Greetings, retro hardware connoisseur. Presented for your consideration is the holy grail of period-correct optical drives: the Japanese-built AOpen DVD-1640 PRO-A (manufactured March 2001).
If you are assembling a late-90s or early-2000s battlestation (Windows 98 SE, 2000 Pro, or XP), motorized plastic disc trays are an unnecessary mechanical liability. The 1640 PRO-A delivers that ultra-clean, high-end slot-loading action that immediately sets a vintage build apart. Slide in your media, let the internal rollers take over, and listen to the drive spool up to 16x DVD / 40x CD speeds with genuine ATAPI authority.
It features a front 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and a dedicated analog rotary volume potentiometer—perfect for routing pure Red Book audio right off your game discs without relying on software mixers.
Technical Specifications
Brand / OEM: AOpen Inc. (Made in Japan)
Model: DVD-1640 PRO-A | Part Code: DVD-1640 PRO-A
Form Factor: Standard 5.25" Half-Height Internal Bay
Loading Type: Slot-In / Trayless Mechanism
Interface: 40-Pin Parallel ATA (IDE / ATAPI)
Rear Pinout: 40-pin IDE Data, 4-pin Molex Power, Master/Slave/Cable-Select Jumper Block, 4-pin Analog CD Audio Out, 2-pin Digital Audio Out
Front Controls: Tactile Eject Button, Headphone Output, Rotary Volume Wheel, Activity LED, Emergency Manual Eject Access
Date of Manufacture: March 2001
What’s in the Box
(1) AOpen DVD-1640 PRO-A Slot-Loading Optical Drive
(1) 40-Pin IDE Ribbon Cable
(1) 4-Pin Internal MPC-2 Analog CD Audio Cable
Logistical Respect & Packaging Protocol
Fragile vintage mechanisms require serious transport engineering. Your drive will be prepped with uncompromising care:
Inserted into a static-dissipative ESD shielding bag.
Wrapped in multiple thick, shock-absorbing layers of heavy-duty bubble wrap.
Boxed with protective, color-coded tissue cushioning.
Sealed and wrapped in heavy-duty builder’s paper to prevent handling abrasions in transit.
Accompanied by a personalized thank you letter from a fellow retrocomputing enthusiast.
Shipping: We provide free shipping via USPS Ground Advantage.
Returns: We accept returns within 30 days of purchase if your DVD drive arrives damaged or defective in any way.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for considering our listing!
