Why are my WH16NS60 drives dying?

[soloist3]

I'm on my second one, decided on an NS40 this time; less pungent smell on this one, doesn't immediately burn my eyes, nose, and lips, when I'm near it, like the NS60. Anyway, I DID have the speed control set when my NS60 failed, I didn't try it without that setting, maybe I should have. It got through about 6 dual layer blu-rays, then it just gave up and never read anything afterwards.

I got a BU40N after Billy suggested it, it's been going rock solid, though it's PAINFULLY slow for DVD and Blu-ray, literally HALF the speed of both the NS60 AND my old (from 2014) Samsung (TSST) external BD writer. Since I rip DVD/Blu-ray (dual layer) 95% of the time, this is frustrating, but then again, NOT being able to rip 4k UHD discs at all is perhaps more frustrating.

I figure I've got the UHD ripping covered with the BU40N, now I'm looking for a faster drive for regular DVD and dual layer blu-ray. Maybe I'll just have to get 3 BU40N's to make up the difference Then again, could you even imagine having 2 or 3 working NS60's? I could get through ALL my TV show blu-ray sets in like 2 days, lol

[SamuriHL]

I don't have to imagine. I have 3 drives with NS60 1.00 on them. One of them is an ASUS drive that I flashed to NS60 and the other 2 are actual NS60 drives. They all work. I don't enable speed drive on them anymore. They have varying degrees of success on triple layer UHD. Everything else they work fine on. The bu40n is what I use for most UHD ripping.

[soloist3]

I'll leave the speed control settings empty from now on, and just hope for the best. I ended up buying a Vantec case for this full-size drive, fingers crossed I get it to work reliably. I flashed my 16NS40 with NS60 firmware. I didn't need the UHD playback and it was $40 cheaper than the broken NS60 I just sent back, which means, if it does work out, maybe I'll try my luck with one more. In addition to the BU40N, that should be enough ripping power for me

So far I've ripped Rockford Files, Miami Vice, The Streets of San Francisco, and Quincy M.E from my collection. I seriously think that was something like 120 discs (100 of those dual layer BD's), would have been done in a quarter of the time with 2 working NS60's (15hrs instead of 45-50), but whatever, it's done Can't wait to do my Westworld UHD set; man, 3 NS60's and you could do this professionally...whatever that means

[SamuriHL]

One of my drives is in a vantec case. Works well. Just note, the speed control thing is not a guarantee. It was why I was ASKING if people who's drives were dying were using it. I don't know if it's related to that at all.