CF-27, CF-28, CF-29 CD to DVD Swap Tutorial-Lots of Pictures!

Plan to spend a minimum of about $45 for a CD Rom with a caddy. Then you can take out the CD Rom, do the hack and relace it ith a DVD-RAM drive.

 

You can do the Mod or find a DVDRW that the Manufacturer has put out a software switch to deal with M/S Selection. I used a QSI SDW-082 DVDRW with a Csel utility from QSI to switch between M/S. I did this a couple of years ago and the drive has always worked and presently resides in a CF-28. I don't have the Utility anymore but some put out a patch that does the same thing. See this link. http://etna.rpc1.org/qsi/index.html

SIN

 

Does someone has a list of drives known to be suitable for use in this mod? I can get a spare CF28 internal CD unit without much trouble, so I'd like to get this mod done then I can burn CD's directly on the system.

Craig.

 

I've used Matsushi-ta UJ-850 and UJ-851 drives.

These are 'Super-Multi' drives, CD / DVD / Re-write / DVD-RAM plus the 851 is Lightscribe capable.

Also, the Panasonic brand comes out of Matsushi-ta factories, so I think they should be fairly compatible..

(Remove the - for proper spelling, the forum keeps changing it to Matsua otherwise...)

Robert.

 

I just successfully followed the tutorial for my C29 - Thanks for the clear instructions (and photos). Nice work!

 

Just to recap... If you are putting in a standard Panasonic drive... There is onlt the need of the swap... Not the soldering! I believe that if you use the Matsushi-ta UJ-850 and UJ-851 drives there is no need for the soldering.

Can someone verify that? I've never had one of those drives to test this...

 

Funny you mentioning that.
Just yesterday I was wondering the same.

At the moment I am using a uj-850 without a jumper just for
S & G's and all works well here. at least in a 29.

Normally, I've always added the jumper so I can use any drive..

 

Well I have always used the panasonic drives
The Mod was nessesary with the standard cd / caddys that I added dvd rw drives in
I don't know if it was nessesary with newer dvd/cdrw drives as I have only used the standard cd caddys
My newer cf-30 caddy required no mods

Alex

 

Ah, that might be the difference.
these last few had DVD-rom in the caddies , newer? dunno.

Now I'm gunna have to tear it open again to check to be sure.

edit: yep...No jumper

 

The jumper is never there.... The only reason you need one is is you get a non-Fujitsu drive. If you read the tutorial.... The Fujistu's are set as master from the factory whereas 99% of all others are cable select and the PC figures it out... The Toughbooks are used to assertive Drives that yell... "I AM THE MASTER!" Not the others that can go either way...

Um... nevermind... I won't go there....

 

Hehe, yep understand.

Yeah, I had read this thread over a year ago and I just now tried it without the jumper with a stock panny DVDR drive (the UJ-850).
I was just saying I had always put the jumper in there per your instructions
to make it compatible with other drives should I decide to change manu's.
I guess I'll do it to this one in case I forget next time...cause I like Pioneer drives.
It was a good find none the less Rick. Plus I wanted to say "Thank You".

Chuck

 

RJ is correct. Just about the ONLY way you will find a "donor" caddy is to buy, as RJ suggests, a CD or DVD Rom WITH the caddy. You can buy these on ebay for as little as $30 at times... Or $50 most times. Keep you eyes peeled and you'll see what you need....

 

Hi, I read the whole thread and found it very useful, hail to Toughbook for his work!
I own a CF-29HTT40BG, its BIOS had been upgraded before I bought it and it's the latest version.
Neither BIOS nor system could see any dvd or cd drive. I opened the caddy and checked the model number of my dvd/rw - Toshiba TS-L462.
I followed the instructions written in the post, soldered points in r2 box and it WORKED, but unfortunaly only PARTIALLY.
I can read from the drive after the system boots (Ubuntu), but it is unable to boot OS install cd. The drive is set as a first boot device. BIOS detects primary master which is HDD drive, but the BIOS info says there is no secondary master (maybe this has something to do with the booting problem).
Furthermore, in the boot tab I can see 4 items:

- CD/DVD Drive
- Hard Disk Drive

ST9402113A-(PM)​

- Floppy Drive

Standard Floppy Disk​

- LAN

Has anyone got any idea what the probelm might be?
Maybe there's still somethig wrong with my BIOS settings?

