Replace Optical Drive with HD? Yes we can!

[dextructor]

Since I was working on upgrading my iMac G5 I bought an Panasonic UJ-225 Blu-ray, but since it took many months to arrive in my country this part I was without any kind of warranty. It was recognized inside OS X Leopard and in Void Linux but It didn't read any disks, won't make any sound of the drive spinning the disc.

I love optical media, but I rarely use it nowadays, but I use/need a lot of storage, so I begin to search for a replacement. I found this on Aliexpress

1.99US $ 10% OFF|Deepfox Aluminum 2nd Hdd Ssd Caddy 9.5mm Ide To Sata Case For 2.5" Hard Disk Case Enclosure For Hp Dell Acer - Hdd & Ssd Enclosure - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

It arrived but I think that isn't the most optimal solution regarding the temperatures so I asked my friend engineer to help me with an solution similar to the OWC Data Doubler, after a few weeks he sent me a very good product (when he send me the files I'll publish so anyone could make one if your heart desires)

Since this latest iMac G5 it's a pain to disassembly I was objective with my test. I took the 5TB drive (It's a thick HDD considering the form factor) that it's in my Raspberry Pi4 NAS and take the chance to see if it's gonna recognize it as it was (because it is formatted in BTRFS I didn't expected to work on Leopard, but in Linux I did) and after the first boot it worked. OSX recognized the capacity and Void Linux was able to mount it.

I returned the 5TB drive to my Pi4 it was time to put the drive that I was gonna use, an old 500gb Seagate. So I tested formatting under OS X and Linux, no problem. I tried to restore some install disks to boot from it, no problem using like it.

I'm really impressed how far we evolved in the tech segment. To have such huge storages in so small footprint (the other HDD it's an FireCuda 120 SSD 1TB for my OS's)

 

[Amethyst1]

Now the question is... can the last iMac G5 boot from a GPT disk/volume?

 

[dextructor]

Now the question is... can the last iMac G5 boot from a GPT disk/volume?

Right now I don't have an definitive answer

From the USB/Firewire I could boot using GPT without problems, but from the SATA or now the IDE HDD's I could test it during this week.

 

[Anthony-Cic]

Since I was working on upgrading my iMac G5 I bought an Panasonic UJ-225 Blu-ray, but since it took many months to arrive in my country this part I was without any kind of warranty. It was recognized inside OS X Leopard and in Void Linux but It didn't read any disks, won't make any sound of the drive spinning the disc.

I love optical media, but I rarely use it nowadays, but I use/need a lot of storage, so I begin to search for a replacement. I found this on Aliexpress

1.99US $ 10% OFF|Deepfox Aluminum 2nd Hdd Ssd Caddy 9.5mm Ide To Sata Case For 2.5" Hard Disk Case Enclosure For Hp Dell Acer - Hdd & Ssd Enclosure - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

It arrived but I think that isn't the most optimal solution regarding the temperatures so I asked my friend engineer to help me with an solution similar to the OWC Data Doubler, after a few weeks he sent me a very good product (when he send me the files I'll publish so anyone could make one if your heart desires)

Since this latest iMac G5 it's a pain to disassembly I was objective with my test. I took the 5TB drive (It's a thick HDD considering the form factor) that it's in my Raspberry Pi4 NAS and take the chance to see if it's gonna recognize it as it was (because it is formatted in BTRFS I didn't expected to work on Leopard, but in Linux I did) and after the first boot it worked. OSX recognized the capacity and Void Linux was able to mount it.

I returned the 5TB drive to my Pi4 it was time to put the drive that I was gonna use, an old 500gb Seagate. So I tested formatting under OS X and Linux, no problem. I tried to restore some install disks to boot from it, no problem using like it.

I'm really impressed how far we evolved in the tech segment. To have such huge storages in so small footprint (the other HDD it's an FireCuda 120 SSD 1TB for my OS's)

Would the OWC data doubler work in PowerBooks?

 

[weckart]

Since I was working on upgrading my iMac G5 I bought an Panasonic UJ-225 Blu-ray, but since it took many months to arrive in my country this part I was without any kind of warranty. It was recognized inside OS X Leopard and in Void Linux but It didn't read any disks, won't make any sound of the drive spinning the disc.

