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Computers & Technology > Peripherals & Accessories How CD drives work

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CD drives use a laser to read the surface of the disc. Lasers are used because the beam is very strong and direct. The detector then received pulses of light, as the beam either bounces back (from a flat area of the disc) or gets deflected away from the detector (by a pit).

The disc is spun by a motor and the whole assembly is controlled by a PCB (printed circuit board) with a small micro-controller on.

The drive motor actually has to spin faster when reading the inside of the disc closest to the spindle than when reading the outer edge of the disc. This is because the further away fr...

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