Mini (3.5") CDs

I have problems with a shrink wrapped unprinted pack of CDs. The drive read
and writes other CDs, includin an older pack of 3.5" I know I wrote to these
with an earlier (replaced) drive and I have problems with these CDs on
computers that are not mine. But since I have occasionally succeded, I ask if
it is something I did? Like writing speed?


- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus
blog: panix.com/~vjp2/ruminatn.htm - = - web: panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm
facebook.com/vasjpan2 - linkedin.com/in/vasjpan02 - biostrategist.com
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

On Mon, 4 May 2020 14:07:09 +0000 (UTC), vjp2.at@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:

I have problems with a shrink wrapped unprinted pack of CDs. The drive read
and writes other CDs, includin an older pack of 3.5" I know I wrote to these
with an earlier (replaced) drive and I have problems with these CDs on
computers that are not mine. But since I have occasionally succeded, I ask if
it is something I did? Like writing speed?

FWIW, for many years now, I've had a habit of always
cutting the proposed writing speed in half.
Haste make waste -- and coffee coasters.

You did not state whether the CD device physically does not accept the
3.5" CDs, or if the CD write went to finsh and the results were useless.

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | Marvin | W3DHJ.net | linux
38.238N 104.547W | @ jonz.net | Jonesy | FreeBSD
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <r8p7id$dqr$1@reader2.panix.com>,
<vjp2.at@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote:

I have problems with a shrink wrapped unprinted pack of CDs. The drive read
and writes other CDs, includin an older pack of 3.5" I know I wrote to these
with an earlier (replaced) drive and I have problems with these CDs on
computers that are not mine. But since I have occasionally succeded, I ask if
it is something I did? Like writing speed?

Varying the burn speed may help... in some cases slower-is-better, in
a few cases faster-is better.

Some newer drives (e.g. combo DVD/CD) don't do as well with CD-R
burning as older drives... some new drives have an uncomfortably-high
_lower_ limit on burn speed (e.g. 4x or even 8x) and won't give a good
burn with some older media that requires a long burn exposure.

It's possible that the discs you've gotten are simply poor-quality or
defective, or have deteriorated in storage. If I recall correctly,
some of the CD-R dyes can deteriorate over a period of a few years and
won't burn well... especially if the CDs have been stored in poor
conditions (too much heat, direct sunlight exposure, etc.). And, some
off-label CD-R manufacturers make products that are best used as
Christmas-tree decorations.

Some CD-R software (e.g. cdrecord/wodim on Linux) can read the
blank-disc information that's encoded in the pre-groove wobble (the
"ATIP" data) and print out a description of what it finds... actual
manufacturer, recommended and acceptable burning speeds, and so forth.

A good drive will read the ATIP data, and then adjust its burning
parameters (laser exposure time, burning speed) to what it finds
there. A good drive will also do a real-time burning-power test
before it starts recording the real data, and optimize the "burn"
accordingly.

Also, check the center hub of the disc blanks to see if there's any
plastic "flashing" or burring around the hole. If the opening isn't
smooth, the debris can prevent the disc from sitting flat on the drive
spindle, and it will "wobble" as it spins. This will make it harder
for the laser focus electronics to keep the laser spot tightly focused
on the dye layer, and can increase the bit-error rate.

 

[Why do I ask any other newsgroup? You folks are GREAT! Thanks.]

The drives I have used are always drawer-like.

I've considered the discs may have deteriorated because they are shrink
wrapped and both the discs and wrap might emit fumes.

In some machines that weren't mine, it helped to keep trying. Also to open
the disc in explorer like I am reading it and then go into writing.

I may just have to give up.
It just seems like a waste to write a big CD for small amounts of data.
Thanks.


- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus
blog: panix.com/~vjp2/ruminatn.htm - = - web: panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm
facebook.com/vasjpan2 - linkedin.com/in/vasjpan02 - biostrategist.com
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <r8ubdk$4og$1@reader2.panix.com>,
<vjp2.at@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote:

I've considered the discs may have deteriorated because they are shrink
wrapped and both the discs and wrap might emit fumes.

That's possible, I suppose. From what I recall, the cyanine dyes have
a shorter shelf live, in general, than the phthalocyanine dyes.
Manufacturing quality and quality control also make a big difference.

In some machines that weren't mine, it helped to keep trying. Also to open
the disc in explorer like I am reading it and then go into writing.

I may just have to give up.
It just seems like a waste to write a big CD for small amounts of data.

A maxim I learned many years ago - "cheap is often very expensive".

I don't burn all that many CDs these days, but I decided quite a while
back that buying lower-tier CD-R blanks was a false economy... waste
of time, waste of discs, and the risk that I would be unable to read
the discs reliably if I needed them.

Also, I think the "mini" CD-R blanks were treated more as a novelty
than as a serious data-storage solution. I don't recall seeing any
which were made by manufacturers I was confident of.

When I was buying CD-R blanks frequently, I tried to stick with the
Taiyo Yuden discs from Japan. They sold their business and production
to JVC, who ran it for a few years. Eventually JVC decided to get out
of the business, and they sold the technology to CMC.

CMC now makes a line of "Powered by TY" CD-R blanks using the Taiyo
Yuden process. You might want to try picking up a pack (I've dealt
successfully with Media Supply) and see how their compatibility and
readability turns out to be with your equipment.