Compact Drive Reader (USB-C)

The Compact Drive Reader is compatible with the Compact Drive (CX.0001002 / CX.0001073).

No driver or licence is required for the Compact Drive Reader. It can be used as a “plug and play” device.

The Compact Drive and Reader can be used with Device Manager and HDE on macOS (Device Manager and HDE is not available on Windows).

For more information on using a Compact Drive Reader with an Apple Silicon Mac, see the Use with Apple Silicon Macs section.

The connection speed of the Compact Drive Reader depends on the type of USB connection and on the power that is delivered by the host.

We recommend connecting the Reader directly to a USB-C port that is capable of providing the maximum current allowed by USB-C (3A). The Compact Drive Reader will then provide a connection speed of 8 Gb/s (1 GB/s). 

A USB-A port can only provide 0.9A and the connection speed will be limited to around 180 MB/s. 

The available power is indicated by the status light on the front of the Compact Drive.

LED Color	Power Supplied	Speed
Blue	3A from host	Approximately 1GB/s
Green	1.5A from host	Approximately 550MB/s
Amber	0.9A from host	Approximately 180MB/s (In this case it is likely that the Compact Drive Reader is connected to a USB-A port.)

NOTES:
Please ensure you are using a suitable cable which provides full USB-C data transfer speeds. For example: An Apple 2m Charge cable is unsuitable. It will provide 3A power, but is restricted to USB-2 data transfer speeds.

A suitable cable for optimum performance will be a USB-IF certified type-C to type-C cable rated for 10GB/s (USB 3.2 Gen2), or a Thunderbolt 3 (passive type) cable.

USB 2.0 ports should not be used as they provide only 0.5A, which will result in poor and unreliable performance.

When using a Mac:

Connect the Compact Drive Reader to the Mac host with the USB-C cable before booting the Mac or, if the Mac is already booted, connect the USB-C cable to the Compact Drive Reader first and then to the Mac host.

Connecting on Mac with either of the above methods will result in the Compact Drive Reader receiving 3A for best performance. Please note that 3A may not be available to the Compact Drive Reader if other bus powered devices are already attached to the Mac.

If the cable is connected to the Mac host first, and then to the Compact Drive Reader second, it may only get 1.5A and have reduced performance.

We do not recommend that you use the Compact Drive Reader via a USB hub, as the power to the device is not guaranteed and this may result in reduced performance.

Do not use a Thunderbolt 2 > Thunderbolt 3 adapter. They do not pass USB signals and power in the required way. The Compact Drive Reader should be connected to either a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port.

Here are the recommended methods to eject a CODEX Compact Drive using macOS and Windows operating systems:

macOS

Using the Device Manager menu bar app, hover over Compact Drive - USB-C and choose the Eject option. Ensure you see the status Unloaded displayed in the summary and that the LED on the media has stopped blinking. It is now safe to remove the Compact Drive from the Compact Drive Reader.

Windows

Use the Safely Remove Hardware option in the taskbar to ensure the Compact Drive is safely unmounted. Ensure the LED on the media has stopped blinking. It is now safe to removed the Compact Drive from the Compact Drive Reader.

PLEASE NOTE:  Removing CODEX media from a Media Station without ejecting it properly could result in data loss.

Compatibility Summary

The table below shows the compatibility of Compact Drive Reader revisions on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS versions. It also details the Device Manager version required or recommended.

Serial Number	Hardware Revision	macos 12.3 and below	macOS 12.4 and above	Device Manager Version
Up to 01052271	Rev A	Incompatible.	Works at ~600MB/s.**	Device Manager 6.0.2 or higher recommended.*
01052272 - 01054999	Rev B	Works at Full Speed.	Works at ~600MB/s using factor original firmware. Works at Full Speed after firmware update.	Device Manager 6.1.0 or higher required for firmware update.
01055000 and above	Rev C	Works at Full Speed.	Works at Full Speed.	Device Manager 6.0.2 or higher required.*

*See Device Manager Compatibility and HDE section  

** If a Rev A Compact Drive Reader is connected to an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 12.4 or above, a warning "Reduced Performance" will appear in the Device Manager menu.

