ASUS CRW-5232AS-U User Manual

CRW-5232AS-U

External CD-RW

52x/32x/52x CD-RW Drive

User Guide

E1532

First Edition V1

February 2004

Copyright © 2004 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be
reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any
language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for
backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
(“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or
altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2)
the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE
OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR
ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED
FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME
WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS.
ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR
INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS
AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered
trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or
explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Contents

Notices ................................................................................ 4

ASUS contact information ................................................ 5

Safety information ............................................................. 6

Conventions used in this guide ........................................ 7

Package contents .............................................................. 8

Welcome! ............................................................................ 9

Product introduction ......................................................... 9

Specifications ............................................................... 9

Features ..................................................................... 10

Front panel ................................................................. 14

Rear panel ................................................................. 15

Installation ........................................................................ 16

System requirements ................................................. 16

Drive placement ......................................................... 16

Connecting the drive cables ...................................... 17

Installing the device driver ......................................... 18

Checking the drive in the System Properties ............. 20

Unplugging the device properly ................................. 21

CD-RW drive basics ......................................................... 22

Placing a disc into the drive ....................................... 22

Ejecting a disc from the drive ..................................... 23

Using the emergency eject pinhole ............................ 24

Using compact discs ....................................................... 25

Cleaning a disc .......................................................... 25

Handling a disc .......................................................... 25

Technical information ...................................................... 26

Environmental specifications ..................................... 26

Electrical and audio specifications ............................. 26

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

3

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

• This device must accept any interference received including interference that
may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING! The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the
graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes
or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

ASUS contact information

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia-Pacific)

Address 150 Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 112
Telephone [phone]
Web site www.asus.com.tw

Technical Support

Telephone (MB/Component) [phone] (English)

(Notebook) [phone] (English)
(Server/PC) [phone] (English)
(Networking) [phone] (English)

Support fax [phone]

ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America)

Address 44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Fax [phone]
E-mail [e-mail]
Web site usa.asus.com

Technical Support

Telephone (General) [phone]

(Notebook) [phone]
Support fax [phone]
Support e-mail [e-mail]

ASUS COMPUTER GmbH (Germany and Austria)

Address Harkort Str. 25, D-40880 Ratingen, Germany
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Online contact www.asuscom.de/sales

Technical Support

Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Online support www.asuscom.de/support
Web site www.asuscom.de/news

ASUS COMPUTER (Middle East and North Africa)

Address P.O. Box 64133, Dubai, U.A.E.
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Web site www.ASUSarabia.com

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

5

Safety information

Observe the following precautions before installing and using the drive!

Installation Notices

Do not place this device in an
unstable position, or in one that
vibrates.

Do not place this device in areas
where there is direct sunlight,
high humidity, or damp condition.

Do not use or place this device
near magnetic fields, televisions,
or radios, where there is
interference that may affect the
performance of the drive.

Do not attempt to disassemble or
repair the drive. Opening the drive
may result to exposure to laser
radiation.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Using the device

• Use of any controls, adjustments, or procedures other than those

specified in this manual may result to hazardous radiation exposure.

• Do not attempt to disassemble the drive.

• Do not move the device from a cold to a warm or hot environment.

Drastic change of temperature is harmful to the device.

• Before moving or uninstalling the drive, remove disc from it, if any.

• Prevent liquids or any metal to get into the device. If this situation

occurs, contact your retailer for help.

• Do not use any evaporating solvents to clean the device. If you

accidentally sprayed any solvent on the device, use a clean cloth to
wipe it. You may also use a neutral cleaner to dilute the solvent to
easily wipe it from the device.

• Try not to interrupt the supply of power while the device is in reading or

writing mode.

• Do not place damaged or warped discs inside the device. A warped

disc may break while in use and damage the device.

• Do not place discs into the device immediately if they came from a cold

environment, specially during cold seasons. Wait until the discs have
reached room temperature.

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the
following symbols used throughout this manual.

WARNING/DANGER: Information to prevent injury to yourself
when trying to complete a task.

CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components
when trying to complete a task.

IMPORTANT: Information that you MUST follow to complete a
task.

NOTE: Tips and additional information to aid in completing a task.

