• MurrayL@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    Loving this little nugget from the article:

    the translucent CD, which was pitched as an environmentally friendly option

    Ah yes, the environmentally friendly option of producing thousands of plastic disks that don’t work.

  • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de
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    20 hours ago

    How is that even supposed to work? The laser beam has to be reflected back down to the sensor in order to read the CD.

    • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Translucent != transparent, but you might be on to something.

      Maybe it works better on slim drives with a lower ceiling. Larger drives with space above the disc might allow the laser to refract and generate garbage.

      Edit: okay, nevermind, it really is completely transparent. Here’s a picture:

      This is actually stupid. At no point during the manufacturing process did anyone mention how CDs work?

      The vinyl being transparent is fine, vinyls work by a needle touching the surface, optical discs work by… optics!

      • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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        15 hours ago

        I mean the CD does work. But not with all players… Not sure what makes some work and some not. Laser wavelength?

        • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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          14 hours ago

          Most likely the sensitivity of the electronics and whether they consider the surely weak signal noise.

    • SheeEttin@lemmy.zip
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      10 hours ago

      CD players use 780 nm light, which is infrared. What is transparent in visible light may be reflective in infrared. Obviously, this material is not sufficiently reflective.