Making an 80-pin IDE cable...

[sqInside]

I'm trying to make an IDE cable using the 80-pin IDE ribbon. This will prevent cross-talk because every other wire is a ground wire..

My question is: How do I wire this up to the 40-pin connectors?? I'm sure that each ground wire (every other wire) must link up somewhere, but WHERE?

Perhaps there is a special 80-pin connector which has some kind of ground "bus" inside to link these?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sqInside]

Anyone?

 

[EeyoreX]

I am not entirely certain what you are trying to do. Make a cable or modify one?

In any event, first; you should try some patience. It's only been an hour. Second, wouldn't it just be easier to spend a couple bucks and buy an 80 wire cable? I don't know if others were confused like I am, but why are you trying to "make" a cable that is readily availabe for a couple bucks?

\Dan

 

[sqInside]

Thanks for the reply.

I am trying to make a really long cable (15'), and no one sells them this long.

(Yes, I realize this technically far exceeds the IDE rating, but it works, trust me, so it doesn't matter. Many people have successfully done it and had no problems even transferring large amounts of data.)

So I just need to figure out how to put the 40-pin IDE connector ends on an 80-wire IDE ribbon.

 

[LTC8K6]

I'd take an 80 wire cable, cut it in half and lengthen it. The ends are done for you that way.

 

[horhey]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
I'd take an 80 wire cable, cut it in half and lengthen it. The ends are done for you that way.

That's what i was thinking.

I also came across this site http://www.buildorbuy.org/8040.html

 

[mechBgon]

You're trying to make a 5-meter IDE cable?








The maximum in-spec length is 18 inches or about 0.5 meter. I really think you should reconsider this before getting too carried away. If you need a 5-meter cable, that's what SCSI is for.

 

[Bozo Galora]

http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/a4000hard/intide.html

http://www.pccables.com/01812.htm

http://www.buildorbuy.net/8040.html

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/if/ide/conf_Cable80.htm

 

[LTC8K6]

Hey, I didn't say it would work.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: sqInside


So I just need to figure out how to put the 40-pin IDE connector ends on an 80-wire IDE ribbon.

you just line up pins and clamp it down.

(Yes, I realize this technically far exceeds the IDE rating, but it works, trust me, so it doesn't matter. Many people have successfully done it and had no problems even transferring large amounts of data.)

Well when your files corrupt you won't know it anyways, well at least until the cumilative effects build up and a couple months from now everything seems to be screwing up. But that will be the OS's fault, or the harddrive's fault, or the motherboard's fault, or the driver's fault.


Why don't you just figure out a better way to mount your harddrives so that you don't have to risk screwing up your data just to get them working?

 

[sqInside]

Ok, I'm sensing a little bit of skepticism here... and rightly so..

But it works, I have numerous people who have confirmed it, all of which are running long IDE cables in their CAR for that matter, where there is very intense electric fields all over the place, including throughout the steel body and frame.

Anyways.. Thanks for posting the links; however, that is nothing which I haven't found already on my own. Those links don't provide the details about connecting an 80-wire ribbon to a 40-pin connector. The extra 40 wires have to hook up to something, and there aren't enough "ground points" on the 40 pins which are used for data/signalling, so somehow they all get grounded..

As for taking an existing 80-wire 40-pin IDE ribbon, cutting it in half and lengthening it.. This is an interesting idea.. I still need long-ass IDE ribbon to connect them the distance I need.. Either that or use some Cat-6 or something, with some shielding, but I fear that that will only cause additional issues due to the way the wires are braided...

*sigh*

No one knows how to hook this up?? I thought Anandtech was home of the uber nerds, who knew everything about computers.. Where are you guys?!

Anyways, thanks for the input thus far..

 

[mechBgon]

Cat6 is still UTP (unshielded twisted-pair). If you are truly bound and determined to make whopper IDE cables, then Geek Emeritus cautery has got your ticket to ride right here.

Personally, I'd happily buy a 10-meter SCSI cable before I'd put myself through that. :Q But it's your call

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Cat6 is still UTP (unshielded twisted-pair). If you are truly bound and determined to make whopper IDE cables, then Geek Emeritus cautery has got your ticket to ride right here.

Personally, I'd happily buy a 10-meter SCSI cable before I'd put myself through that. :Q But it's your call

10m? SCSI? That's like $500,000. :Q

 

[drag]

No one knows how to hook this up?? I thought Anandtech was home of the uber nerds, who knew everything about computers.. Where are you guys?!

Telling you it's a bad idea.


There is a big difference between "It works for me", and "It's not going to take my data and slowly chew it up till my OS and everything on my harddrive eventually corrupts to the point were it's completely unsalavagable over a long period of use"

Those links don't provide the details about connecting an 80-wire ribbon to a 40-pin connector.

Probably because the blades on the 40pin connector, when you clamp them into the 80pin wire, are so fat, because they are designed for a 40 wire cable with thicker wires, that they are likely to cut not only into the data lines, but into the ground lines, too. (scroll down to the bottom here)

And if you realy want to be a adventurer, why don't you just take a long peice of wire. solder it to all the ground wires, and then solder that wire to ground?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Cat6 is still UTP (unshielded twisted-pair). If you are truly bound and determined to make whopper IDE cables, then Geek Emeritus cautery has got your ticket to ride right here.

