T23 cdrw drive in a 600X

[cmarti]

Is that possible?

I have one in the shelf and i am not sure if it will fit.

Has anyone installed a T23 cdrw drive in a 600X ?

[AlphaKilo470]

It is possible if you remove the rails and connector from the drive and replace them with connector and rails from a 600 series optical drive. The bezel will have a "ghetto" look to it (to an extent) but the drive should be fully functional.

[rkawakami]

IThe bezel will have a "ghetto" look to it (to an extent) but the drive should be fully functional.

Hey! That sounds like me! Just last night used an Xacto knife on a bezel that didn't fit into the 600X's Ultrabay opening (combo drive came caddy-less and cheap). As AK says, works great but doesn't follow the lines of the Ultrabay opening, but I buy for function, not aesthetics. Most of the combo drives being offered for the 600 series is fairly expensive in contrast to the Ultrabay 2000 ones. See my sig? Three of the four 600X combo drives are transplanted Ultrabay 2000 drives.

[Saysana13B]

Would their Ultrabay batteries be a good transplant?

[rkawakami]

Doubtful that you could transplant the battery connector between an Ultrabayslim (600X) and an Ultrabay 2000 (T series)., but as I have not actually seen either one, I could be wrong. That's assuming they're in different positions and use different types of battery connectors.

[cmarti]

Thanks!

That's good news for me.

I will try it tonight.

[rkawakami]

The transplant of an Ultrabay 2000 drive into the Ultraslimbay is easy to do because you don't have to worry about the bezel not fitting. The Ultrabay 2000 drives have a bezel that does not extend past the drive case (12.5mm thick). This insures that it fits into the 600X's opening. For the T23 drive you only have to remove the two corner screws in the back (the ones near the corners of the case and not the ones right next to the interface connector), and two screws on each side. Some of the screws that I have removed seemed to have lock-tight on them so it was difficult to break them loose at first. Make sure you have the correct Philips screwdriver otherwise you may damage the head of the screw. The 600 caddy has an extra screw that secures the latch near the front of the drive. Simply swap the plastic pieces between the two drives and enjoy your 'new' burner.

[JHEM]

See my sig?

Yes I do Ray, thanks for trimming it down to two lines, I appreciate it.

Back on topic, I've performed the burner upgrade on about 20 600X machines over the years, just swap the drive rails and IDE connector, trim the faceplate with an Xacto knife or Dremel tool and you're in business.

Regards,

James

[cmarti]

The transplant of an Ultrabay 2000 drive into the Ultraslimbay is easy to do because you don't have to worry about the bezel not fitting. The Ultrabay 2000 drives have a bezel that does not extend past the drive case (12.5mm thick). This insures that it fits into the 600X's opening. For the T23 drive you only have to remove the two corner screws in the back (the ones near the corners of the case and not the ones right next to the interface connector), and two screws on each side. Some of the screws that I have removed seemed to have lock-tight on them so it was difficult to break them loose at first. Make sure you have the correct Philips screwdriver otherwise you may damage the head of the screw. The 600 caddy has an extra screw that secures the latch near the front of the drive. Simply swap the plastic pieces between the two drives and enjoy your 'new' burner.

rkawakami,

Thanks for the guidance! As soon as i am finished i will come back and post the results.

[cmarti]

Now im finished, The instalation was easy, thanks for the help!

It even looks great only 1mm longer but that is fine.

Now i can burn my old Black Sabbath mp3's.

[Saysana13B]

Any Pics? It seems like my own CD rom drive is out. My thinkpad won't read it at all. I'd like to get a new one now.

[rkawakami]

If you are referring to the process of swapping caddies between the Ultrabayslim and Ultrabay 2000 drives then I believe I can dig something up I saw on eBay a long while ago (if the seller is still around). If I can't find that, I can throw up (err... "put up") a web page on my site if you give me a day or two.

If you just want to see what a "ghetto" drive looks like in a 600X I can supply some pictures in about 20-30 minutes....

edit: Okay, site up and running.... if you want to see some quick and dirty pictures (no, not those kind!), go to:

http://www.rkawakami.net/ibm_600x/u2k/

edit2: And here's the example on how easy it is to swap the caddies between the drives (link to eBay auction which will only last for a month or two):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0015322694

If I get some time to put together some pictures and instructions showing how easy this swap is to do, I'll post them on my page.

[Saysana13B]

Looks pretty good. Thanks for the link rkawakami

EDIT: AH! I don't have a screw driver small enough to fit those screws. I'm taking apart my CD because for some reason my tp won't read it.

[tfflivemb2]

You can pick up a cheap precision screw driver kit from Dollar tree for....yep you guessed it, a dollar.

I have several of these sets. They come in very handy, even though they don't last too long, they are pretty cheap.

[AlphaKilo470]

I have several of these sets. They come in very handy, even though they don't last too long, they are pretty cheap.

Just be careful with these things. If we're thinking of the same set, I have one where one of the screwdrivers handles twisted right off on the first use.

[cmarti]

Looks pretty good. Thanks for the link rkawakami

EDIT: AH! I don't have a screw driver small enough to fit those screws. I'm taking apart my CD because for some reason my tp won't read it.

