Possible to Replace Neo-Geo CDZ CD Drive

[ConvexION]

Hi folks. I don't work too much with console hardware, but was wondering if anyone knew whether or not it would be possible to replace the Neo Geo CDZ drive with a faster CD drive mechanism?

 

[ExCyber]

Replace it with another mechanism? Maybe. I'm not as familiar with CD systems as I'd like to be, but I suspect that it's possible. Making it actually load faster, on the other hand, would probably require a BIOS hack, and might not be possible with the hardware in the system. However, if the reader and cache are sufficiently self-contained, maybe you could make something that would work. Without looking at the CDZ, though, I can't really give you any helpful information 🙁.

 

[FAKK2]

I wouldnt hold my breath.... 😉 Trust me, Ive had people try.... and no success yet....

 

[ShinJedah]

Wouldn't this be hard?If the system is configured for a specific CD drive you would have to reprogramm it.

 

[ExCyber]

Wouldn't this be hard?If the system is configured for a specific CD drive you would have to reprogramm it.

Maybe. It all depends on the level of hardware integration (i.e. how "abstract" the CD reader is to the main system). As I said before, though, I don't have any knowledge of the CDZ's CD hardware.

 

[Dark]

I wouldnt try to ruin such an expensive system with my experiments if I am not sure its a success ..

 

[sonofx51]

It wouldn't matter, people have tried. The CDZ uses more cache than the CD system that's why it loads faster, they both use single speed drives. The real question is if one can put more cache into the CDZ to make load even faster.

 

[FAKK2]

CDZ uses a 2x drive AND has more cache believe it or not...

 

[sat985]

i've heard of ppl replacing the gdroms in dc's with cdroms, an dc is probably more sophisticated. wouldnt be very hard to do on a cd/cdz i'd bet. maybe ill try it somday. a good mechanism would be from a discman, a philips probably cause they read cdrw's that are burnt fairly fast.

 

[ExCyber]

I bet Sanyo mechanisms would be good too... IIRC they are the OEM for some Plextor and TDK burners. But the important thing is to get something that can be integrated into the NGCD, I guess.

 

[sat985]

ill pick 1 up soon an play with it, if it breaks well fukit ill get another

 

[Matrix]

Originally posted by sonofx51@July 24 2002, 3:55 am

It wouldn't matter, people have tried. The CDZ uses more cache than the CD system that's why it loads faster, they both use single speed drives. The real question is if one can put more cache into the CDZ to make load even faster.

I too have heard that the CDZ is only a SIngle speed unit.

 

[PUNJABEE]

Yeah it is a Single Speed. SNK admitted that somewhere. It just has more cache, so it loads 'faster', but not by much.