Possible to convert Sony DRX500UL into internal drive?

[fourthquark]

Has anyone tried taking a DRX500UL out of its case and installing it as an internal drive? I have seen postings stating that the DRX500UL identifies itself as a DRU500A. Is the DRX500UL simply a DRU500A drive installed into an external case?

[psychoace]

Ok i believe i am right here but the ul version internal parts that make the sony ax the sony ax are their and why would you need to write a whole new firmware for just making something external so that is why it says such. You can't make it internal cause the external is just a smaller internal but without things like ide connectors and a shell. The thing wont fit into your drive bays so their is no chance of it working sorry

[fourthquark]

Just wondering if you have seen one taken apart, or are you speculating as to what might be inside? As a counterpoint, I can see a financial incentive for Sony to produce just one drive, and put some of them into an external case and sell them at a premium.

[MOVIEGEEK]

As psychoace stated external drives are mechanically different as there is no 5.25"case to mount in your tower and the connections are hardwired. Buy a DRU-500AX that way you have the internal/external option.
BTW...I have my Sony in an external enclosure via firewire.

[ps2daddy]

Well I had a sony firewire cdrw the 8X speed drive and the drive quit working after 1.7 years and I bought an internal lite-on 12X and put it in the case and it worked fine.

The external drive is just the internal drive stuck in a firewire enclosure also there are no real internal firewire bridges on motherboards for most computers and there are no internal firewire devices.

I am sure that you could make the external drive internal with no problem
I took the internal drive and put it into a firewire case with no problem

I am pretty sure that there would be no firmaware issues