It worked via CalDigit TS3 Plus Dock and then it didn’t. Might Tahoe 26.2 be the culprit? All of a sudden the Superdrive tells me “I need more power, choose other port”.
I think I tried every trick offered in the CalDigit FAQ, incl. a driver, which was supposed to improve the output. Any more ideas?
Sounds to me as though you were marginal before and now have crossed over the line. For best results it should be plugged directly in to a port on the mac. In addition to the electronics the SuperDrive also runs a motor. It takes power.
Try an SMC reset:
“No other steps are needed. SMC resets automatically on Mac with Apple silicon.”
No change after several restarts.
I don’t have any useful advice, but you’ve reminded me that I’ve not tried connecting my old Samsung external CD/DVD writer to my M3 MacBook Air via my USB hub… I’ll do that over Christmas. I don’t have much use for it right now, but it’s handy in case I need to rip a music CD (shh!)
My Apple Superdrive(s) were getting more and more finicky as time went by so I replaced them with LG units:
Highly recommended (and they have a physical Eject button).
Does the Mini M4 accept it? No additional power needed?
I’ve been using Syntech’s USB C to USB OTG Adapter to connect and use my Superdrive on my new G4 Mac mini.
Yep, uses USB-C/Thunderbolt with no additional power connector.
Caldigit has a driver/utility on their sight titled “Apple SuperDrive…” last updated in August. Is that installed?
Didn’t make any difference. I ordered a Hitachi-LG GP57. I’ll report back.
But note that this is also a slot-loader. I, personally, don’t like them, because they are incompatible with non-standard size/shape discs (e.g. 3" discs and business-card discs). And I’ve (fortunately, rarely) had discs get stuck, requiring me to open the drive to remove it.
Although I haven’t bought one yet, I’ve had this in my Amazon shopping cart for a while:
Slightly less expensive, but more important, it is a tray-loader, and can therefore handle non-standard media and is less likely to get a disc stuck in the mechanism.
Apple’s USB ports can all put out USB-standard power levels (up to 500 mA for USB 2, up to 900 mA for USB 3). A drive that is designed to work from a standard USB port should just work with a Mac (or a powered hub).
WRT software, I’ve yet to see an optical drive incompatible with macOS. Data discs of all kind (CD, DVD, BD) all just work. As do audio CDs (via Music) and video DVDs (via the DVD Player app, that is still bundled with macOS). Ditto for disc burning.
Apple does not (and never has) supported Blu-Ray video, but that’s strictly a software issue. Third-party software can and does play these discs.
As I have mentioned in another discussion I use a Tekera powered hub. It has switchable USB-c and USB3 sockets. This works well with all my peripherals, including a (non-Apple) Bluray writer. I don’t have a Superdrive to test with it.
It works. Plug & Play - no configuration needed.
I recently bought an LG GP65NB60. I haven’t recorded any media with it, but it plays CDs and DVDs without complaint. My only quibble with it is that it is made of a very lightweight plastic, so I wonder about its longevity and whether vibration may be a problem in some environments.
PS. It comes with a USB-A to USB Mini cable. It works ok with a USB-A to USB-C adapter, but I recommend buying a separate USB-C to USB Mini cable if you don’t have any USB-A ports on your Mac.