Optical media is nice — it’s fairly excessive density, comparatively sturdy, and decently long-lasting if
effectively cared for. If not effectively cared for, effectively, it’s solely comparatively sturdy, and we’ve most likely all picked up a second-hand disk that’s too scratched to make use of. The X-Field 360 is infamous for inflicting round injury, and whereas respectable disk cleaners have been straightforward to get within the 90s, we’re unsure how far we belief what’s on supply at retailers right this moment. Therefore [Dennis], aka [RetroGameRevival]’s RGR ezBuff sharpening machine, which does precisely what it says on the tin: buffs disks to a polish, simply.
We’d say the entire thing is 3D printed, however in fact you continue to want a motor and controller — if you happen to needed to flip a crank, that may simply be a Buff sharpening machine, no ez — and we’ve but to see a printer poop out sharpening compound. Should you construct it, take into account that you’re taking the highest layer of fabric off the disk to shine scratches away, so don’t overdo it. It’s totally attainable to damage a disk past restore with too-aggressive buffing; it’s additionally attainable for disks to be scratched too deeply to avoid wasting. Sprucing can’t save real disk rot, although in our expertise you’re extra more likely to discover scratched disks than rotten ones. Nonetheless, [Dennis]’s birthday reward to the neighborhood — it was apparently launched on his birthday — ought to hold quite a lot of disks out of the trash.
With Sony getting out of the disk recreation, bodily media is changing into extra valuable than ever, so it’s good to see what appears to be like like a high quality sharpening choice for these of us who both by no means had a polisher or didn’t save theirs. Should you actually need your disks to final, perhaps we ought to deliver again CD caddies.
Because of [Dean] for the tip, through timeExtension.com.