Personally, I'd happily buy a 10-meter SCSI cable before I'd put myself through that. :Q But it's your call

10m? SCSI? That's like $500,000. :Q

Hehe, well they aren't cheap... about $100 for a 6-meter one and you need an enclosure or adapter too

Speaking of enclosures, what about a Firewire or USB 2.0 enclosure for an ATA hard drive? Or would that not be fast enough, sqInside? You can buy long USB 2.0 or Firewire cables for a reasonable price.

edit: by the way, if you're this curious about the connectors on the 80-wire cables, grab one and disect it

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Cat6 is still UTP (unshielded twisted-pair). If you are truly bound and determined to make whopper IDE cables, then Geek Emeritus cautery has got your ticket to ride right here.

Personally, I'd happily buy a 10-meter SCSI cable before I'd put myself through that. :Q But it's your call

10m? SCSI? That's like $500,000. :Q

Hehe, well they aren't cheap... about $100 for a 6-meter one and you need an enclosure or adapter too

Speaking of enclosures, what about a Firewire or USB 2.0 enclosure for an ATA hard drive? Or would that not be fast enough, sqInside? You can buy long USB 2.0 or Firewire cables for a reasonable price.

edit: by the way, if you're this curious about the connectors on the 80-wire cables, grab one and disect it

A firewire hookup is a good idea. You can get external harddrive housing for firewire for less then 70 bucks and a 15 foot long firewire cable is like 6 bucks, and a 3 foot long one is like 3 dollars. (minus shipping) from places like newegg.com

 

[Zepper]

IEEE spec for ATA100/133 has the cable and connector specs (usually with some part numbers). Also formfactors.org might have it.
...bh.

 

[Kenazo]

Originally posted by: drag

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Cat6 is still UTP (unshielded twisted-pair). If you are truly bound and determined to make whopper IDE cables, then Geek Emeritus cautery has got your ticket to ride right here.

Personally, I'd happily buy a 10-meter SCSI cable before I'd put myself through that. :Q But it's your call

10m? SCSI? That's like $500,000. :Q

Hehe, well they aren't cheap... about $100 for a 6-meter one and you need an enclosure or adapter too

Speaking of enclosures, what about a Firewire or USB 2.0 enclosure for an ATA hard drive? Or would that not be fast enough, sqInside? You can buy long USB 2.0 or Firewire cables for a reasonable price.

edit: by the way, if you're this curious about the connectors on the 80-wire cables, grab one and disect it

A firewire hookup is a good idea. You can get external harddrive housing for firewire for less then 70 bucks and a 15 foot long firewire cable is like 6 bucks, and a 3 foot long one is like 3 dollars. (minus shipping) from places like newegg.com

I also suggest this idea. Plus, then your drive is in a nice protected bay.

 

[0roo0roo]

just use an external usb drive thing and use usb repeaters

 

[buleyb]

If you rip apart an 80conductor cable, you'll see the added 40 wires all get grounded together and get connected to all the grounds on the 40pin connector. Its really not that tough.

 

[Kartajan]

For those of us in the dark- what exactly are you trying to accomplish with this "uber-long" IDE Cable? As several people here have indicated, there may be a better way to reach your goal than a monster sized IDE cable....

 

[sqInside]

Well let me explain my project....

I have a Mini-ITX PC in the trunk of my car, and I want a slot-load DVD player up front. Unfortunately, slot-load DVD players do not come in USB flavor, furthermore, I already have the slimline slot-load DVD player from an IMAC which I've rigged up to use a 40-pin IDE cable (it was 50-pin on one end). There are plenty of details on how to do this on mp3car.com.

I thought about going the route where I had a USB adapter, but decided not to because it requires yet another extra +5v power wire and source, and just complicates things.

I'd like to just run a long IDE ribbon up front and be done with it, but I'm quickly finding this is no easy task.

If all else fails, I can certainly revert to the backup plan, which does include a USB->IDE adapter which plugs right in, but I would prefer not to have to do this unless it is absolutely necessary.

As I've stated several times now, there are several people who have successfully gotten an IDE cable this long, although none have tried longer, without any data corruption. They have been "burned in" in fact for over 2 years, still with no problems.

After reading the very graphic howto, I think I would prefer not to tackle that project, as I'm more than busy with stuff currently on my plate.

I don't want to "give up" or "give in" and just go the USB route.. I want to make this work, I just am not sure it is worth it at this point now...

 

[dkozloski]

There are slot load Pioneer, 50 pin SCSI DVD players for less than $100, 50 pin SCSI cable and connectors both round and ribbon come in bulk for next to nothing, an old 2940 Adaptec controller is about $15. With this you could have a 50 foot run if you wanted and wouldn't require any ghetto rigging. Why try to reinvent the wheel when all this was done 10 years ago.

 

[L00PY]

What am I missing here? Assuming you already have the length of cable, why not just buy standard 80-pin connectors and slap them onto the ends of your cable? It shouldn't be any different than moving the connector when you shorten a cable.

 

[sqInside]

I have a Pioneer Slot-Load, but the thing is it sucks WAY too much power for a car-based computer system. The slimline DVD players suck far less, or so I've been told (haven't actually measured current or wattage).

My Mini-ITX PC doesn't even have SCSI support and I'm already using the 1 PCI (riser-card-based) slot for my 7.1 Creative Audigy 2ZS sound card.

Any idea where I can find a roll of 80-pin IDE ribbon? Fry's didn't have squat.. *sigh*