Hypothesis/Discussion on Archgon MD8107S-U3

[tpglitch]

Hey yall!

I was doing some research and came up with a hypothesis. Considering the MD8107S-U3 and MD8107S-U3-UHD both contain the BU40N internally, hypothetically it would be better just to buy the non-UHD model and flash it, since it works over USB unlike the UHD version, and UHD is still possible, right? Because they're both the BU40N internally.

Also looking for feedback on the drive.

[Billycar11]

Don't buy an archgon at all now as they blocked flashing and libre drive in the case

It may be fixed eventually but not yet

[pheynixfire75]

I purchased an Archgon as it was shown as a device that would work, of course I saw that prior to this post.

So after getting it and the firmware not updating, I came back to the forum to find this, well fu$%.... So I decided to mess around a bit to see if I could figure it out before I would decide if I was going to send it back or not.

Details, drive inside is Hitachi/LG BU40N, manufactured May 2025, rom version 1.02

Will not flash while attached to the enclosure via USB-C

I removed the drive, got an adapter (SATA 22Pin Male to Slimline SATA 13 Female) and then plugged it into my full size ROM enclosure, I was able to update the firm ware after couple trial and errors, and able to read a UHD disk. After this I figured it was all good and put it back in its enclosure. Once back together, got it plugged in, everything registered correctly in the MakeMKV program, but the disks were no longer reading, everything was coming up encrypted and protected, well sh!#!!

Take it all apart, plug it back into my generic enclosure and its game on, everything is working like it should!!

My thought, there is a chip in the data relay built into the USBC adaptor PCB that prevents not just the firmware update but also the blocks UHD data encryption as well.

Needless to say, I have it working, though not in its case

[tpglitch]

Don't buy an archgon at all now as they blocked flashing and libre drive in the case

It may be fixed eventually but not yet

This is only true for their UHD model

[tpglitch]

I purchased an Archgon as it was shown as a device that would work, of course I saw that prior to this post.

So after getting it and the firmware not updating, I came back to the forum to find this, well fu$%.... So I decided to mess around a bit to see if I could figure it out before I would decide if I was going to send it back or not.

Details, drive inside is Hitachi/LG BU40N, manufactured May 2025, rom version 1.02

Will not flash while attached to the enclosure via USB-C

I removed the drive, got an adapter (SATA 22Pin Male to Slimline SATA 13 Female) and then plugged it into my full size ROM enclosure, I was able to update the firm ware after couple trial and errors, and able to read a UHD disk. After this I figured it was all good and put it back in its enclosure. Once back together, got it plugged in, everything registered correctly in the MakeMKV program, but the disks were no longer reading, everything was coming up encrypted and protected, well sh!#!!

Take it all apart, plug it back into my generic enclosure and its game on, everything is working like it should!!

My thought, there is a chip in the data relay built into the USBC adaptor PCB that prevents not just the firmware update but also the blocks UHD data encryption as well.

Needless to say, I have it working, though not in its case

You bought their UHD OOB model

[Billycar11]

Don't buy an archgon at all now as they blocked flashing and libre drive in the case

It may be fixed eventually but not yet

This is only true for their UHD model

that is good to know but i am afraid soon as i add it to the guide they will run out of stock of that old case stock and swap to the new one

[Coopervid]

Don't buy an archgon at all now as they blocked flashing and libre drive in the case

It may be fixed eventually but not yet

This is only true for their UHD model

that is good to know but i am afraid soon as i add it to the guide they will run out of stock of that old case stock and swap to the new one

Hi Billy, I posted this already in another thread but you should add a warning in your guide that this enclosure prevents Libredrive in addition that it doesn't allow flashing.

[Billycar11]

Hi Billy, I posted this already in another thread but you should add a warning in your guide that this enclosure prevents Libredrive in addition that it doesn't allow flashing.

sure ill add it but im pretty sure mike can work around it just a matter of time

[Coopervid]

Hi Billy, I posted this already in another thread but you should add a warning in your guide that this enclosure prevents Libredrive in addition that it doesn't allow flashing.

sure ill add it but im pretty sure mike can work around it just a matter of time

Please do so. You can remove it later when he has found a workaround.

[pb-rad]

It does work, but you must be willing to take the drive out of the case. The issue with this drive is that there is an adapter that converts it from Slimline SATA to USB 3.0 where that adapter is what prevents the flashing. I currently don't have an account to host images to create a DIY, but this is what I did.

My media server is a mini PC that has a 5.25" drive bay in it. I bought this adapter cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JXKQ9O and this drive bay adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O9T5GS. The issue with the drive bay adapter is that only 2 screws on one side line up correctly. It is enough to hold the drive. Also, this drive is thinner than the slot so there are some gaps. Total cost is about $35.

You will need a #0 or #1 screwdriver. I dont remember which I used (I have both), but some of these screws are tiny.

To remove the drive from the case, under the 2 rubber feet at the back of the case are 2 screws. Once you remove those, you can slide everything out of the case. There are 3 screws that hold the drive in place. Once those are removed it will all come apart. Remove the USB adapter from the drive.

Mount the drive in the 5/25" drive adapter. Attach the adapter cable. Plug in your standard SATA and power cables into the adapter cable.

That is all there is to it. After that you can flash the drive and start ripping UHD.