Converting a dts6 (2 drawer) player to a 3 drawer player



Please note: the following information is being provided at your own risk.  Digital Theater Systems has not officially approved this modification.  As such, you should not perform this update to your player unless your warranty has expired and are willing to accept any associated risks.

Please note:  we have tested this upgrade in an original "Jurassic" player that has been unmodified since 1993 as well as recent "B stock" refurbished units from dts that are less than a year old.  We even tried using Toshiba drives (as pictured above) instead of the current model drives.  The upgrade worked flawlessly in every situation.  Film-Tech is providing these instructions at your own risk.

To perform this upgrade you will need:

Pair of tin snips (optional for cosmetic purposes).

One single rack unit high blank rack spacer plate (optional for cosmetic purposes).

A dts setup disc (any version will do).

One flat head screwdriver.

One philips screwdriver.

Eight #6 3/8" sheet metal screws.

One 3 connection (or more) SCSI cable.  (We bought our SCSI cable from Fry's Electronics for about $8.  The reason is because the SCSI cable that dts encloses with the kit is cut to an exact length which does not permit it to be used in this upgrade to the unit.)

Two Stanley 1 inch utility hinges.  (We bought ours from Home Depot's shelving section for about $2, but you can get this sort of thing anywhere, or come up with your own way of mounting the 3rd drive.)

A 3/4 inch gromit.  (We bought ours in a 3 pack from Home Depot's electrical section of the store for about $2.)

One "dts cdrom upgrade kit" from your equipment dealer.

Obviously you want to order the #9005E19400 "3 drive kit" from dts and NOT the "2 drive kit!  Included in the kit is the following: 3 cdrom drives, a ROM board, a SCSI board, timecode firmware chip, a SCSI cable (which is useless for this upgrade) and instructions on how to exchange the dts drives (see pic below).  The instructions enclosed with the kit may be followed for the most part, but for the upgrade from a 2 drawer to a 3 drawer modification, you will need to follow the instructions on this page.

***Please allow yourself at least 30 minutes to perform this upgrade.***

Remove the lid to the dts unit and unscrew the 4 bolts from the front of the dts unit, as well as the hidden screw on the underside of the unit.

Now remove the two cdrom drives in their holder plates.

Unplug the SCSI cable and the two power cables from the drives.

Now remove the brackets on each side of the two drives.

Open your "dts cdrom 3 disc upgrade kit" and mount the drives in the same manner to the mounting plates as the old drives were.

Do pay attention to the spacing.  The front of the drives should stick out in front of the bracket approximately this amount.

Now it is time to change out the SCSI card.  Unplug the SCSI cable, unscrew the retaining screw and cut the cable tie if your unit has one.

Next it is time to change out the timecode chip.  If you do not have a chip puller, you can use a flat bladed screwdriver if you are careful when removing it.  (If you plan on upgrading more than one of these units, it is highly recommended to spend $5 on a chip puller from a supplier such as Fry's Electronics.)

It is important to note before you replace this chip that new chips will have their pins slightly more "wider" spread than the chip you just removed (see bottom left picture).  BE CAREFUL when you mount the new chip on the timecode board!  It is easiest if you gently squeeze the pins together to get as close as possible to the spacing of the pins on the chip you just removed before trying to mount the new chip to the board.  Also be sure to pay attention that you are not inserting the chip upside down.

Next comes removing the ROM-DOS chip from the timecode board.  It is just to the left and lower of the timecode chip.

Now you should install the new SCSI board.  Simply line up with the motherboard and press in so that it snaps into place.

Then screw the top of the board in so it cannot come loose.  Note the height of the new SCSI card may not be the same as the old card.  If this happens, loosen the two screws on the back side of the unit (just to the right of the screwdriver in this picture) and adjust the mounting plate up or down.

Now that the SCSI board is mounted, you should attach your SCSI cable.  Remember, the one dts supplies you with will not work.  You will need to purchase one locally or from the internet.  It must have ample spacing between connectors to be able to reach from the SCSI card to the "B" drive.  (The "red" wire is usually toward the front of the dts player if the card in your kit does not have a socket with a registration slot...double check for "pin 1" printed on the board itself.  That is where the red wire should be.)

Now install the ROM card beside the SCSI card in the same manner you installed the SCSI card.

Now plug the two power cables into your two new drives and attach the SCSI cable to the drives.  Note the "red" wire for "pin 1" should be facing toward the power connectors.

At this point, re-mount the "A" and "B" drives like normal.

***Tucked underneath the power supply in the dts unit will be a third power cable.  Attach this as well as the SCSI cable to the third drive and let the drive sit on top of your "A" drive for the following testing purpose.

To test things out before you continue...plug your dts player into an AC outlet, turn it on and insert a dts setup disc.  (You may have to cycle the power button after inserting the disc, but normally this is not required.)

Now wait for the thing to boot...

and VOILA!  Within 60 seconds the unit should start playing the dts setup disc.   Be sure and test the disc in all 3 drives before continuing.

It is important to note that the 3 drives must have specific jumper settings for them to work.  The drives will come pre-set from dts, but you may want to consult the instruction packet that comes shipped with the 3 drive kit for double checking the jumpers on the drives themselves.  Obviously if the setup disc plays in all 3 drives, the jumpers are set properly.

CLICK HERE to go to the next page of the upgrade instructions.