The First Computer CD-ROM Drive - Philips CM100 from 1985

This is the first computer CD-ROM Drive made by Philips. Originally released in 1985, this one was made in 1987. It is suppose to have a Control Card that installs into the computer so you can connect the two. Unfortunately, I do not have this Control Card. The Cord fits into a MIDI slot, so there may be some way of using that instead of the Control Card. I am not sure.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Philips
• CM100
• CM
• 100
• Computer
• CD-ROM
• Drive
• Vintage
• CD100

[noisedownloader]

MIDI? So why the hell would a CD-ROM use a MIDI port if MIDI is for musical instruments as keyboards (Music Instrument Digital Interface)

[5irR4p70r]

@noisedownloader

I know this CD Rom originally came with a separate controller card specially for this unit, but I don't have it. The connection is the same size as a MIDI. It can plug into it, but I never said it uses the MIDI port

[RoboTekno]

Sexy :P

[5irR4p70r]

@RoboTekno

indeedy :P

[TheMegaMuncher]

I don't think it would work with MIDI, since MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface!

[5irR4p70r]

lol yea, I know. But, don't old computer joysticks also use the MIDI connection? I know this CD Rom originally came with a separate controller card specially for this unit, but I don't have it. The connection is the same size as a MIDI

[NinjaSeg]

@5irR4p70r Standard MIDI uses a 5-pin DIN plug. What you seem to be talking about is a Game Port, primarily used to connect joysticks. Though it became a de-facto standard to put MIDI signals on a few of the previously unused pins, allowing the use of MIDI with a special breakout cable, calling it a MIDI port is just going to confuse the hell out of people. It's a Game Port.

[stru81]

Someone told me most CD-ROM drives made during the mid 80's used their own propriety interfaces and thus needed their own cards before SCSI was widely adopted (excepting those CD-ROM drives that came with those Sound Card Multimedia PC kits)

by the early 90's.

[kinmanyuen]

lol computer geek in the 80's are not to be bullied on, where they might kill you with heavy equipment :-)

[cuttock]

Damn. Clunk.

[Knaeckebrotsaege]

i got a little tip that the interface might be RS-422, for which converters are available on ebay to RS-232 (serial port)

[Kittyslasher69]

We might as well just slip a DVD or Blu-ray reader into the housing of this contraption, and put USB on here to get it to work with modern conputers.

[UzumakiNarutoX3]

It looks a bit like a nes shell.

[Knaeckebrotsaege]

found it yesterday while searching for something else.. took some time to find this video again though lol.

the one i've got is a Philips CDD-462 external CD-ROM drive made in early 1994.

Audio part works fine and sounds perfect. uses a CDM-4 drive made by philips.

pics:

bambooz.pytalhost . net/stuff/CDD462/CDD462_1.jpg

bambooz.pytalhost . net/stuff/CDD462/CDD462_2.jpg

that thing was in the basement for years. took it upstairs, plugged it in, plays audio CDs perfectly through my stereo :)

[nkrazor]

his voice reminds me of Lars Ulrich