Boutique DIY Hi-Fi solution lets you repurpose your old IDE optical drives as a standalone audio player — $190 CD-ROM Player 01 features a laser-cut enclosure and a custom PCB

A stylish new product encourages the repurposing of old IDE optical drives as standalone audio players. Boutique South Korean electronic device maker das_POD has launched the CD-ROM PLAYER 01 (ships worldwide), and it has some distinct Teenage Engineering-a-like design flair. Any similarity to genuine TE products is purely accidental, we’re sure. The new self-assembly and bring-your-own optical drive enclosure costs from $190.

This das_POD product is “designed to be assembled, repaired, and owned,” says the maker. In contrast to a conventional hi-fi CD music player, the CD-ROM PLAYER 01 is supplied as a project that lets owners repurpose their old, unused, or discarded optical drives. The artsy assertion of das_POD is that “the project explores ownership, reparability, and the physical experience of music.”

As we stressed in the intro, the kit is supplied without any IDE optical drive, something required to complete the project. “Compatible IDE drives can often be found in old computers, second-hand markets, recycling centers, or forgotten boxes in storage,” points out das_POD, just in case you have never heard of eBay. “Every drive carries its own history. Every player becomes unique,” it adds, attempting to add mystique to a simple recycling/upcycling project.

We looked through the das_POD store and noticed that it sells some very reasonably priced IDE drives that can be used to facilitate a complete CD-ROM PLAYER 01 delivered in one package. Several refurb opticals are priced at just $5, for example. But you can also pick through multiple drives at $10, $15, $20… all the way up to $40. Something about the $35 DRIVE_24 from Samsung with its blue logo bar and tarnished beige faceplate (Grade: Output: A+, Sound Quality: A, Condition: C) grabbed my attention.

There are two CD-ROM PLAYER 01 colorways to choose from right now. das_POD sells a model in an anodized semi-gloss white for $220. A model in TE-a-like powder-coated orange is priced at $190.

The maker boasts that the kit supplied needs no soldering. But we also learn on the respective product pages that an AUX cable and 12V power adapter are (also) not included. Circling back to the firm’s online store, it looks like purchasing these items will add $25 to $30 to your checkout total.

A cheaper Aliexpress + DIY alternative for makers?

As some social media commenters say, besides the case, another key component of this product appears to be a CD/DVD-ROM optical drive controller, much like one available from Aliexpress for $30. That leaves the das_POD power board PCB as the sole missing essential, preventing makers with 3D printers, laser cutters, and/or CNCs from crafting their own CD-ROM PLAYER 01-type kits.

from