Cendyne 16X DVD (CDI CD 00085)

[CignaXI]

I bought this drive on thanksgiving from office max, I know it is a lite-on but haven't been able to figure out which model exactlyb it is. Another thing that I notice about the drive is that is says it has max speed of 40X while all the liteons have a max speed of 48X (this is reading cd's). Does any one knwos anything about this drive that can help me out?

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=50202003#

http://www.cendyne.com/product.asp?pid=11

[cfitz]

What does the drive identify itself as in device manager or Nero info tool or whatever you prefer for checking ID strings?

If it is identified as a Cendyne, you might still be able to tell by the firmware version, although if they changed the ID string they probably changed the fimware version too. But, if you can, try to match the firmware series against the firmware listed here to find the exact model:

http://www.jlms.com.tw/download.htm

Also, what are the physical dimensions? The 165H/166S models are shorter than the 163/163D models. You can see the specs here:

http://www.jlms.com.tw/jlms.htm

The 40x max CD-ROM read speed is suspicious since, as you say, LiteOn drives read up to 48x. Have you tested the CD-ROM read speed to see whether the 40x spec is a typo or for real? Maybe you don't have a LiteOn, if your drive really does max out at 40x.

If the drive is a LiteOn and made recently, it is probably a 166S.

Another thought - as you were handling the drive prior to and during installation, did you hear anything sounding like little ball bearings rolling around inside of it?

cfitz

[CignaXI]

I don't recall hearing ball bearings while installing it, although I do hear a strange noise I've never heard before with any liteon drive. Just when I insert a cd it makes this noise, not the normal one of spining up the cd, is like this noise it makes about two time and then you hear the drives particular sound. I know it is a liteon because the face of the drive is identical to the liteon's drive. I will compare firmwares to see if I can figure out which one it is. Thanks,

[CignaXI]

It is an 163D, can't complain since I got it for free; is there any significant difference between the 163 and the 166/165? And is there any site where I can find updated firmwares for this drive since the liteon website is "under construction"?

http://www.liteonit.com/english/index-english.htm

PS: About the 40X thing, the box says it is a 40X but nero reports its max speed to be 48X, I guess I should sue them for misleading advertisement

[cfitz]

It is an 163D, can't complain since I got it for free; is there any significant difference between the 163 and the 166/165?

The 165H/166S models fully support the DVD-Multi standard, but the 163/163D do not.

And is there any site where I can find updated firmwares for this drive since the liteon website is "under construction"?

Check the site again - it isn't marked as generally "under construction" as I write this (although the specific firmware you are looking for is - according to Dimitri's site the GHR6 updater had issues and caused problems for a good number of people. Maybe that is why it is removed from the LiteOn site).

You can find a region-free version of the firmware at Dimitri's site, complete with the tools for safely updating in DOS mode:

http://digi.web1000.com/ltd163dfw.htm

cfitz

[CignaXI]

Thanks for everything and sorry for any inconvenience.