13 Jun
2003
13 Jun
'03
12:02 a.m.
On Thu, 12 Jun 2003, Tothwolf wrote:
On Thu, 12 Jun 2003, David Woyciesjes wrote:
The photos I took of one of my NEC MultiSpin 4Xc changers can be found
here: http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/
Front view:
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-fron…
Rear view:
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-rear…
Top view with cover off:
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-top.…
Disassembly for cleaning the pickup is pretty straightforward, but it can
be tricky the first few times.
First, power the drive and eject a tray:
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-tray…
The trim panel on the front edge of the tray can then be removed by
carefully pulling it upward:
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-tray…
The tray can then be recalled, and power removed. If you power the drive
down with the power switch before recalling the tray, it will pull the
tray in anyway. These drives make use of soft power.
Next, remove the front cover. It is held in place by a pair of #2 phillips
screws, one on each side. It also has a pair of clips that snap onto the
bottom of the drive chassis.
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-fron…
The interface board is held in place by 4 #1 phillips screws. It is
possible to remove the board without cutting any of the ty-wraps that
bundle and retain the harnesses, but it is tricky. There is a mess of
connectors to unplug, but they are each a different size and/or color,
which makes them much easier to reconnect later.
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-inte…
Next, the plastic cover that covers the disc magazine and supports the
clamper can be removed. It is also held in place by 4 #1 phillips screws.
Be careful of the red/black wire harness that connects to the small pc
board. The pc board has a small micro-switch mounted to it that allows the
drive to detect if it has a disc clamped. Sometimes it is easier to remove
the small board instead of unplugging the cable. It is held in place by a
pair of #0 phillips screws.
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-mech…
And finally, the metal shield at the front of the drive can be removed. It
is held in place by a pair of #2 phillips screws. Once it is removed, the
white plastic gear (just below the pickup in the photo) can be turned
carefully toward the front of the drive to move the pickup out from under
the geared bar used to eject the tray.
http://www.techmonkeys.org/~tothwolf/gallery/NEC-MultiSpin-4Xc/changer-shie…
Anyhow, I find I like cdrom and other media changers the way some people
like PDP-11 systems ;)
-Toth
David Woyciesjes wrote:
I think your drive is indeed an OEM'd NEC drive. It looks nearly
identical to the NEC changers I have, but it has a few differences. My
changers all use high density SCSI connectors, while yours uses the
larger 50 pin connectors.
The plastic mechanism somewhat visible under the ribbon cable looks
identical to the mechanism that is used in my NEC MultiSpin 4Xc
changers. I'll see if I can snap a few photos of one of them for
comparison. The front panel pf my changers has the same basic layout,
but the panel design is more intricate. It would make sense that an OEM
drive might have a more plain front panel. Your drive may be identical
to mine internally. If thats the case, you can obtain a service manual
from NEC (I need to do that myself). Well from the back it looks like a regular
chassis, but the front
plate is definitely a custom job. I'll see if I can dig up a camera
tomorrow for some pictures... And I'll see if I have time today to
crack it open...
Well, got some pics, finally. After popping it open, it definitely
looks like an OEM drive, in a custom chassis. 
