AOpen
CRW5232-
Page 1
- Features
JustLink
Buffer under run error prevention technology.
The amount of data accumulated
in the buffer memory is continually monitored during the writing process.
If for
some
reason,
the
data
transfer
speed from
the
computer falls below that of the drive's writing speed, the amount of data
accumulated in the buffer memory will also fall. When the amount of data in
the buffer memory
falls
below a certain level, and a buffer underrun error will
occur should writing continue,
writing is intentionally suspended. During this time, when
writing is suspended, data transferred from the computer has a chance to
fill the now depleted buffer memory. When enough data has accumulated, writing
is once again resumed from
the
point directly after which it was suspended, and monitoring of the
amount of data
in the buffer memory is recommenced.
JustSpeed
Optimizes the recording speed of the drive in order to get the best quality.
Just Speed prevents writing errors when high
writing speeds are selected (16x or faster), by deciding the most appropriate
writing speed and writing at that speed according to the results of media calibration,
(using among other things the ATIP information auch as
maker name, model-number, etc. which are pre-recorded on the disc).
When "Just
Speed" is OFF and an inappropriate writing speed is selected,
the drive tries to write at that speed, simply returning an error code to
the software upon failure. However, when "Just Speed " is ON, even
if an inappropriate speed is selected, after the drive tries to write at
this speed
and fails,
it reduces
the speed by an adequate amount so as to ensure proper writing.
SpeedBoost
With CD-R/RW drive reading speeds getting higher and higher,
inevitably these higher speeds also produce more noise. However, such
high reading speeds are not always necessary, as is the case when listening
to music CDs. SpeedBoost is a feature to speed up
the reading speed of the drive only when
needed.
The default reading speed of the AOpen CRW5232 drive is 40x. At this
reading speed, the CD-R/RW drive will operate quieter and the motor's life
will be extended.
When you need to increase the speed, simply press the Eject button for 5-7
seconds. The BUSY LED will blink two times, after which the reading speed
will accelerate
to maximum. After rebooting the system, the reading speed will revert back
to 40X.
- Specifications
The AOpen CRW5232 uses a 2MB buffer store. The drive also
supports RAW DAO 96 writing (CD).
- The drive
The
AOpen retail package includes the drive, an installation guide along with
mounting screws and audio cable, SpeedBoost leaflet and how to select it (by
pressing on the eject button for
5-7
seconds),
two extra faceplates with faceplate installation instructions, one CD-R disc,
and
the Ahead Nero Express software CD.
The two extra faceplates come in black and off-white. Our drive came with
a silver faceplate prefitted.
The drive's front panel has on the tray door, the JustLink logo on the
left, Compact disc ReWritable logo centre, and the 52x32x52x speed markings
on the right. Beneath
the tray door are the headphone input and volume control on the left and power
led, next track and eject buttons on the right. Above the next track and eject
buttons is the emergency eject hole.
On the rear panel there are the
analogue and digital audio outputs (SPDIF), master/slave select pins, E-IDE
interface
and the power input.
Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty.
For reference reasons, we post the following pictures.
The drive uses the RL5E945 from RICOH.
The same chipset was used in the previous Aopen CD-RW, the CRW5224.
- Installation
The AOpen CRW5232 was connected to our test PC and was identified
as "AOPEN CD-RW CRW5232" under
WinXP operating system.
The following pages include the test results of the AOpen drive
in comparison with two other drives, the Plextor Premium and the Optorite CW5201.
