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Rounded Ultra ATA-100 at Buy.com



<< Straight poop on round cables. >>



Good article.

I was wondering if length made much of a difference. I had also heard rounded was better, but I guess that isn't really true.

Thanks.
 
rounded IS better for the simple reason that they look better and are more manueverable that flat stupid ribbons. i never bought the airflow argument ever really, but what IS true is they a joy to work when you've got lots of devices: i've got 4 hard drives, DVD, CD-ROM, floppy, and zip and it would be a zoo in there with ribbons.
 


<< rounded IS better for the simple reason that they look better and are more manueverable that flat stupid ribbons. i never bought the airflow argument ever really, but what IS true is they a joy to work when you've got lots of devices: i've got 4 hard drives, DVD, CD-ROM, floppy, and zip and it would be a zoo in there with ribbons. >>



While they may be more manueverable and asthetically pleasing, I'd rather have performance and reliability. I'll keep my flat ribbons.
 
id rather just have cables that reach. rounded are so good for that too. ...havent had any probs with mine thus far.
 
I have to say that after reading both articles I think it is going to be one of those Windoze vs Linux, NT vs Novell, Mac vs PC, and AMD vs Intel debates where the left and the right will never agree. I am going to go with I just got a compaq 2u server in for work and the cables in there are rounded so it cant be that bad for the signal quality. If compaq is doing it, why not me?

-Wild
 
my take on this is that in theory, flat cables should have less errors because of less interference, but in actuality, the interference never plays a role in the error rate, because the cables are minutely shielded enough so that you can make them round or whatever shape you want with no difference in errors
 
I think this is a smoking deal. I paid $15 each for my 20" white cables. White was very
hard to find at the time. I think they will show good well under the black light! 😀
 
Think of all the poor children in Africa with NO cables; and you are arguing about flat or rounded ones...
 


<< I am going to go with I just got a compaq 2u server in for work and the cables in there are rounded so it cant be that bad for the signal quality. If compaq is doing it, why not me? >>

- Wild...

The server is using IDE or SCSI?
 


<< Think of all the poor children in Africa with NO cables; and you are arguing about flat or rounded ones... >>



ROTFL!!

This flat vs round debate is another one of those theoretical issues that engineers will argue to the death over, but that in the real world don't seem to make a difference one way or the other.
 
Let me comment from a computer engineering point of view. Besides the air flow benefit, rounded (twisted) cables cancels it's own electric magnetic inductance, resulting in less interference and higher throughput. Notice that all external SCSI cables are twisted? and 100/10T LAN cables are twisted also?

The theory is very simple. Remember from your high school physics that when electricity travels through a wire, it creates a magnetic field (the right-hand rule). This magnetic field then generates an electric inductance (the left-hand rule) in nearby wires. The closer the wires the higher the inductance. When wires are placed in PARALLEL, the small voltages (as the result of inductance) point to the same direction, thus add up to a larger voltage (interference). If the interference is large enough that the receiver can't decode a signal, then there's an error.

By TWISTING the wires together, the wires are no longer in PARALLEL. Thus the small voltages do not point to the same direction, thus won't add up effectively. In the best case, they could cancel each others out.

There're some common problems in the tests mentioned here. The tester simply cut the ribbon cable into small groups and bundle them together, so the wires are still in parallel not twisted. As a result the wires are now much closer, and creates larger interference. He then claimed that rounded cables are bad.

In conclusion, if you want to make your own rounded cable, make sure you have a twisted bundle, otherwise, its performance will be worse.

James
 
...and even flat cables end up "folded" onto themselves in most boxes that contain them anyway...so if they claim there's interferance w/ the rounded, then that would hold true on the flattys too for the most part...been running round over a year and problems = nada
 
Buy.com also has the Cables-To-Go selection of rounded cables though it appears most are out of stock. Check Cables To Go for part numbers. These cost more than the Startech cables.

Buy.com also has the 18 inch (IDE100RND18) and 24 inch (IDE100RND24) Startech cables in addition to the 36 inch. Though the 36 inch appears to be the only ones in stock.
 
TheQ


<< Let me comment from a computer engineering point of view >>


What a pant load

A twisted bundle isn't the same as a bundle of twisted pairs.

These cables probably work OK. I don't know.
I ordered a couple to test.
From a physics point of view I like cables and I like good fables.
Don't like fables about cables.
 
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