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How do I install my Recordable CD on my Macintosh?

The CD-Burner init (RCD init) does not load upon boot, or there is a red X through it. What is wrong?

The init doesn’t load because the Recordable CD is not recognized by the SCSI-bus. This can be caused by a few different things: If on a Power Macintosh, make sure the SCSI ID on the RCD is NOT set for 3, whether the Apple CD-ROM drive is installed or not. Make sure the SCSI-cable has been installed correctly and is firmly connected to the RCD. It does not matter whether the SCSI-cable is installed in the top or lower connector, as long as your SCSI-bus is terminated. If you’re using additional peripherals with your Macintosh, try disconnecting all peripherals and only connect the RCD and see if this works. If it does work, there might be a problem with a SCSI-cable or a terminator.

Why does it say RCD-MAC 2.3 on the floppy diskette, when I am using CD-Burner 2.1? Do I have the correct version?

CD-Burner 2.1 is correct. The complete package including the backup software is named RCD-MAC 2.3.

Can I erase what is written to the CD already? Or can I format (reformat) the CD?

No. Information to the CD already written cannot be erased, nor can the CD be formatted. Recordable CD’s are also known as WORM (Write Once Read Many) devices.

How large is the RCD cache buffer in my RCD?

The RCD-202 came with a 64kb cache. The RCD-1000, 5020, 5040 and 4 X 4 all come with a 1MB cache buffer. None of them are expandable or upgradeable.

Can I put my RCD on its side and still record to it?

No. Any Recordable CD’s must be laying down horizontally for them to work.

Does the RCD only work with 110V, or can I take it with me when going abroad?

No. Yes (most likely). The power supply used in our RCD’s are "auto-switchable", meaning they have a power range from 110VAC to 230VAC.

What is "Firmware" and where is it located?

Firmware is code implemented within a peripheral's ROM. In the case with the RCD-1000, 5020, 5040 and 4 X 4 we are using a "flash ROM" meaning a user can upgrade it should it be nescessary. The RCD-202 firmware cannot be upgraded.

The "Firmware" can and needs to be updated once in a while, in order to ensure the RCD’s compatibility with a newly updated operative-system or hardware for example.

What type of CD’s can I create using the RCD and CD-Burner software?

You can create the following CD-ROM’s: HFS, ISO-9660 level1 & level2, Red Book Audio, and Mixed Mode CD’s. Additionally, with CD Burner software you can also create a) Incremental ISO-9660 CD’s (all sessions are seen/mounted as one icon) b) HFS Multivolume, meaning each additional session will be represented as a separate icon on your desktop.

What are the minimum System requirements?

An Apple Macintosh with at least 8MB of RAM, 68030 but preferably a 68040 or PowerPC processor, 3.5" floppy drive, 1.2GB hard disk with a data transfer rate of at least 1.2MB/second. We support System 7.0 up to System 7.6.1, with the exception for the RCD-202. The RCD-202 is supported up to System 7.5.2.

Before writing a CD, please be sure to use this checklist first:

1. Turn ALL inits and CDEV’s except the CD-Burner init (RCD init) off. This is more or less a must for creating a successful CD. You can use Apple’s extension manager to easily disable/enable your extensions. It is best if you move all non-CD extensions to a separate folder.
2. Turn virtual memory and modern memory manager (if on a Power Macintosh) OFF.
3. Turn filesharing OFF.
4. Make sure your source drive is not fragmented; if it is, please defragment your drive prior to writing the CD. A popular defragmentation software to use is Speed Disk, included with Norton Utilities for the Macintosh.
5. Apply no more than 10MB to the CD-Burner application.
6. Quit all other applications (if any currently are open) .
7. If you are using Screen-Savers make SURE they are turned OFF.

Software related questions

I can record multisession (HFS multivolume) with my RCD and the recorder can mount all sessions, but my Mac’s built-in CD-ROM can only mount the first session or the last session from that CD. What did I do wrong?

1. the Apple CD-ROM drive is not multisession capable or
2. your Apple CD-ROM extension is not up-to-date. Please upgrade the Apple CD-ROM extension to version 5.1.2 or higher.

I’m trying to record a CD with both a Macintosh HFS session and an ISO0-9660 session on it, but it does not work. What is wrong?

Can I record Audio-files separately?

How can I make a CD so that it can be read by both Mac's and PC's?

Errors & Causes/Solutions explained

"Error:-186 No Write Data Buffer Underrun—Too many small Files...."

