Problems with CD Burning: "Power Calibration Error"

[Ruahrc]

I've been having trouble burning CD's lately. Here's a quick rundown of the system:

Windows XP
TDK 12/10/32A Burner
Nero 5.5

When I try to do a CD-CD copy on the fly it starts up fine but just as it begins to actually burn there is a "power calibration error" and the process stops. Nothing is actually written on the CD when this error occurs.

I also noticed that this happens most often when I'm doing a CD-CD copy not a CD that is being burnt by files on the HD.

Also, if I run the simulation first the simulation runs through fine and then the actual burn process runs fine too, no power error.

What is going on here? Reply for further clarification if you need to.

Ruahrc

[Atomic Rooster]

I was having that very same problem. Come to find out, it was the CDR's I was using. The Acer 6x4x32 CDRW that I am using didn't like them. I tried a different brand of CDR and all was well again.

[DutchMaster]

Yep same here. Try another media.

If you still wish to burn the media you have now, burn at a lower speed (8x). That should do the trick.

[Richard Cranium]

And while you're at Auntie Surrels house, make sure to brush your teeth before you,, oh, err,, what I ment to say was..

DEFRAG the HD just to eliminate one more potential prob.

I have a LG 8x burner that started making coasters, don't remember the error code, it was NOT buffer underrun.

So do dat, for insurance

[caddmannq]

I had this prob doing CD Copy, when the source CD drive (IDE) was slaved to the Primary Master HDD (C: ) even though my burner was a SCSI, with it's own channel (controller).

I solved this by moving the source CD to the Seconday Slave position. This puts the program (EZ CD Creator), the source, and the burner all on seperate controller channels. They don't have to "fight" over attention from the controller.

Also, when I do an image or copy, from HDD to CD burner, I put the image on the Secondary Master HDD (D: ) for the same reason.

Since I set it up this way, I've always been able to burn at top speed with no probs.

However, if everything you have is IDE, there's no way to set it up like this without an add-on controller card. This gets you that third channel.

[nunyadam]

what about the a7v with the promise controller?
that gives me 4 channels. i guess you could consider that an add on.

[Bovon]

Each time a burner sets itself up to do a burn, it does a calibration burn on a special track in the middle of the disk. The burner must be calibrated enough to find this special track, and make a short burn which is done on every disk to set the power levels needed to burn that particular disk. What happens with failures during this process is, 1) the burner laser is out of calibration and cannot locate that calibration track on the disk, 2) the disk media on cheap dime store sales CDRs don't have good media, and the laser cannot set the power levels correctly. 3) the laser is getting weak and will not come up to the necessary power to do a burn.

A burner requires a lot of power, and sometimes the computer psu is marginal in power to begin with which now is starving the needed amps for the burner to work good. Most times when a burner gets to the point it will start giving that power calibration error, buying the better disks will help greatly...for awhile. Laser lens are not forever, some last a long time, others dont.

[amdkt7]

Man! Stick around here for a while and you can learn some real information!

[zen]

Good info there Bovon!

[caddmannq]

A burner requires a lot of power, and sometimes the computer psu is marginal in power to begin with which now is starving the needed amps for the burner to work good.

Hmm...never thought of that. I was running 3 HDD's, 2 CD's, 2 floppys, a Zip, video, sound, modem, 2 SCSI controllers, 4 fans, etc. in that PC, and with only a 200 watt PSU (P200s cpu, however.)

I never considered that it might just be a power starvation problem. Maybe by moving the drives around, I relieved that issue a bit. I didn't change disk brands, but I did move one SCSI card, and my scanner, to another PC at the same time!

So, maybe channel conflict had nothing to do with that???