
The most varying part is the optical drive bezel, which is usually not compatible even among drives of the same manufacturer. Small differences can sometimes be adjusted by modifying parts of the frame via sanding or Dremeling, but this is of course not the nicest solution. The fact is that different Ultrabay drives even for the same Ultrabay type have frames with different mechanical characteristics. This makes it hard if at all possible to know beforehand if the Ultrabay frame from your old drive will perfectly fit onto the new one. There are, however, some factors to consider before doing this.Įven though these slim form-factor drives seem to have a standard form-factor at first sight, it turns out that there are marginal mechanical differences. This is why it is generally possible to disassemble an old Ultrabay drive and attach the frame to a newer or better one.

The Ultrabay frame is proprietary and it cannot be purchased anywhere, although salvaging the frame from a working or a dead Ultrabay drive is a good idea.Īs curious people found, the internal connector of an Ultrabay frame is nothing more than a standard interface for such drives.

The standard SFF-8552 'Specification for Form Factor of 5 1/4" 9.5mm and 12.7mm Height Optical Drives' is defined by the SFF Committee (SFF = Small Form Factor), while the connector on the back of the drive is known as the JAE KX15-50KLD (JAE = Japan Aviation Electronics). This frame is simply a mechanical addition with a passive connector-to-connector adapter. The 'untold secret' about Ultrabay drives is that they are basically just SFF-8552 optical drives equipped with an Ultrabay frame. A solution to this annoyance is to take a standard slim form-factor notebook drive and turn it into an Ultrabay drive yourself. Additionally more modern technologies and formats are not available for discontinued Ultrabay types. Optical disc drive-based Ultrabay devices like CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD-RW/DVD combo drives, DVD-ROM drives or DVD burners are usually a bit more expensive than their non-IBM counterparts.
APPLE EXTERNAL DVD BURNER HOW TO EJECT WITH NO EJECT KEY MAC


Fortunately, there are some simple steps that can be taken to force eject a disc that’s stuck. You might also have an external solution with a CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive.Īt some point, there’s a chance that a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc is going to get stuck in your Mac or external optical drive. Though Apple slowly phased out optical drives from its Mac lineup over the years, you might still have a MacBook or desktop Mac with a disc drive.
