I have an older LG "super multi" dvd writer. It no longer ejects. The cheap plastic gear inside has all the teeth worn down too far for it to catch. When you close it, the bottom portion of this gear does not take the optics assembly up and lock the disc into place.
Is it just better to throw it away and buy a new one? This is an HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4160B ATA Device according to Windows 7. Or do you think I can get a gear for 50 cents?
I took apart an old 32X cdrom I found manufactured in 1998. I figured how many possible ways can you design these things. Surprisingly, yeah theres a completely different design. Couldn't reuse that gear. I have an old 4X CD Burner in the closet from HP and also a lite-on dvd drive, but I don't want to waste my time ripping them apart to see what kind of gears are inside.
Chances are that each manufacturer uses different gears. You can get a new, faster unit for $20 shipped so I'm not sure if it's really worth the effort. Save the laser for another project