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

7

Package contents

Upon opening your ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW package,
check if all the following items are present and in good condition. If any of
the items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer immediately.

• ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW drive

• ASUS external CD-RW drive stand

• USB 2.0 cable

• Power cable and adapter

• Emergency eject pin and instruction

• User guide

• Multi-language quick installation poster

• Software CD (includes Windows® 98SE USB 2.0 driver)

The above items are available in retail boxes only.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Welcome!

Thank you for buying the ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external drive!

To ensure proper installation and use of this device, read the instructions
and other important information contained in this manual.

Product introduction

Specifications

Speeds

CD-R Write Speed 52x, 48x, 40x, 32x, 24x,16x, 8x, 4x
CD-RW Write Speed 32x, 24x, 16x, 12x, 10x, 8x, 4x
Read Speed 52x max (CAV)~7800 KB/Sec
DAE Speed 52x max (CAV)~7800 KB/Sec
Random Access Time 100 ms

Interface USB 2.0

Technology support

Buffer memory size 2 MB

Application discs 12cm or 8cm diameter, 1.2mm thick

Writing mode Track-at-Once, Disc-at-Once,

Dimensions 155.6 (w) x 226 (d) x 50 (h) mm

Mass 1398 g (3.08 lbs)

FlextraSpeed
FlextraLink

Double Dynamic Suspension System II (DDSS II)
CAV Recording Technology

CD-Audio, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, CD-I,
Photo CD, CD-Extra, Video CD, CD-Text,
Karaoke CD, I-trax

Session-at-Once, Packet Write

TM

Technology

TM

Technology

Refer to the section “Technical information” on page 26 for detailed
specifications.

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

9

Features

The ASUS CRW-5232AS-U is an external CD-RW drive with 52x Write,
32x ReWrite, and 52x Read capabilities. The drive complies with the
Universal Serial Bus 2.0 (USB 2.0) specifications and comes equipped
with the latest innovative technologies in CD recording.

ASUS External CD-RW drives are accentuated by the latest innovations in
CD-recording technology, namely:
(Double Dynamic Suspension System II) and the Constant Angular
Velocity (CAV) recording method.

The following sub-sections describe these technologies in detail.

FlextraSpeed

TM

,

FlextraLink

TM

, DDSS II

FlextraSpeed™ technology

The ASUS
ensure quality recording when using discs that require flexible speeds. The
drive employs this technology that allows automatic recording speed
adjustment based on the recording media.

In addition to the fact that there are low and high quality recording media,
various other factors such as dye layer, temperature, humidity, dust,
fingerprints, etc., affect the recording characteristics of CD-R and CD-RW
discs. Due to these factors, some discs may not be able to stand the high­speed capabilities of the latest CD-RW drives. The
technology solves this problem by automatic assessment of the disc
quality and recording capability. The recording speed is based on these
factors. If you use a high quality recording disc, you can maximize the
recording capability of the drive and get the best quality output. If you use
a low quality disc, the drive speed adjusts to the level that is most
appropriate for the disc, still optimizing the disc recording capability.

The
because of the controlled motor rotation speeds and reduced noise
caused by spindle air, thus prolonging the drive motor’s life and ensuring
high-quality recording.

FlextraSpeed

FlextraSpeed

™ technology provides the optimum solution to

FlextraSpeed

™ technology also helps maintain the CD-RW drive

™

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

FlextraLink™ technology

The ASUS

FlextraLink

™ technology provides a seamless combination of

flexibility and ultra-reliable recording quality.

FlextraLink

™ incorporates a flexible strategy that prevents buffer underrun
problems caused by an empty data buffer. This CD-RW drive technology
allows continuous monitoring of the data buffer status during the write
process. Once the available data drops to approximately 1% of the total
buffer capacity, the drive stops recording and marks the last write position.
When new data is received from the host, it is loaded to the data buffer,
and the laser is repositioned to link the new data with the data already
written.

FlextraLink

™ uses minimal system resources so that your PC
remains fully operational throughout the writing process, and available for
other applications.

The diagram below shows the advantage of the

FlextraLink

™ recording

technology.

