Distance problem with connectors on round IDE cables...

[kony]

Too bad that it's not reliable.

If you insist that you have done it and it wasn't reliable,
then perhaps that explains why you needed to ask about it?

It's not a 100% sure thing getting the connector off without
cracking it, as it's not like the plastic is high grade
stuff meant to be taken back apart again, but if done well
it can be reliable.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

:

If you insist that you have done it and it wasn't reliable,
then perhaps that explains why you needed to ask about it?

Korny Mann, you have a reading problem.
I never ever claimed that I had removed and repositioned
an IDE connector. Go ahead now, re-read the thread.
It's still on the server.

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

:



Korny Mann, you have a reading problem.
I never ever claimed that I had removed and repositioned
an IDE connector. Go ahead now, re-read the thread.
It's still on the server.

Don't be stupid Tim, I replied to what wrote, IN context as
it was a reply to my post. If there was some kind of
problem it would be your inability to bother writing enough
of a reply that we don't have to read your mind to know what
you're babbling about each time.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Don't be stupid Tim, I replied to what wrote, IN context as
it was a reply to my post. If there was some kind of
problem it would be your inability to bother writing enough
of a reply that we don't have to read your mind to know what
you're babbling about each time.

Ah! The 1st signs of Alzheimer's - forgetting what you just
wrote. Raise your eyes, yee of failing mind, and read your
own words:

"Some connectors are more brittle than others, I
have a fairly good success rate but occasionally
do crack one so I wouldn't recommend it if one
only has a single cable they *need* to use."

Thus, the procedure is unreliable - simply because it
doesn't always work because you break a connector
now and then. Add to that the possiblility of making a
connection that fails when the cable is moved one way
or another, and you have the makings of a major
Excedrin headache. Butchering your IDE cable is NOT
the way to go.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Noozer]

"Some connectors are more brittle than others, I
have a fairly good success rate but occasionally
do crack one so I wouldn't recommend it if one
only has a single cable they *need* to use."

Thus, the procedure is unreliable - simply because it
doesn't always work because you break a connector
now and then.

Breaking a connector doesn't make it less reliable, it makes it less usable.
NOT the same thing.

If you break the connector, don't use the cable. No loss in reliablilty
there. No broken connector, then it should be as reliable as it was before.

 

[kony]

Ah! The 1st signs of Alzheimer's - forgetting what you just
wrote. Raise your eyes, yee of failing mind, and read your
own words:

"Some connectors are more brittle than others, I
have a fairly good success rate but occasionally
do crack one so I wouldn't recommend it if one
only has a single cable they *need* to use."

Thus, the procedure is unreliable -

Nonsense.

It's a plastic connector, not a heart pacemaker. We need
not aspire to 100% success rate else deem it unreliable.

For example, Joe Athlete makes 90% of his free throws. It
is amazing how many he makes, he is a reliable free throw
shooter. Claiming he was unreliable would have to be put in
context of what the other alternatives were.

In the case of the drives and cable, the other alternative
is the connector isnt' in the right spot and doesn't work at
all.

simply because it
doesn't always work because you break a connector
now and then. Add to that the possiblility of making a
connection that fails when the cable is moved one way
or another, and you have the makings of a major
Excedrin headache. Butchering your IDE cable is NOT
the way to go.

Actually Tim the main problem is your attitude. Cables cost
what, $3? It seems we are always back to the issue of
disagreement between us, that I DO THINGS and you only whine
about how difficult everything must be.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Breaking a connector doesn't make it less reliable, it makes it less usable.
NOT the same thing.

If you break the connector, don't use the cable. No loss in reliablilty
there. No broken connector, then it should be as reliable as it was before.

Read my posting above again. I wrote:
"Thus, the procedure is unreliable - simply because it
doesn't always work..."

My comments were in reference to the PROCEDURE.
IOW, when you start out, you can't be sure you won't just
end up with a busted connector.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Timothy Daniels]

In the case of the drives and cable, the other alternative
is the connector isnt' in the right spot and doesn't work at
all.

No, the alternatives are to use a longer cable or to put
the middle connector on the controller. Cable butchering
is notorious for causing intermittent cable failure - a very
hard problem to diagnose because the cable can work
again as soon as you reposition it. Cable butchery
should be the very last resort.

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

No, the alternatives are to use a longer cable or to put
the middle connector on the controller.

How long? It goes back to an earlier point that one cannot
just keep extending the cable, else at some point there will
be errors. Since you don't believe it's necessary to drop
the ATA rate, you will have a lower limit on length of cable
that will work.

As for putting the middle connector on the controller, that
is seldom a solution, just makes what was already too short,
ever shorter.

Cable butchering
is notorious for causing intermittent cable failure

Bullsh!t, Tim.
You're embellishing again.
I can randomly grab a flat cable and expect it to work fine
after moving a connector. This is with a flat cable though,
moving a connector on a round cable is too much of a PITA to
bother with.