 

check to make sure your disc is step up correctly as a boot disk. try it in another computer if you can. This would be the first thing I would check. Move up in difficulty after you find that this isn't the problem.

Do the easy stuff first so the hard stuff seems harder

Welcome to the forum

Dan

 

Actually I did swap drives between the cf-29 and hp, the result was that the drive from hp was causing freezes at the hardware testing stage in the cf-29 (before and after the r2 box hack). The toshiba dvd from cf-29 didn't even fit the hp's pocket, its tray wouldn't eject (but works perfectly - I've just checked it).

Shouldn't cf-29 BIOS show my dvd drive as secondary master?

 

Yes... It should show as secondary master and show as whatever type it is... CD or CD/DVD... I have never tried the Toshiba drives. I stick with either Samsung or Sony. I've never had one fail.

 

It seems the pics have been removed from the server, could someone please send me the instructions and Pics to convert CF-29 CDR To CDRW/DVD
Many Thanks!
[email protected]

I'm a Newbie too, a little slow, but I did also try:
http://go.notebookreview.com/?id=52...20CDD%20swap/CF-28%20CD%20to%20DVD%20Swap.htm

 

Which picture do you need? where the R2 is located?

 

Manual was emailed in PDF format!

 

Ello, it's me again, but this time with GOOD NEWS!!!
I, have just received an original Panasonic drive and it's been detected. My problem turned out to be an incompatibility issue. Toshiba TS-L462 and cf-29 simply don't like each other (at least my TB doesn't).
Now, there's a problem with my touchscreen being unresponsive, but that's a different story.
Thanks for your support!

 

Camillus (GREAT Knives by the way!)... The Touchscreen driver must be installed via Device Manager... Download the correct driver and then go into device manager to update the mouse driver... hat should install the touchscreen driver.

 

I don't want to make an off-topic, but since you responded...
I did everyting that's necessary to install TS. I even reinstalled, and I'm 100% sure I got the correct driver. I have just looked inside the screen lap, and I think I'll have to search the forum for some info on where to start the inspection.
Thanks for advice, I'll post on a different thread if necessary.

 

If you are 100% sure the tscreen driver is installed correctly... Then take off the back of the LCD and check that the touchscreen ribbon cable is inserted all the way. Other than that... There are a ton of searchable threads on this... Don't worry about hijacking as long as we don't stray too far.

 

Ok then
Which ribbon cable/pcb board is actually responsible for TS, cause I didn't find that in any thread?

 

the ts cable, and pcb are located inside the LCD assembly. You have to open the lide and it's the tiny PCB that up by itself, just make sure the ribbon cable that goes into it is in place very well, cuz it does slide out

 

Hmm... in the upper part of the screen you say? These are my lcd intestines, which number is it, if any?

 

it's number 3. It was inverted in my mind. I usually work on them upside so the lcd clasp hangs off my desk so it sits flat check both connections and make sure they are securely in position. check back and tell us if you get any reaction from the screen at all

 

Good morning!
I'm back with nothing... I reseated the TS ribbon (which in no way could slip out, since it was glued to the pcb with a sticky tape).
I think that it's simply dead... I don't even know if it had been working before I bought it, cause the seller I purchased it from has just admitted that he didn't even check the TB!!! (someone's going to get an appropriate feedback ).

 

Its not unusual when buying a used toughbook that you will have some issues with it

The first thing that I noticed with yours was the cd drive in the caddy was not a standard make that panasonic sells with the caddy
The standard drives were either teac,in the cd only caddies or matsushxxta brand

The original owner and their tech dept could have made changes from the original factory condition


I have sold used Toughbooks for over 10 years
I sell them locally only

There is three ways that I sell them

Fully refurbished with a warranty, where I will install new optical drive/hard drive/battery.

Used condition , where I check everthing over to make sure that everthing works perfect, but I don't offer any warranty

Parts only
If I can't get everything working , I just sell the parts that work


Buying used anything can be a bit of a gamble

Try once again using the touchscreen calibration utility and pressing hard on the red marks , with a stylus or equiv to make sure that its still not working



Alex

 

Thanks everyone for your response.
I actually won't miss TS very much. TB's toughness is just enough for me, so, from now on I'm going to upgrade it as much as I can.