Compact Drive Readers with Apple Silicon Macs and macOS 12.3 and below

Due to compatibility issues with the Apple Silicon architecture and the USB chips used in the original Rev A Compact Drive Reader, if one of these Compact Drive Readers is used on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 12.3 and below, when data is read from the Compact Drive the transfer will stall or fail.

This issue is known to affect all Apple Silicon Macs including M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max , M1 Studio and M2 running macOS 12.3 and below.

Improvements with macOS 12.4 and above

CODEX has worked with Apple to identify a workaround for this issue, which has been applied to macOS 12.4 and above. With macOS 12.4 and above the Rev A Compact Drive Reader will now work on Apple Silicon Macs, but with limited performance (around 600 MB/s).  In this case, a warning in the Device Manager dropdown will appear saying "Reduced Performance".

The change in macOS 12.4 will also temporarily affect the Rev B Compact Drive Readers, which will also then operate at this reduced speed on Apple Silicon Macs until they have a firmware update applied (see Firmware Updates and Device Manager section below).

The change in macOS 12.4 applies the same whether the Compact Drive Reader is directly connected or looped through another device to the Apple Silicon Mac.

Firmware Updates and Device Manager

Device Manager 6.1.0 (available on the CODEX Software Downloads page) and above includes a firmware update that can be used on Rev B Compact Drive Readers to restore full performance when used on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 12.4 and above.

With Device Manager 6.1.0 and above, a notification will prompt you to update the firmware on a Rev B Compact Drive Reader if necessary.

With Device Manager 6.1.0 and above, a notification will inform you when a Rev A Reader is connected to an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 12.4 and above that it will run at limited speed.

For information on updating firmware, please see the Updating Firmware section below.

Support

If you have any further questions or concerns about the compatibility of your Compact Drive Reader, please contact CODEX Support or email support@codex.online.

Periodically CODEX will issue firmware updates for CODEX Media Stations. These firmware updates will be included in Device Manager software.

An important firmware update for some Compact Drive Readers, which improves functionality on Apple Silicon computers, is available in Device Manager 6.1.0 and above. Please see the Use with Apple Silicon Macs section for more information.

IMPORTANT:  The information in this section applies to the Compact Drive Reader USB-C (CX.0001005). For information on updating the firmware for all other CODEX Media Stations, please see the Updating Firmware on CODEX Media Stations section on the Device Manager Help Center page.

How to check if a firmware update is available for your Compact Drive Reader

Ensure you have installed the latest version of Device Manager from the CODEX Software Downloads page. Please Note:   During installation, two system extensions from 'JMicron’ may need to be granted permission to run in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General.  Choosing ‘Not Now’ instead of ‘Restart’ will avoid having to restart the Mac multiple times.  Restart your computer once all system extensions have been allowed, and Device Manager has completed installation. Connect your Compact Drive Reader and load a Compact Drive. A macOS notification will be displayed (provided you have allowed notifications from CODEX Device Manager) saying: "Dock firmware update available". An exclamation mark will appear inside the Device Manager menu bar icon (see image below). A warning triangle icon will appear next to the Media Station when you open the Device Manager menu (see image below). An Update Firmware... option will appear in the Device Manager menu for any Media Stations where a firmware update is available (see image below).

How to Update Firmware on your Compact Drive Reader

1.  If an update is available, then click the Update Firmware... option in the Device Manager menu. This will open the CODEX Compact Drive Reader FW Update Utility. 2.  Click Run to begin the update. 3.  Once complete the utility will report "Programming successful.  Please disconnect and reconnect the USB device." 4.  Click Exit and disconnect and reconnect the Compact Drive Reader. Your Compact Drive Reader has now been updated!