Do they make rounded IDE cables where the boot is connected to the IDE connector?

[Joemonkey]

Rec'd some rounded IDE cables and was a little disappointed that the wires were bare near the IDE connectors. There is a boot that slides up and down the cable, but I was hoping for more of a "sealed enclosure"

 

[Looney]

All my rounded IDE cables are covered completely... and i have 3 different brands.

 

[DaTT]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic
All my rounded IDE cables are covered completely... and i have 3 different brands.

Rgr that

 

[Joemonkey]

well hows about you name off the brands?

 

[Joemonkey]

when i say "bare" i don't mean without insulation, i should have been more clear.

I'm talking about how I would like to have some rounded IDE cables where the boot is actually connected to the IDE connector so that the wires aren't ever not covered (well except for the crimp into the IDE connector)

like at SVC there are these:

http://www.svc.com/rc18hd2-cop.html

you can see that between the boot and the IDE connector there is space, where the boot slides.

I can't find any where it is a good solid enclosure.

 

[Mike99Pgh]

I know what you're talking about but don't know where you can get them. I use the ones from SVC and for around $2 per cable I can't complain. CompUSA wants between $15-$20 for what looks like the same exact cable.

 

[Joemonkey]

Well i found this review on rounded cables and now i'm not so sure they're a good idea...

anyone w/ good experience with rounded IDE care to refute that article? i fold up my 80mm cables so they don't cause too much of a disturbance in air flow, but isn't folding them the same as rounding them as far as cables being right next to each other?

 

[Jeff7]

Both of my systems use rounded cables from SVC, and I don't seem to be having the big problems with data loss that that article seems to forecast. I've got 4 drives (2HDD, 2 optical) in my main system - 2 rounded cables total, I think the one is 18" the other 24", or else they're both just 18", I don't remember. My secondary system has 3 hard drives, a ZIP drive, and a DVD-RW drive. 2 drives are on short, single device cables (RAID array), 1 drive is on a dual-device cable, and the ZIP and DVD-RW are on another 24" cable together. So I've got a total of...6 rounded cables to push data through. Can't say I've had any problems with them.

From this you can see that bundling up all your cables into a neat round cable does not improve signal transfer along the lines. By doing this you put signal lines next to one another as opposed to having them separated by an earth line. This means that your signals are interfered by all the other signals to quite a large extent.

But they are twisted pairs...I was under the impression that this helps to reduce interference.

 

[AMCRambler]

Someone should run a transfer test with round cables first and then flat ribbons. That would prove it once and for all. Of course A1 electronics doesn't see fit to back up their theory with evidence. They expect you to believe them.

 

[kenshorin]

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
Well i found this review on rounded cables and now i'm not so sure they're a good idea...

anyone w/ good experience with rounded IDE care to refute that article? i fold up my 80mm cables so they don't cause too much of a disturbance in air flow, but isn't folding them the same as rounding them as far as cables being right next to each other?

I believe the reason rounded cables only recently came into norm is because of the type of shielding the wires use. Most ribbon cables don't offer the same type of shielding, IIRC. Read an article a while ago and thats what it said anyways.

 

[EeyoreX]

I don't think any further testing is required. If you use rounded cables, and you experience data loss that is eliminated by replacing the cable with ribbon cables you solved your problem. Not that that is concrete evidence. Ribbon cables can be bad too. Sure, some older/poor quality round cables can cause data loss. So can poor quality ribbon cables. I've been using rounded cables for years, and have experienced no trouble.

\Dan

 

[THUGSROOK]

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
Rec'd some rounded IDE cables and was a little disappointed that the wires were bare near the IDE connectors. There is a boot that slides up and down the cable, but I was hoping for more of a "sealed enclosure"

i actually cut off the "boots" so the round cables can bend easier.

 

[Joemonkey]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK

Originally posted by: Joemonkey Rec'd some rounded IDE cables and was a little disappointed that the wires were bare near the IDE connectors. There is a boot that slides up and down the cable, but I was hoping for more of a "sealed enclosure"

i actually cut off the "boots" so the round cables can bend easier.

doesn't that leave the actual wires a little more "exposed to interference"?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Joemonkey

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK

Originally posted by: Joemonkey Rec'd some rounded IDE cables and was a little disappointed that the wires were bare near the IDE connectors. There is a boot that slides up and down the cable, but I was hoping for more of a "sealed enclosure"

i actually cut off the "boots" so the round cables can bend easier.

doesn't that leave the actual wires a little more "exposed to interference"?

The boots are usually just rubber, so no shielding involved there.