2 Part IDE cable question..

[Salvador]

Hi.

Got 2 questions for you regarding IDE cables. First of all, how can I tell the difference between AT33/66/100/133 cables? I have all sorts of cables lying around from a couple of computers (old and new) and I can't tell the difference.

Second question: If I'm going to buy a new set of IDE cables, can I buy ATA133 cables even though I currently have ATA100 devices? Is the ATA133 cable backwards compatible?

TIA,

Sal

 

[Scootin159]

ATA/33 cables have 40 wires & 40 pins
ATA/66/100/133 cables have 80 wires & 40 pins.

The extra 40 wires are just sheilding wires & don't carry any data at all. All the cables are backwards compatible (ATA/133 cables can run @ ATA/33, ect.), and the only difference between ATA/66 & ATA/133 cables is the label 🙂.

 

[bozo1]

ATA66/100/133 are the same.

The difference between those and the ATA33 cables is the number of wires. The older cables have 40 wires. The ATA66+ cables have 80 wires that are much smaller in size. Also, with an ATA66+ cable, usually has one blue connector with the others being black and/or gray.

 

[Salvador]

So.. Someone selling a ATA133 cable for more money than a ATA100 cable is being deceptive?

I've seen cables where the middle connector is blue. This is a ATA66+ cable?

If I put a ATA33 cable up against a ATA66+ cable, I should be able to tell the difference then if the ATA33 cable only has 40 wires?

I just want to be sure that I'm not sticking an old cable on a newer drive.

Thanks again for the info.

Sal

 

[Mavrick007]

<< If I put a ATA33 cable up against a ATA66+ cable, I should be able to tell the difference then if the ATA33 cable only has 40 wires? >>


Yes, you should be able to tell the difference between an Ata66+ cable and an Ata33 cable. The wires running along the cable are more numerous and smaller than the ones coming from the Ata33 cable. The only way to get above Ata33 is to use the newer cables on the newer drives.