Hi All,

I bought a Liteon SOHW 812SX a few weeks back. This is a USB 2.0 external drive. I have no problems with it and can toast a DVD in about 7-8 minutes at max speed, with the rite media and the rite computer

Anyway, my problem is that my laptop doesn't have USB 2.0 support and my attempt at buying a USB 2.0 cardbus resulted in me wasting one week without managing to get the bloody thing to work with my burner. So I ended up returning that cardbus.

Now my question is : Can I change the external enclosure on my 812SX to a FireWire enclosure ? This is because I've heard that FireWire is much better, more reliable when it comes to data intensive operations such as DVD writing. Also, my lappie has a 4-pin FireWire port (the small one) and not the 6-pin ones which you find in Macs. SO, even if I get a FireWire enclosure, will I still be able to write ? Because I've heard that the 4-pin port does not provide power to the FireWire bus

Thanks in advance,

Adarsh

Yes you can. Just go to http://codeguys.rpc1.org/ download the 832s firmware. Load it on omnipatcher. check the "enable crossflashing" box, save, update and voila your drive is converted.

regards

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. But what I meant was, can I remove the factory fitted External USB 2.0 Enclosure and buy and attach a new External FireWire Enclosure instead ?

Thanks,

Adarsh

I've had my drives running in firewire cases for longer than I care to remember. Yes, its the 4 pin firewire as well (I never had much luck with usb2 - corrupted hard drive data when it felt like, and couldn't get max speed when burning).
I don't know the specifics of the SX, but I'm told its the regular drive in a box, so changing it should not be a problem. Yank it out the case, pop it into another.
Why didn't it work for u on cardbus? what happened?

Yup. USB 2.0 enclosures are just a normal drive as the drives that are use in pcs. Hence, the drive should have an ide connector, which you can attach to your pc. By doing this you can use your enclosure for a hdd ^^.

Oh the carbus is long (and costly) story

I have a Compaq Presario 2145CA. I bought a SIIG USB 2.0 + Firewire cardbus. And I never managed to get these two to work with the burner. I tried all sorts of things (too long a list to mention here ). But anyway, according to SIIG support, the only way the cardbus was going to work was if I disabled Power management from the BIOS. And some brilliant mind in Compaq decided that their notebooks shouldn't have such "Advanced" settings for lay people to tweak around with . So, the laptop has very very limited functions in the BIOS, which do not inclide disabling Power management. SO I had to return the card. Now I don't want to take any further risks by investing in other cardbuses.

I do have a 4-pin firewire port on my lappie, so I decided instead to go in for an External FireWire enclosure instead. And hence this thread

Thanks,

Adarsh

The LiteOn 812S DVD drive is the same bare drive sold as an external "SX" or internal drive. It uses the exact same firmware. You can just remove it from the SX case and install it in a firewire case.

But my recommemdation would be to sell the Original LiteOn 812S External on eBay and purchase another 8x2S or better yet 1213S. Since it's an original LiteOn external it will bring big bucks. Then purchase a Firewire case. But make sure it an Oxford 911 ChipSet. Better yet get a combo case Firewire/USB just in case you change computers some time in the future. But still make sure it the Oxford 911 ChipSet.
Regards...

Thanks for the answer and the clarifications. But somehow I'm more inclined to get the FireWire case and be done with it (I'm short on TIME AND CASH ). Yeah, I thought of selling the Liteon on ebay, but after this "ordeal", I seem to have fallen n love with it and don't want to part with it now

Thanks,

Adarsh

Why I suggested SELL is because: (1) the 1213S is 12X now but will be upgradeable to a 1633S in the future, 1633S is a 16X DVD+R/DL model that will be introduced soon...

Hi guys,

Just a quick question. DO you think this http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...e=BYTECC%20INC

is a good and compatible buy ?

Thanks,

Adarsh

I don't know where you live, but if can order from www.dealsonic,com in the USA you will get the BEST prices. Be careful I understand the new BYTECC uniits now use a Prolific ChipSet (you don't want that one) on Oxford 911.
Dealsonic's cases are under $40 US with $5 US shipping.

Hi,

I live in Canada, and dealsonic doesn't ship here. Anyway, I checked with the ByteCC unit. It does have an Oxford 911 chipset.

Thanks,

Adarsh

Your A-OK then !!!!

Ok, just an update :

I bought a ByteCC USB 2.0 + FireWire enclosure and I've managed to install it around the Liteon burner. I tested it by connecting it via FireWire to a computer (not my laptop) and it detects fine. I haven't yet fried a dvd (because all the data is on my laptop) as I'm waiting for a 6 pin to 4 pin firewire adapter to arrive sometime next week. Meanwhile, I also successfully patched the 812SX to 832SX.

Adarsh

I have ads tech firewire + USB2 using firewire with 812s@832s and i have tested it with nero speed3 and get burst rate of 13mb my other internal drive get rates 22mb as 8x drive only needs 11mb this not problem, but on USB2 with the same encloser I only get about 7mb so 4x is about the best i can get with USB2 , i have been told this ads case has the oxford chipset but i dont know for sure. my firewire and usb2 is on dual belkin pci card . the usb2 is nec chip and the firewire is texas inst.

hmm.... interesting. i've read in a lot of places that even though usb is supposed to be faster than firewire, for data intesive applications (like cd/dvd burning, hard drives, etc) it is firewire which outperforms usb. anyway, i plan to burn using firewire only

thanks,

adarsh

Hi Guys,
Go to the External 1213S thread in the LiteOn Forum. Real great details...

OK guys, the thing is working !

Just to repeat, I bought a ByteCC FireWire + Usb 2.0 enclosure. Then i removed the factory fitted enclosure for the 812SX and attahed this one. I just plugged in the firewire output to my laptop and then burned a DVD at 2X (which was the limitation of the media, unfortuntately). The best thing is the buffer level was always 97-98% and not 33% (which was the case when I was using the cardbus with USB 2.0 interface).

Thanks,

Adarsh

2x hardly stresses it, but glad to see ur getting somewhere.

yeah i was sad too. but i have 5 dvd-rs from sony and they have a limit of 2x. so unitl i finish these, i'm can't buy new ones. i guess maxell's faster (4x) although i have yet to find a good 8x media

adarsh

Hi All,

I am planning to buy 812SX or 832SX in a couple of days in UK.
I have read on this thread that Adarsh has successfully patched the 821SX to 832SX. Does that mean that i can buy 812SX and not 832X. What more in 832SX compared to 812SX apart from DL?

Thanks.

Hi,

Yes I had bought a 812SX and patched it to write Dual Layer. If you see the 832SX specs at www.liteonit.com, you will notice that the only difference is the 2.4x DL for 832SX. All other specs are the same.


One more update to all folks : I wrote a FujiFilm DVD+R yesterday at 8x and it took 9 minutes ! (yeaaaaaaaaaaaah !) So it did turn out that FireWire is indeed a superior technology compared to USB 2.0, atleast for DVD burning. Long live FireWire !

Thanks,

Adarsh

Hello.


Yes.


Nothing.

just to remind you of beach-hobo's wise words :