A DIY-minded Mac user by the handle of TnkGrl undertook the responsiblity of investigating the MacBook Air’s SuperDrive. As ArsTechnica reports, it seems by all accounts to be a normal external drive. But it only works with the MacBook Air. Now, gather round and hear the story of the “Mystery of the Superdrive.”
Was the problem in the USB port providing more power to the drive? No, TnkGrl disproved that by changing the amount of power using a cable, but the MacBook Air’s SuperDrive still worked. Was the problem in the drivers? No, nothing on the MacBook Air indicated special drivers. Was the problem in the firmware? No, dismantling the drive and popping it in a PC worked. It couldn’t be the firmware.
What, then, could it be?
TnkGrl had narrowed it down to one last answer: the IDE to USB bridge. After buying a new one and soldering it in place, she now has a SuperDrive that works with any computer.
Yay, TnkGrl!
Via (in less picture-book terms) [ArsTechnica]
I have a Macbook Pro that is still running on Tiger, I bought the Snow Leopard package and was trying to install. However my dvd driver is not working so I purchased the MacBook Air SuperDrive, thinking it would work with my MacBook Pro. It is not picking up and does not recognize the new hardware. Is there a download I can use? I really need help.
Thank you for any feedback and help.
Arlene