1. This error is displayed because the buffer on the drive empties the data before the Macintosh can replace it with new data. A continuous stream of data from the buffer is required for a successful session. The buffer is continually being fed information from the Macintosh while the drive is continously pulling it out from the other end. Problems arise when trying to record too many small files in a row.
2. Under the Apple System Software, the resource fork and data fork are treated as two separate entities. When we transfer a file, we must find both the resource fork and the data fork. In addition, the System Software does at least two additional reads to the directory. Therefore, to copy a single file, you are doing at least four different seeks without any actual data ever being transferred. All of these seeks take time. Once the file is read, the Mac copies the information to the buffer and then moves onto the next file while the information is transferred from the buffer to the media. This works fine for large files as the Mac has time to perform all of those seeks before the buffer empties. The problem is with small files. The information is emptied from the buffer before the Mac has located and transferred the next file.
3. DAT technology runs into the same kinds of issues. The difference between them is that when the DAT has nothing in the buffer to copy, it simply writes 0’s as place holders until it receives more data. The disadvantage of this is that it greatly reduces the amount of data storeable on that tape as the space is being taken up by the 0’s. The RCD is unable to duplicate this method due to limitations in the file system of the Mac. It must write information to the media so it is mountable on the desktop compared to DAT backups, which are not mountable on the desktop and can only be accessed by the backup utility that created them.

CAUSES

1. HARD DRIVE TOO SLOW. Your Hard Drive must be capable of reading and accessing the data faster than the buffer can empty. The general ratings are an average access time of 12 milliseconds or less and an average transfer rate of 1.2 MB per second or faster.
2. HARD DRIVE IS RECALIBRATING. As Hard drives run,the spinning platters heat up. As they heat up,they expand, just like anything else. The tracks on the hard drive also expand further apart. The heads of the hard drive must now recalibrate to the new spacing of the tracks. This is called thermal recalibration(T-cal). All other functions are postponed during this time. Up until recently ALL hard drives performed a T-cal, otherwise, your hard drive would end up not being able to read the tracks. Most drives still do a T-cal, but some are more efficient than others, and there are a few drives that do not perform a T-cal at all, these drives are using a technology that allows the heads and platters to expand together at the same rate, thus avoiding having to stop and T-cal. Most T-cal drives have a set interval for when they do this recalibration. Today, there are some drives that perform this "intelligently". An example of an intelligent T-cal is a drive that looks at itself and asks if anything is being read or written to the drive. If there is not, it will go ahead and recalibrate. If there is, it will wait until it is done to perform the recalibration.

WORKAROUNDS

"Laser Alignment Error"

1. Drive was physically vibrated during the write. By having the RCD in a stack, the vibration of the other drives can cause the laser to deviate. Move the drive out of the stack onto the desktop by itself where it won’t receive vibrations or bumps.
2. EMF interference can cause the laser to lose its current track. Poorly shielded power supplies in drives are a frequent culprit. Also, your monitor is a MAJOR source for EMF interference. For this reason, make sure the drive is placed away from any possible EMF sources.
3. Dust, either in the drive or on the cartridge, can block the beam from hitting the CD thereby deviate the laser. If this becomes a common error, blow out the drive, caddy, and the disc itself before writing to the CD.
4. Bad caddy. While infrequent, it has been identified that if your caddy does not sit right into the drive, the disc will be unable to spin in the correct position for the laser to write to it.
5. Bad disc. Like any other medium, you can get a bad batch of discs once in a while. Manufacturers are constantly experimenting with new processes to improve both performance and reliability. If the error continues, try a different brand of media to be sure of different batch numbers. The drive may not like the particular coating mix of that batch, or the center hole in the CD may be a fraction off center, so that it spins crooked.
6. It is possible that the drive is faulty. This is rarely the case, but if the problem perists after troubleshooting the above causes, this is the most likely conclusion.

"Servo Tracking Error"