 

I got a whole crap ton of toughbooks where the touch just didn't work at all. I did find a few of them with the ribbon cable dislodged but 90% of the were just dead. What was the ebay username because it possibly could have been the owner of the company I work for. He does that alot even after I tell him he shouldn't.

Buy a cheap mk1 with touch, salvage the stuff you want but keep it working then resell it as a parts computer so you don't loose too much money. That's what I have been doing. New TS panel from heartland is about $300

 

It wasn't ebay, so you aren't likely to deal with the seller.
That's a good point to find a TB with working TS, thanks for advice.

 

Okay... We need to get back on track or open a new thread... This has to do with a CD/DVD swap... I know that was part of it but if we're talking touchscrens now... We need to either open an old thread or start a new one.

Camillus.... Sorry you couldn't find the issue. There are a ton of threads about similar issues. Could be one of probably 4-6 things causing the problem.

 

I've just had a go at doing this mod on my CF28 with a Panasonic UJ-851s and it's not showing up as a DVD-RW drive but just as a DVD-RAM drive. I haven't tried writing an ISO to a CDR in it yet (need to burn a new Gentoo x86 LiveCD so that'll be the target I'll test with) so wondering if my soldering effort hasn't worked. I don't have the best lighting in this room.

Oh for want of a genuine Maggy Lamp.... lol

Craig.

 

Showing up where?
If it is listed in the bios,even as a simple cd drive , you have been sucessful
Another clue is if it takes a longer than normal time to boot ,its not configured properly
Depending on the windows version ,your drive might have different names
I have seen the writer called ram before, thats just windows
You can confirm dvd-rw with compatable software

Alex

 

Yeah Sun -

This mod is to use any generic optical drive in the CF-27/28/29 CD drive caddy; Panasonic uses proprietary optical drives which are keyed internally along with the hard drive INTERFACE as Master & Slave on the same IDE channel. Most generic laptop optical drives are set by default to CABLE SELECT.

The Panasonic BIOS sees any Optical Drive NOT set to Slave as ANOTHER MASTER DRIVE; therefore you have TWO Master drives (The hard drive and the generic optical drive) fighting for the same IDE 0 assignment, and the laptop usually won't even boot.

In BIOS, the only thing you may see is the device IDENT STRING hard-coded into the drive; this may or may not tell you what the drive type is. The CF-28 BIOS predates DVD burners, so it will not recognize a DVD burner as such under any circumstances as some more recent motherboards will.

The fact that your laptop boots and sees the optical drive in Device Manager means the hack was successful (or, perhaps, since you used a Panasonic drive, not even necessary) and now you just need software to address the drive.

In order to be able to "drag & drop" write to the drive from within Windows, you need an ASPI layer driver (Google it - use the link to Adaptec's website for the latest known good driver). In most cases, this will make the drive show up in Windows Explorer as the correct drive type, unless you haven't got SP2 installed yet. :confused2:

In order to write from an .iso, you will need disk authoring software (Nero or Roxio, for example); both will install an ASPI layer driver for their own use, but it MAY OR MAY NOT make things work correctly for drag & drop from within Windows Explorer. They don't always include the LATEST ASPI drivers in their packages; also, the versions you get for free along with a new optical drive are not usually the latest either. And if you downloaded a version from a torrent or similar place... well, odds are it originally came bundled for free along with someone's new optical drive, so the same caveats apply.

Good luck,

mnem
Cyber-Cleopatra committed suicide being bitten by an ASPI...

 

Mnementh "The Brain" explains it all!

I sure am glad you hang your hat around here...

 

Dewed - its that the guy from Neuromancer?

It is.. That's DIXIE FLATLINE!!! And he's got a 17-valve brainpan!

mnem
Now where did I leave my Ono-Sendai 5...

 

If the hard drive was set by jumper to be Slave, would it still boot OK? Seems that would allow any optical drive to work without the R2 mod.

 

Nope - the HDD header has the jumper set in hardware; you'd probably just confuse the crap outta the IDE controller doing that.

