IDE CD drive - eject pin?

[motorollin]

Hodgkinson wrote:
Couldn't you cut a small square in the front material just larger than the button, then make glue the small square (Or make another smaller square) back onto the button?

That might be the only way to get it working with this drive, and I did consider it. The problem might be that the button is very, very small and might not have enough surface area to which to attach a piece of the case.

Hodgkinson wrote:
Just thought on: If you do glue anything to the front of the drive, make sure to leave a recess for the button. Having the eject button pressed 24/7 could make life interesting :-D

Heh, yes I had thought of that :-)

--
moto

[Zac67]

Got another idea:
Put a reed switch somewhere in the tray and the corresponding magnet below/on top of the drive - you may have to cut a hole into the drive top/bottom to reduce shielding, but otherwise it's pretty nifty.  :-P

[Jeff]

Do the laptop drives support software eject like desktop drives? Perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to write a small program to eject if so. This would sure solve the problem if it could work.

-Jeff

[adolescent]

What about a slot load drive like the Panasonic UJ875?  Still has a button to contend with, but can be hidden easily.

http://atechfabrication.com/mini_client_2500_order_form.htm

[motorollin]

@Zac67
How would I operate the reed switch using a button? Maybe an electromagnet which is switched on using the eject button on the case?

@Jeff
Those drives do support software eject, but I want a hardware solution.

@adolescent
I would consider a slot load drive, but that would require a visible slot on the case.

--
moto

[Hodgkinson]

Actually, a reed switch isn't a bad idea. They might be a bit large for a laptop drive (Even the miniature ones) but it might just work.
Perhaps you could use a phototransistor or photodiode (Should be much smaller, especially if you could find a SMD version) and just arrange a LED to shine at it from the inside of the case?
This means that you wouldn't have any problems with a stray magnetic field (Near drives/data cables, etc) or vibrations ejecting the tray, but it might take some tinkering, especially if you plan to have a see-through case, and it would need some testing to ensure that a photodiode/phototransistor would be suitable (Not sure how the button is monitored electronically).

Ah, something like this, perhaps (Heh, this one's even IR filtered):
http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Optoelectronics/Photodetectors/Silicon-pin-photodiode/29403/kw/photodiode

Whichever method you use, you’ll need to make some pretty big modifications to the drive enclosure to fit this extra hardware in and to enable the sensor to be actuated, unfortunately.

Just a thought,
Hodgkinson.

[Zac67]

motorollin wrote:
@Zac67
How would I operate the reed switch using a button? Maybe an electromagnet which is switched on using the eject button on the case?

Yes, exactly. You could also use a permanent magnet that is mechanically moved to approach the reed switch, but a electromagnet could be smaller and electrically switched. You should be able to fit the switch somewhere in the tray (corner) and it has the advantage of requiring no extra circuitry.

The phototransistor idea isn't bad either - you might get away with a passive solution (no amplifier circuit in the tray), but that would have to be tested. One advantage could be the far greater distance possible between actor and sensor. Plus if you've got space problems, a phototransistor can lower the size constraints of a reed switch.