Want to use an internal sata blu-ray burner on a laptop?

I have this crap adapter from dx.com but it's buggy and doesn't work properly. Would blu-ray need usb 3 to work properly? I bought a really nice burner but upgraded to a laptop and kept the burner. It was a gift and I would like to keep it. Does what I seek exist?

Algific

Posted 2012-09-16T19:27:24.167

Reputation: 1 143

what model burner? – Keltari – 2012-09-16T19:30:16.480

@Keltari Sony Optiarc Blu-Ray Writer, BD-5300S – Algific – 2012-09-16T19:31:52.467

Answers

You do not need USB3 to connect it, but it might help for two reasons: 1) Power. 2) Data speeds.

USB3 can supply more power than USB2 (900mWatt vs 500mWatt) and that most burners use around 1200mWatt. Which means you either need:

An external PSU.
Or do dirty hacks with multiple USB cables
Or use a relative a low power burner and a single USB3 lead.

As for data speeds. It is a SATA-1 device. The best ^*1 way to connect a SATA device is via SATA or eSATA.

^*1: Where best is defined by me as: Lowest latency and least driver hassle.

Hennes

Posted 2012-09-16T19:27:24.167

Reputation: 60 739

Thanks for the comment on power consumption. Turns out the PSU that came with the crappy adapter from dx didn't deliver enough power. When I used my debug-hot-wired-old-PSU 300w from an old computer the whole thing worked just fine. Thanks. – Algific – 2012-09-16T23:33:28.243

Glad it helped. I did not think of it when I bought an external Apple SuperDrive for my non mac netbook. It turned out to be designed for an Mac air, whose single USB port could deliver triple normal power and did so if it recognised a specific apple device. – Hennes – 2012-09-16T23:39:25.193

All you need us a USB enclosure. More expensive isnt necessarily better. You do not need USB3, v2 will work fine. Personally, I prefer metal cases as they feel less flimsy and tend to be thinner overall.

There are SATA to USB adapters out there, similar to this, that work well. I tend to stick to name brands and make sure the positive reviews far outweigh the negative.

Keltari

Posted 2012-09-16T19:27:24.167

Reputation: 57 019

1If you get the adapter cable instead of an enclosure, make sure you get one with a good 12V power supply. Most 5 inch drives require quite a lot of power from 12V to drive the motor and you can't get it from USB. – billc.cn – 2012-09-16T20:28:37.657