I suppose if you're curious you could give it a try; might be amusing to see what happens. I dunno if it would hurt things or not.

mnem
Here... hold muh beer & watch THIS!

 

I just got a CF-28PCJGZEM with a CD drive, is this the right DVD player (is this the one recommended on the first page of this thread?)
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Sony-NEC-Op...C_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item518dc9bbbb

I am understanding that the DVD drive simply replaces my CD drive which is presently in this Toughbook, am I correct? as for the soldering iron and other incidentals, I am all set there, as long as I didn't misunderstand something and need a different caddy, or different drive or ???

Now, does this Sony DVD drive loose any of the "toughness" that the laptop currently has with it's stock CD drive / components?



Actually, I would really like to have a DVD burner or a BluRay player for this laptop. Is there a simple way to install either

 

boosted,
You should check the dates on the posts you are reading, a lot of the information in old posts has been updated. Practically any slim cd, dvd, or any combination will work in the CF-28 caddy with the solder fix. You have to be careful with compatibility issues with your processor, operating system, etc with the newer hardware. I know nothing about Blue Ray, it might work or it might not, someone who knows will jump in with an answer.
CAP

 

Boosted -

DVD Burner is a good idea, but Blu-Ray is a waste of money unless you NEED the capacity for data storage/backup. CF-28 Mk3 can BARELY play a DVD; I doubt you'd get better than 8FPS on a BluRay. Besides, you only have 1024x768 video, so you'd never SEE the improvement if it WOULD play it.

mnem
CF-28 is good for fixing Routers, fixing Servers, and fixing your location...

 

I have been installing dvd writers in the cf-28 series for years
No problem with that combination

BlueRay is out, for the cf-29 as the video card hardware and screen resolution do not support it


Alex

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170388423659&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
what do you think of this DVD drive? is this a decent piece of hardware and is it priced right?
The description says it is "set to Master" and that no soldering is required ( I can solder just fine, but if this is simply PnP, that is even better!)

Since this is going to be used to watch movies occasionally, I thought a DVD drive would be a worthwhile investment.
Mnementh, when you say the CF-28 can barely play a DVD, what exactly do you mean?
Will this be effective to play movies in my car? Oh, that brings something else to mind. how do you connect to a mobile audio system (head unit, signal processors, multiple amplifiers) for the sound? It looks like I only have a single audio jack out of my dock. Is there some kind of "card" or adapter that can give me front/rear/center/sub outputs? (like 5.1 channel receivers have?)

 

It states in the listing

Well that looks easy then

I beleve that there is either a psmcia audio card, or perhaps a usb audio card that will give you output options that will work


Alex

 

CF-28 is a P3 based machine; even with a full load of RAM AND the Mk3 with a 1GHz processor, it's DVD video playback is sometimes jumpy and has trouble keeping sync with the sound. This is just a fact of life; these machines were intended to be a warhorse, not a thoroughbred. They were NEVER meant to be a multimedia entertainment center for people who don't need to be WORKING on their laptop.

As for audio - sure - you can either plug the analog stereo output of your laptop into an appropriate input on your head unit (As you would any iPod or MP3 player). I doubt the CF-28 would do well with modern digital 6.1 or 7.1 audio decoding; especially WHILE playing a DVD.

mnem
Sometimes, to gain ground you must take it slow...

 

Firstly hi to everyone from a newbie.

I will getting my first TB tomorrow - a CF-29ETKGZKE

The first thing I plan to upgrade is the CDRW with a DVD/CDRW using this very informative guide. I have a spare drive from my old Dell inspiron which is a Hitachi-LG model GCC-4240N. Does any one have any views on whether this drive should work?

Thanks in advance

 

I have a question for this thread, maybe I have missed the answer, but don't think so. I have just completed the mod, and the DVD-R reads and write just fine, however the computer now takes about three minutes to boot up and shut down. Has anyone else had this issue or does the group think maybe I messed up. Thanks

 

That's not right
Hanging on boot means that the bios has not detected it properly ,so windows configures the device

I bet its not shown shown as a cd drive in the bios

Look in the bios and see, and what dvd drive did you install?

Alex