External DVD drive 4X2176

[Billaboard]

I know this is probably the wrong place and this will probably be moved or get me shot, but...

For use with my X201, I went on ebay and bought a DVD drive at a good price. It works well, but I have to hold the usb cable into the back of the casing to keep the connection solid. This is a problem I've had before with external usb devices, and it is obvious that the usb actual socket (the almost square type) is recessed slightly too much in the casing.

I've got the DVD drive itself out so I just have the box with a small amount of electronics behind the usb sockets. I have taken the 3 screws out and removed the rubber feet, but don't seem to be able to separate the two halves of the box.

Lenovo don't seem to have service manuals for external bits and pieces, so I just wondered whether anyone here had worked out how to dismantle one of these.

[rkawakami]

I know this is probably the wrong place and this will probably be moved or get me shot, but...

Two out of three ain't bad....

Drive appears to have the standard USB Female B connector. If you've removed all visible screws, covers and rubber feet then what's left is brute force. The back panel must snap in place. If the drive slides into the housing and mates with a connector on the board that has the USB ports mounted on it, then there has to be an easy way for it to be assembled, and by token, easy to take apart. Note that this is just my opinion; you're on your own unless somebody else here has performed the surgery you require.

The other options are to see if you can find a USB Male B connector that's (ahem), longer than the normal 12mm. The minimum is supposed to be 11.75mm per the standard but it looks like 12mm is typical. If that's not possible, then perhaps you could grind the plastic panel around the Female B connector to allow the plug to mate better.

ref: http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/ecn1.pdf <-- USB 2.0 ECN with details about Type B connector

[Billaboard]

Thanks for that, especially the very useful pdf of usb specifications.

Well, I've poked and flexed as much as I dare, and I haven't got beyond creaking noises. The usb 'B' socket does have a noticeable air gap between its front edge and the fairly thick plastic of the case, but it seems to be mounted solidly enough.

I've been round all the printers etc with similar cables and measured all the plugs. They are all over the place, so I'm amazed that all this stuff actually works at all. The shortest plug had metal section of 10mm, there's one of about 11, and 3 just under 12mm. Just one plug actually measures the full 12mm, so I've trimmed the plastic moulding back a fraction and it seems to be working. It now clicks in where it didn't before.

I can't remember what equipment I had in the past with this problem, but I remember that I removed the plastic case in front of the socket. If I have to, I'll do that here.

In testing, I seem to have discovered that the drive, or the case electronics didn't like having intermittent usb, and sometimes started up with messages about misbehaving usb attachments, having swapped to the reliable cable. With the right cable and a rebooted machine, the whole combination now works reliably.

Thanks again. I've filed the pdf for future reference.

[ZaZ]

If it's less than 45 days old, dispute it with eBay and buy another drive. The chances you'd lose are statistically insignificant, though you'll probably be on the hook for return shipping. I bought a case and Blu ray drive on eBay years ago. I've never have had a problem with it.