I notice that some (many?) DVD recorders use DVD writers with fine
pitch 40-pin flexible cables rather than the wider 40-pin IDE ribbon
cables used in PCs. I haven't opened up any Panasonic DVDRs, but after
studying various exploded diagrams, it appears that the IDE hard
drives in these units have a small adapter PCB that converts the cable
type from IDE to mini flex. Does this mean that the DVD writers in the
same units are just PC-compatible IDE drives with a smaller but
pin-compatible IDE connector? If so, is it possible to buy one of
these IDE-to-mini-flex adapter boards at a reasonable price?

- Franc Zabkar
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