October 8, 2015
AETM Department
MET 404
This project was designed in order to have the students learn about reverse engineering
and to demonstrate that we can use all of the necessary and relevant steps. For this project we
were expected to find a DVD player, DVD drive, etc. (source was not specified) and conduct the
full process on our procured DVD drive. We obtained an old DVD-R PC Drive from the Indiana
State University Recycling Center. We started holding meetings in the library and by our second
meeting we had started deconstruction of the DVD drive. We took our time and photo-
documented the different parts and listed the function of each part to the best of our ability.
Once we had completely disassembled and reassembled the DVD drive using SOP methods, we
broke out the paper into sections for each of us to write. Parts 5-8 were written individually to
achieve balanced group participation and parts 1-4 and 9-12 were written together to ensure
proper cohesion.
At the end of the reverse engineering process, all group members came away with new
knowledge about the function of DVD drives and why each part exists. We also learned how
DVD players have advanced by comparing our sample to Harold’s current laptop. In conclusion,
we all have a better understanding of the steps and requirements for proper reverse engineering
and feel confident that we could apply these steps to other applications.
Introduction
For this project, we reverse engineered an old PC DVD-R drive using proper SOP
methods. We were required to disassemble and reassemble to a working product. There were
limitations on disassembly. We did not have the ability to de-solder, so some components were
not broken down to the absolute smallest they could be. We did not have access to calipers or a
thread gauge, so screw size was not able to be determined. We also did not feel comfortable
taking apart the circuit boards. So, for this project, the parts containing solder joints and circuit
boards were treated as one assembled part. The members of this project are all undergraduate
students, working with a limited scope and understanding pertaining to reverse engineering. The
goal of this project is to expand that scope and to expand our knowledge on the topic.
Literature Search
For this section we were told to give a brief history on the DVD drive. The Digital Video
Disc (DVD) drive was born in controversy. Following the war between VHS and Betamax, the
disc war of the mid-nineties between Phillips / Sony and other multimedia companies had begun.
Phillips and Sony were developing the Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD) and Toshiba, Time-
Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC were all
co-developing the Super Density Disc (SD). The President of IBM at the time saw that the two
ideas were headed to war and proactively sought to unite the two fronts into one stronger design.
With concessions from both sides, they united and produced the DVD specification Version 1.0
in 1996. DVD was designed in 3 different specifications: DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM, a
read-only, re-writable, and read/write (only playable in ram drive). This developed from single
layer discs to double layer double sided discs and ultimately paved the way for Blu-Ray. The
DVD drive has since flourished at the main form of multimedia until just recently as sales are
beginning to decline in favor of newer technologies such as flash storage and cloud storage.
Operation
The tray mechanism is composed by a belt pulley system and two gears which reduce the
motor rpm to open/close the tray at the correct speed, a rack and pinion mechanism makes the
tray open and close and a limit switch is used to stop the motor when the tray is completely
opened.
When the user press the button to open the disc tray the main board (13) sends a signal to
the DC motor (16), it starts spinning counterclockwise, in this motor shaft is attached a pulley
called driver pulley, by using an belt(19) it transfers the movement to the second pulley(18)
called driven pulley. The driven pulley also has a gear that transfers the movement to the next
gear (20) which turns another gear (17), at this stage, the motor rpm was reduced to an
appropriate speed to open the tray, and this last gear drives the tray (4) out of the housing by a
rack that exists in the tray, the last gear (17) and the tray are a rack and pinion system, where the
gear (17) is the pinion and the tray is the rack, this kind of system is used to convert rotational
When the disc enters into the DVD drive, a gear (20) slides a lifting mechanism (21, 22)
which lifts the whole assembly, and press the DVD against a part that hold it centered (12).
Once the disc is inside the DVD drive, there is a mechanism to spin the disc and read its
data, this mechanism is mounted in a frame (5), the disc drive motor (1) spins the disc at the
correct RPM and the laser pickup assembly (11) which is responsible to read the data of the disc,
slides on two rails (23) that are fixed in the frame. A tracking motor (7) is mounted on a plastic
frame (6) in this motor shaft there is a gear (8) attached, which moves another gear that turns a
worm shaft (10) this drives the laser pickup back and forth. The worm shaft is attached to a
rotary encoder disc (9) this encoder is used to determine how much the shaft has turned, this way
the main board can control the laser pickup position and keep it in the right place to read the
data. This system that drives the laser pickup is called tracking drive.