You can get a phillips #0 screwdriver at sears for $2.99 they are good, that is exactly the one i used to take apart and re-mount the drive.

[tfflivemb2]

Just be careful with these things. If we're thinking of the same set, I have one where one of the screwdrivers handles twisted right off on the first use.

Probably, but I haven't had one come apart. Normally, my problem has been stripping the tips on stubborn screws. Notice that I said the tips, not the screws.

[lenmullen]

It is possible if you remove the rails and connector from the drive and replace them with connector and rails from a 600 series optical drive. The bezel will have a "ghetto" look to it (to an extent) but the drive should be fully functional.

what is a 'ghetto' look?

[rkawakami]

what is a 'ghetto' look?

If you have read the entire thread, you should have seen the link I posted to my site. I've taken a Combo drive designed for the Ultrabay 2000 (U2K) and simply switched the caddy and installed it in one of my 600X systems. I've also done the same thing with bare drives (i.e. no caddy but it has a "standard" bezel). In these cases, the front bezel does not match up with the lines of the 600X laptop. Conversions like these are mainly done because the 600X Ultraslimbay drives are generally more expensive than U2K ones.

(edit: I should point out that some of these conversions look worse than others. The U2K ones look fairly clean. I have some others that I needed to trim the front bezel so that it fits the opening of the Ultraslimbay. In those cases, you can see either a ragged edge on the plastic bezel and/or part of the drive peeking out because the bezel does not fill up the entire length of the opening.)

[cmarti]

My personal opinion is that the 2000 drive looks great in the 600X.

I am very happy with both the look and the functionality.

[lenmullen]

My personal opinion is that the 2000 drive looks great in the 600X.

I am very happy with both the look and the functionality.

Thanks, cmarti -- that's really what I wanted to hear. I didn't see anything wrong in those images.

It looks like the drive fits in the caddy and the faceplate is a little different. Have you attempted to put a 600 series faceplate on your t series drive? Will that work?

[rkawakami]

Have you attempted to put a 600 series faceplate on your t series drive? Will that work?

Generally speaking, maybe. It depends on the type of drive and the faceplate you have. As far as I can tell, each drive manufacturer has a slightly different place or different design where the tabs from the front bezel snap into the front of the drive. That, and where they have located the eject button really will determine if you can use any particular faceplate with any given drive.

[lenmullen]

That makes sense. Wish me luck...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0020711601

Three of my thinkpads have the 05k9106 drives which are less avialable, more expensive, and slower than the 27L4213. If this works OK, the rest will get the newer drives (I have a drawer full of cdrom and floppy enclosures).

Thanks for your help.

[cmarti]

My personal opinion is that the 2000 drive looks great in the 600X.

I am very happy with both the look and the functionality.

Thanks, cmarti -- that's really what I wanted to hear. I didn't see anything wrong in those images.

It looks like the drive fits in the caddy and the faceplate is a little different. Have you attempted to put a 600 series faceplate on your t series drive? Will that work?

I use to have a A21m and a T23 and the drives faceplates hole and ejector bottom were not located in the exactly the same place but as rkawakami said that depends of the brand and or maker of the 2000 drive.

[lenmullen]

LOL!

I think it looks fine. It certainly works and it was very easy to switch the 'caddies' between the DVD player and the CD player it replaced.

My wife immediately noticed that the drive was not right. That's what they do. I'm happy, though -- happy enough not to mess with the faceplate transplant.

Thanks for all your help and encouragement.

[Ken Edmonds]

A very useful thread.

I have a friend that runs training courses and is about to switch from OHP to digital projectors.

He has a 600E with a DVD drive which is fine and wants more similar machines for his staff. Old and battered is good as nobody is likely to steal them but DVD drives are expensive.

This could be exactly what I needed to know. Thanks to everybody.

[Ken Edmonds]

I've just bought a T-series one for 0.55 GBP.

That will do to practice!

[Cowboy6032]

I tried my luck w/ this...not as lucky as you guys...the connector on the back of the u2k cdrw/dvd drive I bought isn't the same as the one on the back of my 600x cdrom...too small... looks the same from the front, but no matching up behind... which ones can/can't be 'converted' to work w/ a vintage 600x?

[rkawakami]

I tried my luck w/ this...not as lucky as you guys...the connector on the back of the u2k cdrw/dvd drive I bought isn't the same as the one on the back of my 600x cdrom...too small... looks the same from the front, but no matching up behind... which ones can/can't be 'converted' to work w/ a vintage 600x?

What is the manufacturer/model number of the combo drive? I had thought that the 12.7mm optical drives all had the same type of connector but each laptop maker chose their own type of connector to use inside the laptop. That's what the caddy is for; to adapt the connections and position for each.

Are you sure you have an Ultrabay 2000 drive and not an Ultrabay Slim (T4x, R50, R51, X40, X41)

[Cowboy6032]

AH HAHAHAHAHA -- just now remembered to look at the drive when I was at home...it is a ub slim! Have another coming off ebay, hopefully...guess I'll post the slim one on here to sell/trade..lol...thx