The Eyetech CD-Plus CD-ROM unit is an IDE based CD-ROM for Amigas with IDE interfaces, so cheaper PC IDE drives can be used, and allows you to attach four IDE devices to your internal IDE interface in your A1200, A4000 or A600.
There have been many, many different CD-ROM drives for the Amiga, but up until recently they have all been relatively expensive SCSI based ones.
With the advent of the IDE-Fix software, there has been the possibility of adding cheaper, IDE based CD units to the internal IDE interface in the newer Amigas, like the A4000, A1200 and even the A600.
This new unit from Eyetech is such a drive, it comes in four speed and eight speed versions, but also gives you the opportunity to attach up to four IDE units to an A1200, so something such as a Zip drive can be added later.
Upon receiving your new drive, you will be presented with the case and drive in separate boxes, and the new IDE interface, which will fit inside your computer.
The case is slightly larger than you might expect, it's wider to house the circuitry to power the drive, but is actually quite nice looking and gives you the opportunity to put your disks or the like on top of it.
Naturally, you get drivers (sort-of, see below), CD32 emulator, and an audio CD player.
The one gripe is that as standard, you get only the shareware version of the IDE-Fix software, to get the full version without the time-limit, you have to spend another £35.
This might be a reduced price, but when you're paying some £170, you would expect the full drivers. Although you are told this when inquiring.
This is a big feature of the CD-Plus and, as far as I can gather, Eyetech products in general.
The documentation is very good. It might be a photocopied booklet, but it's very clear and well presented.
First of all, you have to assemble your drive, as you can get either a mini-tower that will also house another hard-drive, or a normal external CD-ROM case. Instructions are clear and simple, and should present no problems.
Next, you need to fit the new IDE interface, you will have to open your computer, and Eyetech give more than adequate instructions for people who, like myself, hadn't opened their computer before, and there were no problems.
After opening your computer, you will have to remove your hard-drive, different versions of the interface are supplied for 2.5 and 3.5 inch drives, and fit the interface into the internal IDE interface, then your hard-drive into a socket on the new interface.
Again, instructions are of a high quality, and Eyetech have left nothing to chance, so you'll have no problems.
As long you follow the instructions to the letter, your drive will work first time.
The new IDE interface trails through the gap in the computer's left-hand side, so there's no messing about with removing the floppy drive, and probably just as well. The IDE cable mightn't look too nice, but it's not a problem.
In usage, the drive is very fast, certainly almost as fast as my internal 2.5 inch hard drive.
Directory reading is very fast, and copying files is cetainly not slow on the four speed drive, and would imagine that the eight speed is as fast as any hard-drive.
One problem I had at the start was when going into many sub-directories, not a problem with the drive, but rather with the Commodore file-system.
Fortunately, Eyetech supply the AmiCDFileSystem, which is truly excellent, and has no problem with sub-directories at all.
There's not really much to say about operation - it's as good as any CD-ROM I've used on any other computer, except that the shareware version will stop functioning after about an hour.
Fortunately, there is a program supplied to reinstall it - good thing, too, or I'd be right annoyed after going out and buying it.
The Eyetech is a great piece of kit, and well worth considering if you're looking for a CD-ROM drive.
The drive is very fast in day-to-day usage, and the ability to add other IDE devices is a terrific bonus.
As said, the only problem is with the shareware drivers supplied.
The four speed drive is unavailable now, but the eight-speed is now available for roughly what I got mine for, and is quite good value.
The unit could be considered a tad over-priced, but when you bear in mind that it includes a an IDE interface upgrade, an external case, the drive itself, the cost of similar speed SCSI drives, and is a cinch to install, it seems quite reasonable.