To read the data, the laser inside the pickup emits beam pulses that are focused on the
disc reflective layer by a lens, this layer has some irregularities, so some beams are reflected and
some are scattered, those that are reflected goes directly to a photodiode positioned at the bottom
of the pickup, every time that a beam is reflected the photodiode receives a signal.
So, the data is read by comparing the beam pulses emitted from the laser and those reflected on
the photodiode. Below is the example of the reading process of one byte (00100011) which
i. Apply the SOP (Subtract and Operate Procedure, Lefever and Wood, 1996) method when
doing the teardown of the DVD drive. Prepare a basic SOP device spreadsheet.
DVD PLAYER SOP
Part Name Subtract and operate effects.
Laser Eye Assembly
Laser Diode / Metal Frame / Orange The DVD player cannot read the disc.
Board
Laser Movement Contact (Copper) Open circuit.
Laser Movement Contact Housing Contact is loose.
(Black Plastic)
Laser Flatness Orientation Bolts The angle adjustment is loose.
(Black, longer, wax sealed)
Orange Board to Metal Laser Housing Orange board is loose
Connecting Bolt (Silver)
Orange Board Bolts (Black) Orange board not as secure.
Laser Movement Assembly
Laser Movement Base Plate We cannot attach the Laser Eye Assembly into the
guides.
Movement Guide Rails (Silver Metal The Laser Eye Assembly is loose.
Bars)
Movement Motor / Power Transfer The Movement Motor and the Power Transfer Rail
Rail Housing (White Plastic) unleash upwards.
Laser Movement Motor / Board / The computer can't configure the movement of the
Sensor (Connected via solder points) motor (we can solve this problem using a step
motor)
Housing Bolts (Brass) We can't attach the housing
Laser Movement Board Bolt The board is loose.
Laser Motor Gear (White Plastic) The power is not transferred.
Power Transfer Sensor Gear (Black The parameter of the motor position is loose.
Plastic)
Sensor Gear Retention Plate (Brass) The sensor gear is loose.
Guide Rail Housing / Clips (Metal) The Guide Rail is loose.
Guide Rail Housing Bolts Guide Rail Housing is loose.
Power Transfer Rail (Brass) The power is not transferred.
Power Rail Housing (Black Plastic) Power Rail is loose.
Power Rail Housing Bolt Power Rail Housing is loose.
Leveling Plates Parts out of alignment.
Leveling Plate Bolt Leveling Plate is loose.
Motor-side Guide Rail Housing (White The Motor, the Power Rail and the Guide Rail can't
Plastic) be attached.
Guide Rail Retention Plate (Metal) The Guide Rail isn't fixed.
Guide Rail Leveling Bolt The adjustment of Guide Rail is impaired.
Guide Rail Control Spring Guide Rail wobbles.
Guide Rail Retention Plate Bolt The retention plate is loose.
Disc Spin Motor The driven force is not delivered.
Disc Spin Motor Retention Bolts The motor vibrates.
(Brass)
Disc Spin Motor Electrical Ground Open circuit.
Bolt (Brass)
Tray / Body Assembly
Upper Outer Housing (Black Plastic) Structural loss, the subsystems won't work.
Laser Movement Assembly Lifting The Laser Movement Assembly is loose.
Arm (Black Plastic)
Lifting Arm Orientation Plate The Laser Movement Assembly may not go to the
right place.
Lifting Arm Orientation Gear The power is not transferred.
Lifting Arm Orientation Pulley The power is not transferred.
Tray Open / Close Control Gear The power is not transferred.
Tray Motor Only possible to open manually.
Tray Motor Retention Bolts The motor vibrates when working.
Lifting Arm Orientation Pulley Bolt The pulley is loose.
Tray Motor Pulley Belt The energy is not transferred from the motor to the
gears.
Disc Tray We cannot insert the disc.
ii. How is the outer housing made? Describe the manufacturing process used to make it. What
material is used to make the outer housing?
The process to make the housing is known as bending. It is a type of sheet-forming process in
which the piece starts as a flat sheet of metal. Then a machine with the right force causes a
plastic deformation on the metal. After bending the piece, it will have a three dimensional shape.
The metal used in this housing is sheet steel.
iii. How is the tray made? Describe the manufacturing process used to make it. What material is
used to make the tray?
The tray is made in a plastic injection machine. This process works by injecting molten plastic
into a mold. When the plastic cools down it keep the shape of the mold. After the molding
process some cut may be needed. The plastic used is a thermo-plastic.
