IDE cables

[newbuilder14]

You know how the IDE cable has one connector for the slave and one for the primary drive? How would you just connect one drive? Would you just use the primary connector and not the slave connector? Or does it not make a difference?

[freakitchen]

Use the primary connector if only one drive is connected, and jumper the drive to "cable select". It will correctly identify the drive as master.

FK

[minsonngo]

For 40-pin - 40-wire IDE cables, if you use the Cable Select setting, the MASTER drive is on the middle connector and the SLAVE drive is on the end connector.

For 40-pin - 80-wire IDE cables if you use the Cable Select setting, the SLAVE drive is on the middle connector and the MASTER drive is on the end connector.


If you jumper the drives to either MASTER, SLAVE or SINGLE, it does not matter where it is on the IDE cable.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by minsonngo For 40-pin - 40-wire IDE cables, if you use the Cable Select setting, the MASTER drive is on the middle connector and the SLAVE drive is on the end connector.

That's only if the 40 wire IDE cable is a cable select cable (like those used in some name brand computers). If it's a standard 40 wire IDE cable and you're using the master/slave jumper settings it doesn't matter where on the IDE cable you install the drives.

Originally Posted by minsonngo If you jumper the drives to either MASTER, SLAVE or SINGLE, it does not matter where it is on the IDE cable.

Again, that's only if you're using a standard 40 wire IDE cable, not a cable select cable.

Note: Using the master/slave jumper settings on a 80 wire cable select IDE cable with the master drive on the black end connector and the slave drive on the grey middle connector will sometimes work. But I think using the CS (cable select) jumper setting with a 80 wire IDE cable is probably the best bet.

Of course if you're using a SATA hard drive then the above information doesn't apply.

Cricket

[minsonngo]

Hmm... I never new that the 40 wire cables had "normal" and "cable select" types. Well, I guess I learned something new today. Thanks Cricket.

By the way, how do you know the difference between the two types of 40 wire cables? Are they usually marked?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by minsonngo By the way, how do you know the difference between the two types of 40 wire cables? Are they usually marked?

If it's in a name brand computer the connectors are usually marked for master or slave. And sometimes the connectors will have one of the pin hole blocked off. And on some I've seen a small hole in the ribbon through one of the wires. But I think they almost always have the connectors marked with master, slave and mainboard/motherboard identification.

Cricket

[minsonngo]

Oh okay, I have noticed the pin hole blocked off and the small hole in the ribbon before. Thanks for the explanation Cricket.