IDE Cable ends?

[_WW_]

So...speaking of the flat ribbon type here. I recently built a new machine and "borrowed" the opticals from my old one. Well, now I have new opticals and such and am putting the old machine back together and plan on using it. I noticed about an inch from the mobo end of the cable there is a gap in one strand of the ribbon...you can actually see daylight thru it..he he..

It's probably been this way since day one about three years ago (thanks Dell!). What I'm wondering is this. It looks like these cable ends are self puncturing and just clamp on to the wire. Is that right? Can I just work it apart and try to reclamp it above the gap...or maybe just get a new end and clamp it on?

....WW

 

[AndrewT]

those flat cables are so cheap just get a new one, don't bother playing and might end up with a useless ribbon or worse

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[Crashman]

I have an HP cable just like that, I think the gap was made intentionally, I don't know why, but it's probably just a ground wire anyway.

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[zepper]

Most of the big PC mfrs use Cable Select instead of Master/Slave to make assembly more fool-proof - the hole makes the cable into a CS cable the cheapest way possible (the other way is to buy special connectors for the middle position with a contact removed). All drives are set to CS by the OEM supplier and the position you connect them to on the cable makes them either Primary (Mstr) or Secondary (Slv) on that cable. You will also note that the cables are marked with ink labels telling the assemblers where each connector goes. On the cables made with a hole, Master is usually the center connector. If you set the drives to Mstr/Slv, the CS cable will be ignored.
All 80-wire ATA cables are supposed to be CS also - the missing contact style, so Master will be on the end connector. Each connector is color coded so assembler will know how it goes (blue=mobo, etc).
.bh.


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Perhaps the only reason for your existence is to act as a warning to others...<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by zepper on 01/19/03 03:09 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[budwyzerferret]

If you read this web page you will soon be an expert on IDE/ATAPI cabling and configuration.

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

 

[FEB]

This is a good site to explain Cable Select etc.

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

Thanks for the prompt

MY case has so many FANS it is tired of signing autographs!<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by FEB on 03/16/03 07:57 AM.</EM></FONT></P>