OK, I just got one of these drives as it is a cheap Ricoh-based (Justlink and Justspeed compatible) and it seems to be very similar to the Aopen 2040 (high DAE, the noises it makes etc).

The ID string of this writer is " RW-201040 V1.00", which says to me that this drive is indeed a clone of the Aopen 2040. However it is not possible to update the Artec firmware with that of the Aopen :(

Of course because I don't have an Artec firmware (Artec haven't released one yet, this is a new drive) I cannot do the Ricoh firmware trick either. And because the firmware is 1.00 there are problems with media (ie it is virtually impossible to get a good burn at 20x).

Does anyone know;

1) If this drive is indeed an Aopen, and if not what is it (Ricoh, NEC, Samsung or one of their own designs)

2) If it is possible to get the flash software to make a copy of the original firmware from this drive, without an updated one to replace it with

I'm pretty sure that this drive may be oc to 24x (Artec are releasing a 24x shortly) which means another fix on the cards a la Aopen ;) and a lot cheaper too :D

Hi Jase, Sorry I do not have any info about the Artec, I was in fact looking for info myself!! I have seen a 20x10x40 for a very reasonable price and was wondering how good they are and how they compare with similar drives. I have looked at the Artec hompage and they do not even have the 20 speed writer on there??? Any info/ratings for this drive would be much appreciated. Thank you.

(in reply to jase)

Hi,

Well, with regards the quality of the drive it appears to be a very similar quality to the Aopen 2040 or Ricoh 7200 -- ie very good!!! For the sort of prices I've seen it at (60UKP+VAT is the lowest price I've ever seen for a 20x writer in the UK by some margin) it is an absolute bargain!!!

The only problem is media. Artec have not updated their firmware yet, so it is still stuck on v1.00. This means that of the 8 media types I've tried so far (Postech, Princo, Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden, CMC Phthalocyanine, Ritek Phthalocyanine, Ricoh and Prodisc) only 4 of these (CMC, Taiyo Yuden, Ricoh and Ritek) will write at 20x. Of course stuff like Kodak should work as well but as for the obscure stuff -- forget it. You should be able to get it to work at 16x with JustSpeed switched off but 20x is just too unreliable.

It has fast and accurate DAE, good write quality (at 20x with the right media), nice build construction, is relatively easy on the eye and is very cheap. Apart from the firmware, what more could you ask for!!

(in reply to jase)

What's the name of the burner as seen in the Nero Info page?
If it's 20x10x40x it's the AOpen clone.
You can also tell the different drives apart from their appearances.

From my experience with Artec, I'm afraid this drive is an Acer clone.

(in reply to jase)

It's definitely not an Acer clone (like I say it has JustLink/JustSpeed), but if it's an Aopen clone that's OK ;) they're all very similar to each other when all said and done, these Ricoh-variants ;)

Having said that, it isn't an Aopen rebadge. Aopen make their drives in Taiwan, this one is made in China. And also the ID is not the same as the 1.00 Aopen firmware (having said that that means very little). So maybe Artec are making their own drives based on some generic Ricoh/Aopen template. The emergency eject hole and LED are also in different places. This is certainly starting to look like a new design....

In any case if only Artec would update their firmware to match the Ricoh and Aopen I'd be more than happy with this drive (to be honest it's worth the money I paid for it even without the update).



Edited by - jase on 10/14/2001 22:54:17

(in reply to jase)

Thanks very much to both of you for your informative answers. At the end of the day the drive is only £59 + VAT, so it would seem a bargain. As long as it is a Aopen or Ricoh clone, I would be more than happy. If it is the Acer clone than I would probably not touch it, after reading some rather dissapointing reviews on them. Have either of you seen a review on this drive (Artec) or found info on the Artec website, if so could you please post a link. Jase, you seem confident that it is a Ricoh/Aopen clone and not an Acer. Have Artec used either Ricoh or Aopen units before?? The choice I have at the moment is between the Artec 20X10x40 or the Lite On 24x10x40, any recomendations or preferences to either drive??Thanks once again for your time.

(in reply to jase)

Towner, I am 100% sure this is a Ricoh/Aopen clone of some description (and not an Acer). Reasons?

1) It has JustLink/JustSpeed.

2) It is functionally almost identical to the Aopen 1632/2040 which I have one of.

3) I have had an Acer drive and it is very different to this one.

4) NO SD2. But it can do SAO (which the Acer cannot).

Which is better out of this and a LiteOn? Difficult to say. This unit is cheaper, but it cannot do SD2 and is a bit more picky about what media it'll write to at 20x (although it will write to anything at 16x). If you can find better things to do with your 20 quid, get the Artec ;)

(in reply to jase)

Oh, and look at the firmware revisions. Whilst it is true that Artec have had drives in the past that are Philips clones, the new Philips 20x is in fact, a Ricoh clone (with JustSpeed/JustLink taken out and Seamless Link put in, but it has the Ricoh chipset). Acer drives have a firmware revision that goes "X.XX" where X is a letter; this drive has 1.00. This is not an Acer firmware.

Trust me, I have this drive in front of me and it's a Ricoh clone ;)

(in reply to jase)