🚀 go-pugleaf

ybukhash@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Yousuf Bukhashim) wrote:
>The Reno CD-ROM is being discounted very heavily (around $99 in most
>Does anybody have any positive or negative experience with this CD-ROM
>drive? 

My understanding is that Mediavision is getting out of this sort of
business, which would explain why these drives are being discounted.
I would not expect warranty service.

Here in Sillycon Valley the drives seem to be turning up at surplus
and refurb electronics stores (*) for $79, which gets you the drive,
its dock/base widget, and AC adapter.  This is OK for desktop
operation.  An "accessory pack" containing the battery (needed for
portable operation) and a nasty smelly carrying bag is another $10.

So I bought one to see what it is like -- I already have a CD-ROM
drive on the desk that I use with the notebook PC when there, but
thought it might be handy to have one that I can carry with me from
time to time (the desktop box is big and holds a tape drive as well).
I have yet to find out, but in the meantime here are my observations.

Others have observed that the Reno drives are flimsy -- they are
right.  I worry about breaking the top cover or the hinge when I open
it.  It's got some sort of magnetic latch in the center hub; this
means that when you push the open button and try to lift the top cover
up, the cover tries to twist a bit.

It makes "clunk" sounds when accessed (but maybe my desktop CD-ROM is
just drowned out by the fan in its case).  It's also slow, but maybe
I'm spoiled by having a quad-speed drive to compare it to (it's a
double-speed).

When plugged into AC power it is always on, presumably for charging
the battery.

It also doesn't seem to have any sort of brake on the head, so if/when
you carry it around idle the head just slides on its tracks.  My cheap
Sony CD players (well, more expensive than this was, but they were 
bottom of the price list when I bought them 8 and 5 years ago) don't
do that.

Note the dock/base widget is also where the SCSI connectors are, so if
you are thinking about taking it with you and using it as anything but
a CD player, you need to take that too.  This makes the unit about 1
1/2 times as deep.  Note also it uses the mini SCSI-II connectors like
are found on Sun SPARCstations.  It does have a switch so you can
twiddle the SCSI ID, and jumpers so you can set termination options.

Without the dock/base widget it is a portable CD player.

Maybe by the time I screw up and break it there will be another cheap
replacement, or I will find that it is just not that useful after all.
In the meantime I can deal with it, and I expect I will probably get
my money's worth out of it.  YMMV.

(*) I've seen ads from Disk Drive Depot and Halted Specialties.  The
DDD ones are in no-frills shrink wrap and cardboard boxes.  DDD also
had "complete" sets in prettier boxes that included PC and Mac stuff
for more $$.

-Frank McConnell