SCREWS/BOLTS
Part Name Size and Number
Laser Eye Assembly
Laser Flatness Orientation Bolts (Black, Size Unknown, 2
longer, wax sealed)
Orange Board to Metal Laser Housing Size Unknown, 1
Connecting Bolt (Silver)
Orange Board Bolts (Black) Size Unknown, 2
Laser Movement Assembly
Housing Bolts (Brass) Size Unknown, 2
Laser Movement Board Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Guide Rail Housing Bolts Size Unknown, 2
Power Rail Housing Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Leveling Plate Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Guide Rail Leveling Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Guide Rail Retention Plate Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Disc Spin Motor Retention Bolts (Brass) Size Unknown, 3
Disc Spin Motor Electrical Ground Bolt Size Unknown, 1
(Brass)
Tray / Body Assembly
Tray Motor Retention Bolts Size Unknown, 2
Lifting Arm Orientation Pulley Bolt Size Unknown, 1
Bushing Bolts (Brass) Size Unknown, 2
Bushing Bolts (Small Silver, Long Stem) Size Unknown, 2
Lower Outer Housing Bolts Size Unknown, 4
User Base
This internal DVD drive, product code DV-5700A, was manufactured by NEC
Corporation in May 2000. There are several types of DVD drive, such as DVD-ROM, DVD-R,
DVD-RW and DVD-RE. This product is DVD-ROM which stands for Read-Only Memory.
DVD-ROM drive can only read discs but not write on them. Considering the features of it, this
product was designed for DVD-Audio and DVD-Video consumers, but not for users who want to
modify or rewrite on them. Also, this product was designed for users using quite old Windows
operating systems such as Windows 3.1, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP and 2003, because of its old age.
As the result, average user is one who enjoys digital format DVD-Audio and Video but does not
need to rewrite something on discs, and has a really old desktop operated by Windows 2003 at
least.
were shipped in the US in 2012, 22.660 million units in 2013, and 20.761 million units in 2014.
In addition, AHAM forecasts that 20.033 million DVD drives are shipped in 2015 and 18.748
projection in future is likely to decrease by a lot. The number of DVD drive in the US is
decreasing. According to AHAM, it already declined by 8.4% for 2014 and it is expected to
decline by 3.5% for 2015 and by 6.4% for 2016. The major reasons are Blu-ray and Cloud drive
storage. First, Blu-ray is the newest type of optical media. DVDs can store up to only 8.5GB
while Blu-ray discs can store up to 50GB. Because of the high capacity, all media users prefer
Blu-ray drive rather than DVD drive, so many desktops on the market today already have Blu-
ray drives with it. Secondly, Cloud drive storages, such as iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox,
are replacing optical drives. Cloud drive storages have a remarkable function which is that all
users can easily use the storage anywhere and anytime if they can access computer. Additionally
this NEC product is too old to work for new desktops so it has no longer good market projection.
Because of Blu-ray, Cloud drive storage and its old age, the future market projection of this
