Hardware help: using a laptop bluray drive in a desktop

Hello. my hp laptop died and i am trying to reuse the parts for a new desktop i'm building, i have a bluray dvd+-r/rw combo unit pn: dvr-k17va but i don't recognize the connector.
i would appreciate any help you can give me to find the proper enclosure for this drive, i would greatly prefer the unit to be connected internally, but if not possible an external enclosure is fine.

Thank you for your help

 

Hey Arawn, welcome to NBR.

Optical drives a little trickier. You'll need a converter/rack mount to convert the drive from a 2.5" drive to fit into a 5.25" bay. Then, you'll need to get adapters for the connections; I believe laptops drives use smaller SATA connections (6 pins v.s. desktops that use 7 pins).

It would probably be easier to make it an external drive with a simple USB adapter.

 

You have to get alot of adapter hardware to get it to work and then comes the other part lifespan...desktop BD drives are bigger and more roughed compared to laptop drives and will be able to handle more media and less likely to fail like then your laptop drive should you try to adapt it to desktop usage. You can buy BD drive are not that expensive currently and that should be the route you should go instead and that will give you a better option and firmware update should you do so.

 

Sorry to hear that.
What laptop do you have?

 

If it's an old laptop, the connector could actually be IDE, I still have one such BD drive somewhere on a shelf.

 

Good point (and wow, those are somewhat of a rarity). That part number you gave us OP pull up a lot of Pioneer and Sony DVD IDE drives. You're sure it's a blu-ray reader and that that's the right part number?

 

The one I got was pulled from a dead 2009 Acer from Europe. I intended to use it in my G73, but then I found out it was IDE and I was rather surprised. If the drive is indeed IDE there are still some slim IDE USB enclosures for optical drives, I would say that is the best option. If the desktop is recent, chances are there is no IDE header on the motherboard and you'd need a cable that does standard IDE to the mini connector on the slim drive.

@OP, doex the connector look like this, that is an IDE connector:

 

Well I'd say sell the laptop drive and just buy one that fits into the desktop standard. will be cheaper than getting adapters/enclosures for it. a lot less work too.

 

Agreed. You only want to adapt and or transfer new or recent hardware. These obsolete components are not worth the effort and/or expense. They should be relocated to the lowest shelf of your old electronic storage closet.

Even so, they can still serve a purpose, but only that of training and experimenting when you don't want to use your good stuff.

 

Well, cheaper only if OP goes with a really cheap enclosure, such as this one. Only problem is then it's not internal, which is what OP is looking for.

The hardware to convert it to for a 5.25" internal bay is pretty cheap (if it's a SATA drive, both the SATA slimline to SATA adapter cable, as well as the mounting caddy are only $6.50±). But I agree with un4tural that the external enclosure is easier, and potentially more budget friendly.