Help - Next steps to get Qoob Pro going!

[CLK]

OK ... I have read through the forums quite extensively prior to purchasing my Qoob Pro (purchased from Foundmy.com and received in 2 days!).

Over the weekend I tore apart my Cube (DOL-001 - USA) and installed the Qoob chip. That all went well, closed Cube, hooked up to PC, Qoob recognized, and flashed Qoob v1.2 and GCoS bios on.

Take back downstairs and hook to TV, boots to Qoob screen. No backups made yet but I tested going to normal Cube bios or running a true game and no issues. I can also get to the GCoS screen and run true games from there as well.

So things are looking up so far! Next steps was to go get some blank DVD-Rs. My first purchase was from Best Buy (I'm in Canada) and the disks were Memorex Mini DVD-R. After reading the forums again, I realize these disks are crap for backups. Going back for refund!

Next up, I ordered the Ritek / Ridata G04 Mini DVD-Rs from Blankmedia.ca. They are in the mail and should be here any day now.

Being impatient, I also read here that Office Depot branded Mini DVD-Rs also used the G04 dye and were good to use. So off I go and purchase a 10 pack. I burned (via Nero Ultra 6.6 - with finalization) Bomberman Generations, FIFA Street and TMNT (renaming .gcm to .iso) on my TDK Indi-DVD (880N model) at 2x (this is the only speed it would let me burn at for the Office Depot media).

Still no luck ... all disks fail with DREs!

So what to do next ???
(1) Be patient and wait for Ritek disks to arrive given the concensus is that these are the disks to get.
(2) Look into tweaking laser pot as discussed extensively in this forum.
(3) Comments on using the TDK Indi-DVD burner. I always thought this was a solid drive.

Any comments on what would best to try next would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, CLK.

[rezn8o2]

g04 media should be able to burn at 4x, try updating your firmware. i was getting dres at 2x also but after trying at 4x the dres went away. hope that helps.

[Xboxmodder999]

Yeah, first thing to do is update your firmware. If that doesn't work, find someone you know that has a NEC 3520a, or Pioneer 109 burner, and burn a game or two with that. If the games burned with the NEC 3520a or pioneer 109 still DRE's it's time to tweak your laser.

[CLK]

Thanks for the feedback so far!

Firmware is up-to-date ... rev 1.36. Doubled checked that last night as well. Has anybody out there had experience burning Cube backup files on a TDK burner?

I may look into picking up one of the burners you listed for my 2nd computer ... but I will try the Ritek disks from Blankmedia first.

Also I thought burning slower (ie. 1X) would give a more reliable burn. So I was surprised to see a recommendation to burn at 4x. Obviously, some trial and error is required here.

My last option will be the laser tweak.

Anything else I may be missing?

Thanks again, CLK.

[Xboxmodder999]

Always burn mini dvd-rs ar 4x, or 2x, not at 1x. Also the office depot mini dvd-r's do infact have Ritek g04 dye, and are exactly the same as the ones you are recieved from blank media(except the say office depot), so the ones you will be recieving will not work any better with your burner then the office depot ones.

[oagtrebla]

My friend has a TDK burnner , and he is NOT a happy camper with that:p so do get NEC or PIONEER, they're the best.
I have the same CUBE and im using the officedepot minis, they work great. i did tweak my POT to 219, from 535,it does help with DRE.

[Hajaz]

we need more info on what tdk burner it is exactly.
If i remember correctly some indi's were just rebadged nec 1300 a's (not the best burners by nec really)
if it does end up beeing a 1300a you could try one of herrie's hacked firmwares (use google)

[CLK]

*** Crap - almost double posted! ***

It seems the TDK Indi-DVD 880N model is based upon the NEC 2500A model.

With DVD burner prices low, I will look into purchasing one of the two models recommended above.

Thanks for the input on the Office Depot media as well.

So it looks like two things left to do ...
(1) Find a better burner!
(2) Possibly tweak my Cube's laser.

I will try these when I get home and report back.

Thanks again,
CLK

[Hajaz]

try a hacked nec 2500 firmware... if its really a 2500 rebadged youve got a pretty good burner
check out rpc1.org

http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=1781

[crumpster]

You will prob get better results with a different burner. I burn all my games at 2x on a lite-on 411s (old burner, i know) and i've had a 100% success rate. I would recommend getting either a lite-on or a nec drive. Also use a program to verify your media is Ritek G04's. I am using ritek g04 full-sized dvd-r. Hope this helps.

[CLK]

Lots of info to digest ...

I have a few options now ...

(1) Update to hacked firmware for my TDK (which is really a rebadged NEC 2500A). Not sure how this will make the drive better though as I am using a very recent (if not most recent) TDK firmware.

(2) Spend a few bucks on a new burner (which I can use in my 2nd computer so not a big deal). At a local supplier (Summit Direct) I can get a Pioneer 109 (C$99) or a Lite-on (not sure of model). I haven't seen the NEC 3520 recommended at a local shop yet.

(3) Tweak laser pot. No problem to do this, just have to rip apart my Cube again. :(

Overall, if you had the same issues, which one would you do first. I am thinking maybe I should tweak the laser first as it is a no-cost option and then move onto the new DVD burner purchase. On the other hand, I could get the burner and return if it doesn't work either.

Thoughts? I appreciate everyone's help in working through this.

One more thing ... what program can I use to verify DVD media? (as noted by crumpster)

Thanks, CLK

[Hajaz]

start by checking the pot value of the laser
multimeters can be found for as cheap as 10$, and if it turns out you laservalue is high, then you can just drop it a bit.

I really dont think you have a bad burner. If youve got the latest tdk firmware then it should be fine.
Ive got a nec 3500 witch is considered one of the best burners for gc games, and i was having DRE issues with the highest quality mini dvdr (g04)
turned out my laser was at a ridiculously high 480 ohms. Dropping it to 220 solved the problem forgood.

As for checking your data, nerospeed and dvdinfopro should be usefull, athough i doubt your drive supports pi/po scanning

[Xboxmodder999]

Yeah, I I say tweak your laser first, and see if that fixes your problems. If your still having problems, get the Pioneer 109(since thats what is at you local shops).

[CLK]

Home now!

As suggested, I picked up a multimeter on the way home from Canadian Tire (great sale - C$40 digital multimeter for just C$10).

Ripped apart my Cube again and measured the pot. It was 585. Tweaked it down to 205.

I then threw in the backups burned to the Office Depot (G04) media and it works like a charm! TMNT and Bomberman with no issues!

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions!

CLK :D :D :D