Cost Estimation
1
Laser
Housing
Connecting
Bolt
1 1-011 Orange Board In Black, Phillips each OTS
Bolts Production Head
2-001 Laser Out-of- Metal each MTS
2 Movement Production
Base Plate
2 2-002 Movement Out-of- Silver Metal each MTS
Guide Rails Production Bars
2-003 Movement Out-of- White Plastic each MTS
Motor / Production
2
Power
Transfer Rail
Housing
2-004 Laser Out-of- 3 Parts each MTS
Movement Production Connected Via
2 Soldered Wires
Motor / Board
/ Sensor
2 2-005 In Brass, Phillips each OTS
Housing Bolts Production Head
2-006 Laser In Silver, Phillips each OTS
2 Movement Production Head
Board Bolt
2 2-007 Laser Motor Out-of- White Plastic each MTS
Gear Production
2-008 Power Out-of- Black Plastic each MTS
2 Transfer Production
Sensor Gear
2-009 Sensor Gear Out-of- Brass, Phillips each MTS
2 Retention Production Head
Plate
2-010 Guide Rail In Metal each OTS
2 Housing / Production
Clips
2 2-011 Guide Rail In Silver, Phillips each OTS
Housing Bolts Production Head
2 2-012 Power Out-of- Brass, Phillips each MTS
Transfer Rail Production Head
2 2-013 Power Rail Out-of- Black Plastic each MTS
Housing Production
2 2-014 Power Rail Out-of- Silver, Phillips each MTS
Housing Bolt Production Head
2 2-015 Leveling Out-of- Metal each MTS
Plates Production
2 2-016 Leveling In Silver, Phillips each OTS
Plate Bolt Production Head
2-017 Motor-side Out-of- White Plastic each MTS
2 Guide Rail Production
Housing
2-018 Guide Rail Out-of- Metal each MTS
2 Retention Production
Plate
2 2-019 Guide Rail In Silver, Phillips each OTS
Leveling Bolt Production Head
2-020 Guide Rail In Silver, Coiled, each OTS
2 Control Production Small, Aprox.
2mm in length
Spring
2-021 Guide Rail In Silver, Phillips each OTS
2 Retention Production Head
Plate Bolt
2 2-022 Disc Spin In cylindrical each OTS
Motor Production
2-023 Disc Spin In Brass, Phillips each OTS
Motor Production Head
2
Retention
Bolts
2-024 Disc Spin In Brass, Phillips each OTS
Motor Production Head
2
Electrical
Ground Bolt
3 3-001 Upper Outer Out-of- Black Plastic each MTS
Housing Production
3-002 Laser Out-of- Black Plastic each MTS
Movement Production
3
Assembly
Lifting Arm
3-003 Lifting Arm Out-of- Metal each MTS
3 Orientation Production
Plate
3-004 Lifting Arm In White Plastic each OTS
3 Orientation Production
Gear
3-005 Lifting Arm In White Plastic each OTS
3 Orientation Production
Pulley
3-006 Tray Open / Out-of- White Plastic each MTS
3 Close Control Production
Gear
3-007 In Cylindrical, each OTS
3 Tray Motor Production Main drive for
tray movement
3-008 Tray Motor In Silver, Phillips each OTS
3 Retention Production Head
Bolts
3-009 Lifting Arm Out-of- Silver, Phillips each MTS
3 Orientation Production Head
Pulley Bolt
3 3-010 Tray Motor Out-of- Small, Rubber, each MTS
Pulley Belt Production Round Profile
3 3-011 Out-of- Beige Plastic each MTS
Disc Tray Production
3-012 Disc Tray Out-of- Beige Plastic each MTS
3 Space Filling Production
Tabs
3-013 Shock Out-of- Blue rubber, each MTS
3 Absorption Production soft compound
Bushing
3 3-014 In Brass, Phillips each OTS
Bushing Bolts Production Head
3 3-015 In Small, Silver, each OTS
Bushing Bolts Production Long Stem
3 3-016 Bushing In Small Silver each OTS
Washers Production
3-017 Out-of- Main Green each MTS
3 DVD Main Production Large Control
Control Board Board for all
functions
3 3-018 Upper Outer Out-of- Metal each MTS
Housing Production
3 3-019 Lower Outer Out-of- Metal each MTS
Housing Production
3 3-020 Lower Outer In Silver, Phillips each OTS
Housing Bolts Production Head
3 3-021 Main Control In Silver, Phillips each OTS
Board Bolt Production Head
Total labor cost to make just one DVD Player: $12.85 / each
Total labor cost for a batch of 10,000: $128,480.00
Review:
Does total cost assessment make sense?
Based on what the retail price of a PC DVD-R Drive costs (usually $20-30 dollars), our
assessment makes sense. At $12.85/each, charging $20-30 gives adequate return on
investment.
How did you come up with your price estimates?
We used Alibaba.com. Alibaba is a website where you can search for these individual
components and find the cost to purchase in batches. We used the high point in the price
range for the each price and the lower point in the price range for the large batch price.
Recommendations
1.) DC Motor / Encoder Wheel are obsolete. We recommend upgrading to a step motor.
c. Current power chain is very long and can be drastically shortened with newer tech
3.) Lens assembly could be designed better. We recommend attaching lens assembly to the
slide tray.
4.) Upper disc holder is unnecessary. We recommend clipping the disc directly to the disc
spin motor.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all group members learned about the extensive and necessary steps to
conduct proper reverse engineering. We also learned about the SOP method, how to properly
make a bill of materials, and many other useful lessons during this project. All group members
came away with much more knowledge on DVD technology and how much work goes into
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. (2015). Retrieved September 25, 2015, from
http://www.appliancedesign.com/ext/resources/files/ShipmentsForecasts/2015/AD01
15Shipments.pdf
Black, J., & Kohser, R. (2008). DeGarmo's materials and processes in manufacturing (10th ed.).
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