Attempting to flash in macOS

[Billycar11]

I've got the drive connected via a VanTec CB-ST00U3, which apparently won't work for firmware flashing in Windows but I figured I'd try my luck in macOS,

What adapters won't work in windows for flashing won't work in mac os thats why I have that stuff posted.

[o-ver]

I'm considering lugging out an old PC and getting that up and running for a direct SATA connection to the drive simply to firmware flash, but before I tear apart my garage looking for all that mess I figured I'd see if I'm missing something dumb first.

Sorry, I forgot o mention: Flashing did not work with two adaptors laying around. I ordered a USB3.0B-to-USB-C-Cable to flash succesfully direct connected to my MBP!

[j_dot]

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but I wanted to post a full set of instructions for someone looking to flash a drive on MacOS X:

Start by navigating to the MakeMKV application

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cd /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/MacOS

Get the latest SDF file; write it to the local directory (you can also write it to your home directory or someplace more convenient)

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curl -O "https://makemkv.com/sdf.bin"

Find the drive identifiers

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./makemkvcon f --list

Look for your drive. You should see something like this (in this example, I have two drives attached, each with a disc in; as the first post in the thread points out, though, the /dev/rdisk* won't work):

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Found 2 drives(s)
00: /IOBDServices/65961856, /dev/rdisk2, /dev/rdisk2
  PIONEER_BD-RW___BDR-212U_1.00_SFDL000221WL

01: /IOBDServices/C01417F1, /dev/rdisk5, /dev/rdisk5
  HL-DT-ST_BD-RE__WH16NS60_1.03_212005081010_KLFK7LA5541

I was looking to flash the WH16NS60, and I had downloaded the latest MK firmware pack, so:

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./makemkvcon f -d /IOBDServices/C01417F1 -f sdf.bin rawflash main,enc -i ~/Downloads/mk-firmware-pack-20200720/MK/HL-DT-ST/WH16NS60/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WH16NS60-1.03-NM00600-212005081010.bin

Note that I needed to use enc because the 1.03 firmware is encrypted; leave that off if your current firmware is unencrypted.

After doing this, and turning my drive off and on just in case, I was able to rip from a UHD disc. (And, for faster reads: https://www.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=93341 )

[pmhCH]

Thanks for this fine "how-to-do"

My problem is only, that my drive is not in the patch list, even if is has the status "possible, not yet enabled" in makemkv:

drivejpg.jpg (80.32 KiB) Viewed 36173 times

Can anybody help me here?

[Coopervid]

Your drive can not be made UHD compatible. Those must be based on the MT1959 chip.

[pmhCH]

Yes, just saw MIke's post about those Samsung drives and mine seems not supported and probably never will be:

drive2.jpg (116.91 KiB) Viewed 36169 times

So one wonders why it still says "Possible, not yet enabled" in makemkv...

[MartyMcNuts]

Yes, just saw MIke's post about those Samsung drives and mine seems not supported and probably never will be:

drive2.jpg

So one wonders why it still says "Possible, not yet enabled" in makemkv...

It means that someday (now seems unlikely), your drive may support libredrive (but still, it will never be UHD capable!)

[aeharding]

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but I wanted to post a full set of instructions for someone looking to flash a drive on MacOS X:

Just flashed my LG WH16NS40 on an m1 (arm-based) 2020 Mac Mini with Big Sur 11.1. Couldn't be easier. Cheers!

[bachelorbob]

Extraction of sdf_0000006d.bin to my home directory

HOW did you extract sdf_0000006d.bin? I have sdf.bin. Replacing 'sdf_0000006d.bin' with 'sdf.bin' did not work.

[bachelorbob]

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./makemkvcon f -d /IOBDServices/C01417F1 -f sdf.bin rawflash main,enc -i ~/Downloads/mk-firmware-pack-20200720/MK/HL-DT-ST/WH16NS60/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WH16NS60-1.03-NM00600-212005081010.bin

Using this exact command line, except for my personal paths to files (e.g. '/Applications/MakeMKV/firmwares/DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin') and drive ID (e.g. '/IOBDServices/82D49293'), I get:

Unable to load sdf.bin
Internal error 0xffffffff


Does anyone have any idea why?!

[dcoke22]

You might try fully qualifying the path to sdf.bin on your system.

I assume you've read this: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23129

[bachelorbob]

Does anyone have any idea why?!

I needed the full path to 'sdf.bin'

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/Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/MacOS/makemkvcon f -d /IOBDServices/82D49293 -f /Applications/MakeMKV/sdf.bin rawflash main,enc -i /Applications/MakeMKV/firmwares/DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin

Viola… I thought. Despite getting a result of:

Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully

…MakeMKV still shows a LibreDrive status of "Possible, not yet enabled"

Help?

[bachelorbob]

Got rid of the "enc" part of the command line. (My drive being quite new, I expected it to be firmware encrypted.)

Viola!

Screen Shot 2021-01-08 at 19.06.12.png (112.84 KiB) Viewed 30456 times

So, it *IS* possible to firmware flash on a Mac (OS X.13.6), without a virtual/boot camp Windows. For the record, my drive was an 'hp HLDS BDRE BU40N' with firmware BW42. It now considers itself an 'HL-DT-ST BD-RE BU40N' with firmware 1.00.

I am staying on FW 1.00 because I use DVDFab to do whole disc copies (.ISO). If anyone knows that DVDFab will work with a later firmware (1.03, 1.04), or a reason to use an MK firmware, please let me know.

[bachelorbob]

I also successfully flashed my BU40N on a MacBook Pro using this generic, low-quality, low-cost USB3 enclosure from AliExpress:

White-USB3-0-SATA-Optical-Drive-Case-Kit-External-Mobile-Enclosure-Blu-ray-Case-For-Notebook.jpg (74.6 KiB) Viewed 30357 times

[bachelorbob]

I have successfully copied (to an ISO image) the film '1917' from a UHD disc, using my MacBook Pro mid-2012, an external BU40N flashed to FW 1.00, and DVDFab 11.0.7.5. That said, I never attempted to extract a UHD under the stock FW of BW42. This was the first UHD I had in hand, and it arrived after I downgraded the firmware.