I think my BU50N died :'( What should I buy?

Discussion of LibreDrive mode, compatible drives and firmwares
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SMD88
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed May 24, 2023 10:32 am

I think my BU50N died :'( What should I buy?

#1 Post by SMD88 » Fri Jul 28, 2023 1:53 pm

Very pissed off at the moment because my drive has been playing up the past week or so. MakeMKV fails to load the disc, then the drive disappears and I have to restart..

Tonight I ripped the US Creepshow 4K, went fine. Then I decided to finally open and rip the CLIFFHANGER steelbook 4K and it failed about 15% into the movie. I tried it 3 times and it failed in the same spot. I thought it might be the disc as it was one of those horrible "made in Mexico" discs and was covered in scratches and finger prints. I then tried the US Child's Play 4K and it failed to load and then said "no disc". So, I think my drive is dead. I have only started mass ripping in the past 2 months when I upgraded my 10yr old laptop with a 4TB SSD and doubled the RAM!

I was always worried the drive would die quickly. So, what should I replace it with? This drive was a full LibreDrive, FW1.0. I looked on crapbay and it can still be had, but only from China which I don't trust. Never know if they are genuine or now. Is there a recommended seller I can buy one from?

I had planned on buying the Pioneer 7..whatever slot loader as I was meant to get a new laptop in April, but plans changed. I am fine with an external drive, but would prefer one that can be flashed to full Libre, not having to rely on the internet to load discs etc.

dcoke22
Posts: 3082
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:25 pm

Re: I think my BU50N died :'( What should I buy?

#2 Post by dcoke22 » Fri Jul 28, 2023 6:56 pm

The Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide has the list of LibreDrive compatible drives.

If you want a Pioneer drive (which is an excellent choice), be aware of the Pioneer firmware update February 2023 which made Pioneer drives incompatible with MakeMKV.

The Flashing Guide has a list of sellers, organized by region, who test and sell compatible drives, including Pioneer drives. They're the best bet for a Pioneer drive since anything you're likely to buy new today will most likely come with the incompatible firmware.

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