CAUSES/SOLUTIONS

1. A "Servo Tracking Error" message is generated by the drive when it is unable to record to the media. It is similar to when a needle skips on a record. There is a microscopic groove printed on the surface of each piece of CDR media which guides the laser when burning the data. There are a number of reasons to what can cause a Servo Tracking Error, most commonly dust, defective media, overheating, or trying to exceed the limit (edge) of the disc.
2. Defective media can either be a bad disc, a bad lot of discs, or an incompatible brand of media (not all CDR media works on all CDR drives at this time). We suggest you try a different piece of media -- preferably a different brand.
3. Verify that the amount of data you are trying to record does not exceed the capacity of the disc. Most of the time, your recording software will prevent you from making that mistake, but the calculations are purely theoretical when estimating the space available. It has no way of adjusting for previously-failed sessions or bad blocks on the media. These factors can cause the software to incorrectly calculate the remaining free space which will differ from what is actually free. Check by looking at the recording side of the media. Where the drive writes to the media, a visible color change to a lighter shade occurs on the disc. It begins on the inside edge and works its way towards the outside edge. Look at the outside edge of the disc and guesstimate how far from the edge the lighter shade stops. If it goes right up to the edge of the disc, you attempted to records too much data.
4. The next most common cause is a dirty lens within the drive which prevents the laser from focusing on the surface of the media. Pinnacle Micro recommends using a can of compressed air to blow out the inside of the drive through the front access door or tray.
5. The only other way we have identified the cause of a Servo Tracking Error is a defective unit or servo. If the ambient temperature inside the mechanism itself is too high, the laser cannot affect enough of a temperature change to record to the disc. If your drive is external, remove the filter from the back of the drive and if clogged with dust, use compressed air to clean it out. With the filter still removed, confirm that the fan works when the unit is powered on. If not, contact Pinnacle Micro’s Technical Support. If your drive is internal, verify that it receives enough air flow/circulation by removing the computer’s case, letting the drive cool off for a while, and then rerun the session. If you still get a Servo Tracking Error, contact our Technical Support Dept.

Performance Tips

How you lay out your files on your disc can drastically affect the performance when being read back your CD. The following are performance tips for your CD-R recording benefit.

File structure:

1. Limit the number of total files in the structure.
2. Otherwise, you will have to determine how best to organize your files. Every directory entry is 50 bytes. This means that 40 entries can be stored in one physical block (2048) of the CD-ROM. If more than 40 entries are stored, the directory structure has to span to another block, adding an additional ‘seek’ to the operation. Seek operations are expensive on a CD-ROM because the access time is only 180ms (Fast hard drives seek at 9ms). A large directory structure could cost you 700ms of seek time. One way of limiting the seek time is store most of the files in subdirectories as opposed to the storing them at the root level.
   
3. Approach #1) 4000 files placed in the root directory.
4. Number of Directories = 1
5. Depth of Tree = 1
6. File retrieval performance = Poor
   


7. Approach #2) 10 Sub-Directories, 400 files each.
8. Number of Directories = 11 (Including root)
9. Depth of Tree = 2
10. File retrieval performance = Acceptable
    


11. Approach #3) 10 Sub-Directories under root, with 10 Sub-Directories, 40 files in each Sub-Directory.
12. Number of Directories = 101
13. Depth of Tree = 3
14. File retrieval performance = Good

Control Of Disc Geography:

A CD-ROM is a Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) device in which the disc rotates faster when the read/write head is on the inner portion of the track. The time it takes for the data to spin into position under the read head is about 50ms for the inner track and 150ms for the outer track. Try to store the most frequently accessed files on the inner tracks.

Arrangement of Files:

Store files that will be accessed together in the close vicinity of each other. This will reduce the seek time and improve performance.

Compression of Holes in the Disc:

Every file or subdirectory that is deleted in the ISO file structure results in a hole within the disc image. Any such holes will cause the subsequently placed files to be moved further towards the outer edge of the CD-ROM. Another disadvantage of holes is that bigger files will be fragmented, resulting in increased access times. Defragment your files before recording the CD.

Method of defragmenting source drive:

Defragment your source drive before copying the files you wish to burn to it. Your burn files will then be in one contiguous block on the source drive.

A Baseline configuration for CD burning:

Under normal circumstances, the following configuration should work every time

Hardware:

CD burner drive is the only drive on the SCSI line, ID=2 and terminated properly.

Software:

Create a new folder inside the System Folder and name it "Extensions Off". Put all your extensions from your Extensions Folder in it except the following (if you have them). Leave these extensions in your Extensions Folder:

Apple CD-ROM (version 5.1.2 or later)

Audio CD Access

CD Burner Driver 2.x (matching the version of CD Burner software you are using)

Foreign File Access

High Sierra File Access

ISO 9660 File Access

ObjectsSupportLib (if using CD Burner 2.21)

(If you can't follow the hardware guideline above, at least remove/turn off any scanner or Zip drive connected and disable their respective Extension/Control Panels.)

A well ordered SCSI chain:

Use the following as a guide to hooking up devices to your SCSI chain. This is only a model. The internal CD-ROM that comes installed in a Mac is set to ID=3, so adjustments may need to be made. These are intended to be RELATIVE positions.

Macintosh, ID=0

SCSI cable 24" or less
Scanner ID=1 (if possible, some scanners do not allow this)

SCSI cable 36" or less
CD-ROM (external, includes burner) ID=2

SCSI cable 36" or less
DAT/Tape Device ID=3

SCSI cable 36" or less
External Optical Device ID=4

SCSI cable 36" or less
External Syquest ID=5

SCSI cable 36" or less
External hard drive ID=6