From: Benjamin Koh (benkoh_at_leland.Stanford.EDU)
Date: Sat May 01 1999 - 04:07:28 EDT
Almost any PCMCIA or parallel port drive will work. If you're not picky
they can be had for under $100 new. I use a Panasonic KXL-810A SCSI-2
PCMCIA unit. It goes up to 20x, and can run off either the controller
card (included), the AC adapter or 6 AA batteries. It has audio control
buttons on the front so it makes a decent portable CD player. It's
practically skip-proof. I couldn't make it skip an audio CD even after
violent shaking for 10+ seconds. Also plays on its side and upside down
:)
Unfortunately there are several drawbacks: it costs $300+ new, there is
NO linux support, and it eats batteries for snacks. If you plan to use
it as a personal CD player a lot, make sure you have rechargable
batteries. Panasonic sells a rechargeable battery pack for $70+ (!) but
you can get away with using rechargable AAs. I was lucky to get a refurb
for $150, and I spent the savings on a cheap portable CD player that
uses just 2 AAs and runs a lot longer.
Alternatives include the SCSI PCMCIA Sony PRD-650WN which lists for
$270+ new but can sometimes be found on eBay. The Sony runs on 4AAs and
there is an optional (expensive) Li-Ion battery pack for it. Battery
life is better than the Panasonic unit, but it runs at 6x speed so
that's one reason. It also has audio controls for use as a personal CD
player.
The IBM drive is only a good value if you like your stuff
color-coordinated :)
Benjamin
> Steven Davis wrote:
>
>
> Is there any consensus on the best PCMCIA CD-ROM drives for use with a
> 560z?
>
> Is the IBM drive (1969010 @ ~$300.) a good value, or is there a
> recommended 3rd party drive?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steven
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