Conventional
Recording

Data

Buffer

Write Data

Memory

Recording with
FlextraLink™
Technology

Data

Write Data

Data

Write Data

Data transfer
slows down

Buffer
Memory

Write process
continues

Data transfer
slows down

Buffer
Memory

Write process stops;
waits until there is
enough data for writing

Data

Buffer
Memory
Empty

Data

Write Data

Data transfer slower
than write process

Bad disc results

Data transfer continues
and fills buffer with
sufficient data for writing

Buffer
Memory

Write process continues
until writing is complete

FlextraLink™ Technology Solution

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

11

Double Dynamic Suspension System (DDSS II)

The DDSS II is an enhanced follow-up to the DDSS anti-vibration system
developed by ASUS. The DDSS CD-ROM technology is designed to
reduce the vibration generated from spindle rotation of over 8900 rpm of
40X CD-ROM drives. The DDSS II improves this feature by handling up to
over 10,000 rpm of the new 50X drives. In addition, the DDSS II stabilizes
the pick-up head of the drive in both horizontal and vertical directions,
making tracking and focusing even more precise.

Like the DDSS, the DDSS II vibration absoption structure contains a
“dynamic mass” that can absorb the vibration caused by high revolution of
spindle motor. However, the DDSS II moves the dynamic mass to be
suspended to the chassis, thus providing more stability and accuracy
when accessing data from the disc.

The following diagram illustrates the DDSS/DDSS II design structure.

12

DDSS / DDSS II Design Structure

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) recording

52x

The drive employs the Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) recording method.
With CAV recording, the drive spindle motor rotates the disc at the same
speed regardless of the radial position of the pickup head. This means that
there is a higher transfer rate when writing data to the outer tracks of the
disc than to the inner tracks, as the head traverses a longer linear path on
the outer than the inner part of the disc.

Although the transfer rates vary, and may not be at maximum, depending
on the part of the disc being written to, the CAV method allows faster
recording speed because the rotation speed does not have to change
when the head writes data to different areas of the disc.

Speed

48x

40x

32x

24x

16x

8x

0x

CAV Recording Method

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Time

13

Front panel

®

12

Recordable

Recordable

Recordable

Rewritable

High Speed

3 54

W

52X32X52X

R

6

7 8

1. Headphone jack

This jack allows you to connect a headphone with a stereo mini-plug. If
you enable the

digital CD audio properties

for this device, the audio out

function of this jack is disabled.

2. Headphone volume dial

To adjust volume of headphone connected, turn dial to the left to
decrease volume; turn to the right to increase volume.

3. Disc tray

This tray holds the disc.

4. WRITE indicator (red LED)

This LED flashes while data is being written on the disc.

5. READ indicator (green LED)

This LED is ON when a disc is present in the drive tray. The LED
flashes while data is being read from the disc.

6. Emergency eject pinhole

To manually eject the tray and the disc. See page 24 for details on
using the emergency eject pinhole.

7. PLAY/SKIP button

This button has two functions. If the drive is idle, pressing this button
will start playing a loaded audio disc from the first track. While in the
PLAY mode, pressing this button skips to the next track on the disc.

8. STOP/EJECT button

This button has two functions. Pressing this button at any time ejects
the disc tray. While in PLAY mode, pressing this button stops playing
the disc loaded in the drive.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

Rear panel

9 10 11

9. USB connector

A standard Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) plug and play interface.

10. Power switch

Turns the power supply ON or OFF. Switching to “|” icon means ON
and switching to “O” side means OFF.

11. Power jack

This jack is for the AC adaptor power cable.

ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW

15

Installation

System requirements

Before installing and using the drive, make sure that your computer
system meets the following requirements.

• IBM-compatible Pentium® II - 333 MHz or higher PC

• Windows® 98SE/ME/2000/XP operating system

• At least 64MB RAM (128MB recommended)

Do not use damaged or warped disc in the drive. The disc may break apart
during use and cause potential body injury or damage to your drive.

Drive placement

1. Remove the external CD-RW drive and all the package contents
from the box. Place them next to your computer.

2. Place the external drive stand on a stable
surface.

3. Slide the drive into the stand, aligning the
side groove to the rectangular slot on the
stand.

4. Make sure that the drive is securely in place.

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ASUS CRW-5232AS-U external CD-RW