GNU/Linux CD-changer (second life of a Bull printer)

This video shows the prototype of a GNU/Linux controlled CD changer, whose main goal was to burn standard operating system installation CDs (Debian GNU/Linux ) for the Swiss distributor debian.ch (closed down in 2007).

The system was a PC-486/32 MB with an ISA SCSI board, and three SCSI writers and a reader, with a small parallel port board with a Lattice (thanks Julien) doing some register decoding, and three power controllers (for the three motors: rotation, up/down and grip). The motors where from an old Bull printer and a 5.25 floppy disk.

The software was written in Perl

This was used from from 2001 to 2003 in the production of about 600 CD-Rs.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• technical
• libre
• GNU/Linux
• step
• motors
• parallel
• Lattice
• standard
• operating
• system
• CD
• writing

[alphanet72]

Yes, at login.alphanet.ch/~schaefer/tm­p/changer/proto_2/

[arranmc182]

this would be cool for if u wanna burn a lot of the same data on to a disk you could right a burning program that will triger it to change cd when one is done so then you could just go out and not worry about any think

[alphanet72]

yes, I wrote the CD-controller program (in Perl): it controls the robotics movement through a parallel port board. Also, I wrote scripts to record CDs from a list of images to record (so trivially the same image is possible too).

The software is parallel: it can write multiple CDs at the same time and verify them also in parallel.

[alphanet72]

The actual system used had a pile of 50 CD-Rs, 3 CD-writers, and one CD-reader. It had an output of about 20 CD-R written and verified per hour, because the writers where old SCSI writers with only speed 12.

It was used for the mass production of Debian GNU/Linux CD-R, from 2001 to 2003, mostly.

Currently, the hardware is in my basement, I didn't have the time to try it again :)

[DivineInterllect]

Hi, well done. Are there plans available for this perhaps? thx

[brosskgm]

Have you done any more with this? I've started to work on designing my own duplicator. I'd like it to be stand alone, but being able to use Linux to program it would be great. but have been hitting a brick wall trying to find the end that picks up the CD/DVD's or how to make it. I have seen plenty of them that were made of wood and the cone shape didn't work so well when made out of metal.

Anything you can pass along would be great.

Thanks

[douro20]

Perl...I wish I could understand Perl...

[yallebr]

Hello how much is it? I liked i wnat to build a vending Cd Machine and i´m looking for some body do develop it to me. Can u contact me? thnks

[Gunstick]

Not having any spare parts I used the quite powerfull motor of one of my drive bays to operate the changer arm. See my profile for some Fischertechnik mayham. I didn't use any electronics either.

[alphanet72]

thanks :))