay it forward.
Bryan

 

I am glad that your drive is working good again. I saved you like $70 and a bunch of hassel.
Now you know how to fix your optical drive if you ever run across the same problem again.
Their is always a way to fix things, it just takes a bit of courage to take it apart and fix it.

K-TRON