When you say read any disks, does that include CDs and DVDs? I know that Toast 9 included a plug in for Blu-ray but I can't remember offhand if that was purely for writing.

 

[alectrona6400]

Interesting work! Speaking of optical drives, I might try to open up discussion for replacement options for slot-loading G3s and G4 cubes. I thought of an idea with the HDD method, maybe you could use an old hard drive as sort of a "recovery partition" for these old macs.

 

[Amethyst1]

I thought of an idea with the HDD method, maybe you could use an old hard drive as sort of a "recovery partition" for these old macs.

Sure, why not? Just restore an OS X install disc (image) onto a partition and off you go.

 

[dextructor]

Would the OWC data doubler work in PowerBooks?

I don't believe that any version of OWC Data doubler had IDE interface, because that was the standard that Apple used until 2nd or 3rd generation of Intel MacBooks (The first if I'm not mistaken it was IDE as well)

When you say read any disks, does that include CDs and DVDs? I know that Toast 9 included a plug in for Blu-ray but I can't remember offhand if that was purely for writing.

No, any kind of disc wasn't recognizing, I believe that since it wasn't enough packaged and the postal service in my country isn't very known for being careful with the packages maybe that's related somehow.

replacement options for slot-loading G3s and G4 cubes.

Yes it should work because all those models that you mentioned uses "laptop optical drives". There's a big IF, because I didn't see any Master-Slave jumper even after disassembly this adapter and putting in the 3D modeled frame...
So the iMac G5 has only 1 device connected in the IDE bus that would not be any problem, BUT the iMac G3, G4 Cube I believe that only had 1 IDE bus that you connect using the same IDE cable, so if this IDE-SATA adapter has any embedded "cable select" mode, will be a trial and error.

Unfortunately I like optical medias, but the reliability in general for this laptop models make me uncomfortable to say at least, so it's an viable option since those laptop HDD's are getting much more capacity to be used.

 

[weckart]

Yes it should work because all those models that you mentioned uses "laptop optical drives". There's a big IF, because I didn't see any Master-Slave jumper even after disassembly this adapter and putting in the 3D modeled frame...

I remember having this problem when trying to replace a dead optical drive in a PowerBook 1400. It spun up but wouldn't read a disk. Apparently, Apple used to set ATAPI optical drives as either slave or master but not as cable select. In order to use third party drives, you had to short two of the connecting pins. There were online guides for that depending upon which model Mac you had. I would suppose that a lot of those may have disappeared from the web since so many older forums and fansites have closed in the past 20 years.

 

[alectrona6400]

Well slot loading G3s and G4 cubes have the drive connector flipped 180 degrees, so it's really not as simple as it sounds. The original drives used in those systems die like flies.

 

[dextructor]

Well slot loading G3s and G4 cubes have the drive connector flipped 180 degrees, so it's really not as simple as it sounds. The original drives used in those systems die like flies.

I don't see where this could be any problem, because once you "print" the 3d modeled frame you can reverse it too to help you fit whatever position.

And unless the Apple drives was mounted flipped or backwards this adapter it's in the same orientation.

I found more pictures of the adapter without the original metal top frame and with some thick HDD to show that you can adjust the position and be slimmer than the original optical drives

 

[lepidotós]

@dextructor 2nd -- my MacBook2,1 is SATA.

 

[Amethyst1]

@dextructor 2nd -- my MacBook2,1 is SATA.

The hard drive is SATA. The optical drive (a Matshita CW-8221-C if it's a combo drive), however, is PATA.

 

[rampancy]

Which is why you need to make sure to get a PATA to SATA optical drive bay caddy. These are a lot more difficult to source than a PATA-PATA caddy, which are a lot more common.

 

[dextructor]

Now the question is... can the last iMac G5 boot from a GPT disk/volume?

Sorry for the delay.

I tested with OSX Leopard, Sorbet Leopard and Void Linux booting from GPT partitioned HDD, and "worked" but not perfectly on my iMac G5, let me explain.

All OS worked if I booted from boot selection (Option key on chime) and if I manually define it you wouldn't notice.

BUT the OSX only "bug" it's when you try to define the boot volume from "System Preferences" wouldn't recognize the available GPT option, only APM HDD's.

 

[Project Alice]

Now the question is... can the last iMac G5 boot from a GPT disk/volume?

I’d be surprised if it couldn’t. I can test this out on mine.