Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Well, thanks for trying bhoar!

I guess that now, after 3 days trying every possible serial setting I'm at a dead end.. so my unit will go in the basement too..

Btw, If you ever come by one of your units, and have the time to take a look... I'll take it back from the basement and up to my lab again

Again, many thanks!
D.

[computer-girl]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

I am one of the lucky few who caught one of the last of the Kiosks on sale on ebay.

Hi

Thanks for the quick reply and the infos

As a matter of fact, I didn't try 14400, nor COM inspector did, so I have some hope for tomorrow! (I'm at work right now) THANKS!

As for the Kodak.. That's great news for ComputerGirl, as she was seeking to buy one.. but as for me, that's too much.

I paid my DTP4000 just $50 at a local shop with 4 plextor 12x drives loaded and 2 Waitec spares.. They warned me that most likely there was no way to make it run, but I bough it just to play with it so I think I got what I deserved

Btw, I do live in Italy so I fear shipping cost would be way higher than $30 :(

Again, thanks for your help! I'll keep you updated

[computer-girl]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Brendan,

Out of the approximately 1250 to 1300 CDs, here is the breakdown:

I DID NOT perform any pre-cleaning. Most of my discs are in good condition and are scratched very little, if at all. I also handle my discs by their edges.

I loaded appx 1200 to 1250 through the Teac FIRST. If those discs failed due to read errors, I cleaned them up using rubbing alcohol & lint free cloths and ran them through the PX-230a and PX-708A.

I also loaded appx. 100 through the PX-230a and PX-708A FIRST. If those discs failed due to read errors, I swapped between the two drives to try to get a better read for the failed tracks only.

Now, after running the 1200 to 1250 CDs through the Teac, maybe 20 to 30 discs total did not get ripped at all (MSG I received was that the disc was not loaded). I reloaded all of those discs and probably half of them got ripped the second time. I also learned to put a manilla folder under the rear of the Kiosk so that the front would tip slightly downward. This helped with getting the discs to load properly.

I would estimate that about 50 to 100 discs going through the Teac had one or more tracks with errors, so I took those 50 discs, ran my ultra secure ripping using the PX-230A and/or PX708A. If the disc had no scratches, I ran it through the PX-230A first, and if it had scratches, I ran it through the PX-708A first. I swapped between the 2 drives in the event of a failure. Only 10 CDs failed to get ripped in their entirety, no matter which of the three drives I used.

Out of those 10 CDs that could not be ripped using any of my drives, 2 CDs were brand new but one came with a scratch, so I am guessing the non scratched new CD had a pressing problem. 5 of the CDs were from 1988-1992 & I had listened to them over the years, and 2 were HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY scratched. Out of the those 10 CDs, I will only have to replace 7 CDs because 3 CDs whose tracks failed to rip I already have from other CDs in my collection.

I must say that I was very pleased with the performance of the Teac drive in the Kodak Kiosk, considering the number of CDs that I ran though that drive.

Now, the only problem that I had early on in the process was that I once ripped overnight to a hard drive that eventually filled up. Once there was no more room on drive D to which I was ripping, I kept getting error messages from the batch ripper (sorry I don't remember the exact error message because I reloaded my system soon after and that batch report got wiped out). However, I think that had something to do with not being able to open a tmp file. I know boxes kept popping up after each failure. Then a new CD was loaded and batch ripper tried to rip that new one. So even though I had no more drive space on drive "D", the batch ripper did not terminate.

Lastly, a few drives run through batch ripper using the TEAC reported no database information, but when I ran them through the Plextors using batch ripper, I got the data. I configured for both automatic and also for manual input & review which then loaded the correct data.

I hope this information helps.

BTW, I took my 81 year old Dad's flac files (part of the total 1350 CDs), batch converted them to Mp3 and put them on his system. Of course, he said that he could just pop his CDs into his Bose Wave Music System if he wanted to listen to his music, why should I bother with ripping his collection, but of course I insisted and went forward with my plan. The next thing I knew, I heard someone crooning to Ray Charles in the family room. It was my Dad, singing to his Mp3's. He sang all day long and into the night going from Nat King Cole to Gino Federico to 80's disco. When I told him how quickly I converted his music and that now all of it was backed up in the event that his system ever crashed, he was very impressed! So my Dad thanks you as well!

cg:

You're welcome, glad it worked out. For the record how many CDs did you have have trouble using on the Teac drive and what improvement, if any, did you see with the 230a and 708a?

Did you run into any other robot-related issues?

-brendan

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

db - the SCSI unit I opened up to play with the serial header is buried deep within the basement, it ain't seeing the light of day anytime soon. sorry. :(

-brendan

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Hi Brendan

I did see this in one of your first posts on this thread, but alas, 19200 does not work on my unit..
Maybe the firmware is corrupted (but I doubt it,since it seems to pass the diagnostic and can move the arm without any problem) or something like that..

If you have the time to take a look at one of your units.. I would greatly appreciate that.
when I'm back at home I'll take a picture of my DTP4000 mainboard & serial connector.. just to see it it is any different from yours...


Thanks again!

