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TN118

 

Tech Notes

 

Page 1 of 1 

 

  

Tech Notes 

 

Date: 1-15-08 

merit entertainment

 

 

Re: SATA DVD Software Updates for the Megatouch Rx 

Merit’s latest product, the Megatouch Rx, has taken hardware advancements in countertop games to a 

new level.  The Rx features a new motherboard, widescreen monitor, credit card reader, and SATA hard 

drive that the Aurora Widescreen also shares; yet the Rx technologically moves forward, by also featuring 

software updates using a SATA DVD drive.  The combination of SATA DVD drives and hard drives offer 

many advantages over the older technology; they transfer data faster, offer more reliable operation, and 

use flexible, thinner cables, which allow for increased air flow and easier access to components.  SATA 

has been recognized as the new standard in hard drive technology, a

s

 99% of drives in 2008 desktops 

were SATA.  Merit believes that transitioning to SATA will improve overall system performance, as well as 

make 

software

 updates quicker and easier. 

Although all Ion software upgrade kits come with a hard drive, if you wish to reinstall the software on the 

Rx by disc, you will need to use a SATA DVD drive.  Merit recommends a standard internal DVD-ROM 

drive of 12x or greater speed.  The Rx comes with a separate cable to connect an internal SATA DVD 

drive.  This cable has a SATA connector that attaches to the drive, and an eSATA connector that 

attaches to the Rx’s update port.  We recommend that you keep this cable connected to your DVD drive 

and only connect it to the update port during updates, as the industry standard for the SATA connector is 

only 50 insertions/removals and the standard for the eSATA connector is 5,000.  If you have an external 

SATA drive, you will need to use the cabling that comes with the drive, but it must not be longer than ½ 

meter (19 inches), since longer cables can cause performance issues. 

SATA DVD drives are readily available at retail consumer electronics stores and on the Internet.  Merit 

has tested and approved the following SATA DVD readers for use with all SATA updates: Lite-On model 

HAS120, and Philips & BenQ model DVD8881.  Due to variations within a model number, manufacturer 

changes, and other variables, Merit cannot guarantee the functionality of any reader.  We recommend 

that you test your reader with all of your Rx games; however, we have found that most DVD readers will 

likely be compatible.

 

If you have any questions

,

 please contact Merit Customer Service and Technical Support by phone at 

800-523-2760 or 215-826-1400, or by e-mail at 

TechCenter@meritgames.com

. 

http://www.meritgames.com