Massive DIY CD Ripping station.

Summary

The video showcases the process of building a custom CD ripping server, featuring a setup with 20 drives, powerful power supplies, and a cooling system. The narrator explains how they use specialized software (DBPoweramp) to rip music CDs at high speeds, converting them to lossless FLAC format. The system works at an impressive rate, ripping a disc every 10 seconds and automatically tracking progress. The narrator also highlights challenges like ensuring enough RAM and power to handle the load, all while managing a vast music collection. The result is a highly efficient, personalized music server.

Takeaways

• 😀 The server setup includes a custom array with 20 drives dedicated to ripping music CDs.
• 😀 Each CD drive pulls 60 watts of power when running at full speed, totaling 1800 watts for the entire setup.
• 😀 Cooling is essential, with a large fan keeping the drives cool during operation.
• 😀 Two 660-watt power supplies and two 50-watt power supplies are used to power the server and drives.
• 😀 A 20-amp rated power strip is necessary to manage the power load for the entire system.
• 😀 The CD drives are organized into slots labeled with letters and numbers for efficient tracking.
• 😀 The software used for ripping CDs is DBPowerAmp, which is currently running the free version with some limitations.
• 😀 The ripping speed is impressive, with an output of about 400x combined CD ripping speed, equating to roughly 10 seconds per disk.
• 😀 After a CD finishes ripping, the drive ejects the disc automatically to signal that it's time to swap it out.
• 😀 The music collection is being converted to lossless FLAC audio files for high-quality storage on a server.
• 😀 The server setup uses custom hardware, with each machine running 12GB of RAM to support a gig of RAM per drive for smooth operation.

Q & A

What kind of system is being built in the video?

The video describes the creation of a custom CD ripping server setup, built with full custom arrays that can handle up to 20 CD drives simultaneously.

How many drives are used in the system?

The system uses 20 CD drives in total, all operating at the same time to maximize ripping efficiency.

How much power does each CD-ROM drive consume during operation?

Each CD-ROM drive pulls about 60 watts when running at full speed.

What is the total power draw of the system when all drives are active?

When all 20 drives are running at full tilt, the total power draw is approximately 1,800 watts.

What power supply setup is used to handle the high energy demand?

The system uses two 660-watt power supplies for the main server side, plus two additional 450-watt power supplies to feed extra power to the drives.

How does the user manage cooling for such a high-power setup?

A large cooling fan is installed to cool one side of the system, which made a significant difference in keeping the drives stable and operational.

Which software is used for ripping CDs in the system?

The system uses dBpoweramp software for ripping CDs, specifically the free version.

How is the CD ripping process controlled?

The user runs the ripping software through a virtual machine, accessed remotely using RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), allowing monitoring and control from another computer.

What is the average ripping speed achieved by the system?

The system achieves a combined ripping speed of about 400x, which allows each CD to be ripped in roughly 10 seconds.

How does the user know when a CD has finished ripping?

When a CD finishes ripping, the drive automatically ejects the disc to signal that it’s ready for swapping with a new one.

What file format is used for the final ripped audio?

All CDs are converted to lossless FLAC audio format to maintain high sound quality.

How does the user organize and track the discs during the ripping process?

Each CD case is labeled with letters and numbers (A, B, C, D, and 1, 2, 3, etc.) that correspond to drive slots, helping the user track which discs are being ripped or completed.

How many albums have already been ripped by the time of recording?

The user mentions having already ripped about 5,500 albums and is currently working through those starting with the letter 'T'.

Why does each system require a large amount of RAM?

Each server runs 12 GB of RAM because the ripping setup needs at least 1 GB per drive to operate efficiently without performance slowdowns.

What is the approximate data transfer speed to the server during ripping?

The system transfers ripped data to the server at around 500 megabits per second, or roughly half a gigabyte per second.