On my macbook air M1 2020 I just bought a Dell DW316 external dvd drive and since my mac has thunderbolt 3 i use an adapter to get the usb for the external dvd but once i plug them in all that happens is the dvd drive makes non stop click sounds? i tried plugging in the macbook while trying to use the dvd drive and that still didn’t resolve the issue. please help me.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.5
I'd suggest returning that drive, and getting a different one.
There's the Apple SuperDrive. It's $79. People here advise plugging it directly into a compatible Mac, or an Apple USB-C to USB adapter that is plugged directly into said Mac.
Other World Computing has several optical drives, including a portable DVD/CD burner for $35.
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MR3PDVDR8XT/
If you look on places like Amazon, you can find other portable USB CD/DVD burners. It's a good idea to check that the descriptions of any you are considering say that they are compatible with Macs.
P.S. – When I read your post, I couldn't help but recall the Zip drive, and it's infamous <CLICK> <CLICK> <CLICK> of death.
I'd suggest returning that drive, and getting a different one.
There's the Apple SuperDrive. It's $79. People here advise plugging it directly into a compatible Mac, or an Apple USB-C to USB adapter that is plugged directly into said Mac.
Other World Computing has several optical drives, including a portable DVD/CD burner for $35.
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MR3PDVDR8XT/
If you look on places like Amazon, you can find other portable USB CD/DVD burners. It's a good idea to check that the descriptions of any you are considering say that they are compatible with Macs.
P.S. – When I read your post, I couldn't help but recall the Zip drive, and it's infamous <CLICK> <CLICK> <CLICK> of death.
Shooter4785 wrote:
On my macbook air M1 2020 I just bought a Dell DW316 external dvd drive and since my mac has thunderbolt 3 i use an adapter to get the usb for the external dvd
According to Dell, the drive has a USB 2.0 interface and a power consumption of 8.0 watts.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-usb-slim-dvd-rw-drive-dw316/apd/429-aauq/storage-drives-media
It looks like the computer end of the cable has a USB-A connector.
The USB 2.0 standard allows a device to draw a total of 2.5 watts (500 mA @ 5V) from a computer.
The USB 3.0 standard allows a device to draw a total of 4.5 watts (900 mA @ 5V) from a computer.
This drive couldn't take advantage of USB-C Power Delivery (which allows delivery of up to 100 watts or more),
even IF the MacBook Air was willing to supply power to an accessory in that way.
My guess is that the Dell laptops for which it was designed are providing non-standard amounts of power, whether all the time, or when they see that this specific model of DVD drive is attached.
The MacBook Air and/or Apple adapter are probably supplying the standard amount of power. Assuming that Dell's specifications are correct, the drive may be making clicking sounds because it's not getting all the power it needs.
Dell DW316 not working with my M1 2020