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

db:

My oldest notes, before I made my scripts a bit more complicated and error tolerant say this should work...but even the notes weren't really sure 19200 was right:

	Suggestion 9: RImage DTP-800/DTP-1000/DTP-4000 Older SCSI using debug port serial connection (double check speed) - UNTESTED
	
	Pre-Batch 	--drive="G:" --comport=COM2 --comspeed=19200 --close --command=MU --bindresetall --sleep=2
	Load		--drive="G:" --comport=COM2 --comspeed=19200 --close --command=CR --command=OI  --command=MD  --command=R  --command=MU --open --command=MD  --command=P  --command=MU --close --sleep=10   ;  in case disc recognition or spinup takes a while, depends on drive
	Unload		--drive="G:" --comport=COM2 --comspeed=19200 --open --command=CR --command=CI  --command=MD  --command=R  --command=MU --close --command=MD  --command=P  --command=MU
	Reject		--drive="G:" --comport=COM2 --comspeed=19200 --open --command=CR --command=MD  --command=R  --command=MU --close  --command=OR --command=MD  --command=P  --command=MU --command=CR
	Post-Batch	--drive="G:" --comport=COM2 --comspeed=19200 --close --command=MU

-brendan

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Hi Bhoar
I've tried 7200 and 14400, along with the usual set (9600,19200 etc), but no luck..
If you ever came to find your old docs, could you please verify if you connector was 5 pins too, and how you hooked it to your serial port?

Of course I'm keeping trying, but alas Com Inspector doesn't allow to input 'strange' com speed ports..

Many thanks!

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Yeah, the $30 is for US addresses. Shipping a unit to austria was about $125.

Let me know how it works out.

CG was able to find a kodak unit at the cheaper price last month due to a communication breakdown between the warehouse and I (since corrected)...but it worked out just fine for her.

-brendan

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Hi

Thanks for the quick reply and the infos

As a matter of fact, I didn't try 14400, nor COM inspector did, so I have some hope for tomorrow! (I'm at work right now) THANKS!

As for the Kodak.. That's great news for ComputerGirl, as she was seeking to buy one.. but as for me, that's too much.

I paid my DTP4000 just $50 at a local shop with 4 plextor 12x drives loaded and 2 Waitec spares.. They warned me that most likely there was no way to make it run, but I bough it just to play with it so I think I got what I deserved

Btw, I do live in Italy so I fear shipping cost would be way higher than $30 :(

Again, thanks for your help! I'll keep you updated

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

I can't find my notes on these (I grew frustrated with them), but...

Try both 19200bps and 14400bps rates. Try each of the following: S, SV, I and IC. Then try those four but with an enter at the end of each.

Anything?

Regarding the Kodaks: you can't find them on ebay because I bought the warehouse out and now resell them, now with software and 90-day warranty, for $300+$30 S/H. This includes a windows script that watches the tray and swaps old disc out/swaps new disc in when the tray opens.

-brendan

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Thanks for the quick reply

Actually, I don't need it for ripping but for burning multiple discs (what it was meant for!) but instead of simple replication, I wanted to use it to automate my backups...

..and I do buy blanks in bulk, always same vendor & type (Verbatim Datalife Plus) so even that would not pose a problem..

I've even tried COM Inspector (an utility that tries every possible combination of COM Speed, Bits of stop, flow control etc) but even then I was unable to obtain noting short of garbage from the serial port connector..

Since you have some in the basement, do you remember if they had something 'strange' in their serial connection?

It seems to me that the robot of choice is now the Kodak one, but I've been unable to find any on Ebay since months, and so I think it has become a rarity..

Thanks!

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Hi
I dismounted my DTP4000 to find the serial debug connector, and somewhat I found it, even tho is 5 pin instead of the 4 described in the first posts.

I've managed to connect a serial cable to it, but all that I get is garbage on the screen..

I've tried all the speeds from 300bps to 115200, 8N1.. same result..only garbage.

I read some of you did make this cable... do you remember if you had similar issues?

Thanks!

db:

To be honest, the old DTP1000/DTP4000 series aren't worth the time. Especially the SCSI ones.

If you look closely at the DTP series documentation, you have to use the alignment tool to configure them for the thickness of your blank discs measured at the spindle. This was kind of acceptable when one was buying blank discs in bulk, you'd have to run the tool once per 100/1000/5000 discs. But if you're CD ripping, you are going to have a mixture of different thinkness discs back to back in the input pile.

Therefore I've found that these units are nearly useless for CD ripping. And I should know, I've got about 9 of them in the basement. That's the reason the driver for the non-scsi units was removed (and the driver for the scsi units was never posted), they just weren't working reliably.

-brendan

[bhoar]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

cg:

You're welcome, glad it worked out. For the record how many CDs did you have have trouble using on the Teac drive and what improvement, if any, did you see with the 230a and 708a?

Did you run into any other robot-related issues?

-brendan

[darkbane]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Hi
I dismounted my DTP4000 to find the serial debug connector, and somewhat I found it, even tho is 5 pin instead of the 4 described in the first posts.

I've managed to connect a serial cable to it, but all that I get is garbage on the screen..

I've tried all the speeds from 300bps to 115200, 8N1.. same result..only garbage.

I read some of you did make this cable... do you remember if you had similar issues?

Thanks!

[computer-girl]

Re: Discussion of Automated CD Loaders

Brendan,

I really want to thank you, Spoon, any unnamed illustrate developers and the great forum members here.

I ripped about 1300 CDs to FLAC in 9 days time using mostly the Kodak Kiosk and one computer. I have a PX230A and a PX-708A on the same system that picked up the slack for bad reads on the Kiosk. I only have about 9 disks that are totally unreadable and that I will need to replace.

You guys have created excellent products and a very smart and helpful community of forum members here.

Please keep up the great work!

computer-girl