- a very
hard problem to diagnose

As I recall, your cited reason that a long cable works ok
at high ATA speed was only the time it took to copy files.
Of course it would be a bit difficult to diagnose using what
is not actually a diagnostic procedure at all rather than a
very limited scenario performance index.

because the cable can work
again as soon as you reposition it.

On the contrary, if the cable is problematic and suddenly
works fine when moved, that is quite obvious. Again you
make what is easy, into a supposed "hard problem".

Cable butchery
should be the very last resort.

Since you seem to find it hard, yes you should avoid it.
Don't pretend to know what results others have though,
because you clearly do not know.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

"korny" just keeps on morphing and dancing:

How long?

I would start with a 24" cable with the middle
connector at the controller. That would give
2 segments - one 8" long, the other 16" long -
and the distance between HDs could range
up to 24". Otherwise, I'd give a 36" cable
a try. One way to see if the length of the cable
has affected the error rate is to do a cloning
of a single partition from one HD to another -
first using a shorter cable, then using the longer
cable. The 2 HDs may be temporarily placed
closer together for this test with care given to
maintaining adequate cooling air flow.

As for putting the middle connector on the controller, that
is seldom a solution, just makes what was already too short,
ever shorter.

Nonsense. The original poster's stated problem was
the distance between two HDs, *not* the distance
between the controller and either of the HDs. With a
24" cable, one segment would be 16", the other would
be 8". So one of his HDs could be 16" from the controller,
the other HD could be 8" from the controller, and the HDs
could be almost 24" apart. In *my* PC, that would work
out quite well, and it might very well work out for the
original poster.

I can randomly grab a flat cable and expect it to work fine
after moving a connector.

On April 5th in this thread you wrote:

"Some connectors are more brittle than others, I
have a fairly good success rate but occasionally do crack
one so I wouldn't recommend it if one only has a single
cable they *need* to use."

You didn't sound so certain then. But now you "expect it
to work fine". Did you change your mind again? That's
another sign of Alzheimer's, Korny.

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

"korny" just keeps on morphing and dancing:

Since you are only interesting in spewing BS, this concludes
our argument. Have a nice day and with a little luck maybe
get your head screwed on enough to learn how to do what many
many people manage to do fine.

Citing something is a problem is only evidence that you
personally are incompetent at the particular task, when
there is sufficient evidence that it does work fine.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

"kony" concluded:

Citing something is a problem is only evidence that you
personally are incompetent at the particular task...

Let your own statement be your epitaph:

"I have a fairly good success rate but
occasionally do crack one."

R.I.P.

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

"kony" concluded:

Let your own statement be your epitaph:

"I have a fairly good success rate but
occasionally do crack one."

Yes, and with new cables costing $3, with cables coming free
with retail hard drives/opticals, coming free with
motherboards, AND most importantly, with the cable you are
modifying, NEEDING it else you still can't use it with this
other drive, there really isn't much of an argument to be
made for risk of cracking one.

But, if you'd rather be paranoid go right ahead, it's your
system...

 

[~misfit~]

Ah! The 1st signs of Alzheimer's - forgetting what you just
wrote. Raise your eyes, yee of failing mind, and read your
own words:

"Some connectors are more brittle than others, I
have a fairly good success rate but occasionally
do crack one so I wouldn't recommend it if one
only has a single cable they *need* to use."

Thus, the procedure is unreliable - simply because it
doesn't always work because you break a connector
now and then. Add to that the possiblility of making a
connection that fails when the cable is moved one way
or another, and you have the makings of a major
Excedrin headache. Butchering your IDE cable is NOT
the way to go.

*TimDaniels*

Whoa! Way to go Kony!! You got him to let go of his dick long enough to type
more than a couple of lines. However, getting him to write a post with
positive input and without abuse in it would be a lot harder.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Yes, and with new cables costing $3, with cables

Homemade cable connections are notorious
for intermittent problems. Just check in at
comp.dcom.cabling .

But, if you'd rather be paranoid go right ahead, it's your
system...

"Paranoid?" You're the guy who's afraid of cables
longer than 18".

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

Homemade cable connections are notorious
for intermittent problems. Just check in at
comp.dcom.cabling .

hard drives are notorious for failure... just look at people
buying hard drives?

Essentially you are referencing failures of CAT5 cabling for
the most part. I don't recall suggesting use of CAT5 and
RJ45 with a hard drive, but if you think that's a good idea,
go to it, Tim.

Different cable, different connector, different scenario.

"Paranoid?" You're the guy who's afraid of cables
longer than 18".

*TimDaniels*

Yes, paranoid, and now trolling apparently as I've already
plainly stated that I had used 36" cables when I'd mentioned
dropping the ATA mode in some cases. You don't care about
the facts though, are just looking to argue.

 

[~misfit~]

Yes, paranoid, and now trolling apparently as I've already
plainly stated that I had used 36" cables when I'd mentioned
dropping the ATA mode in some cases. You don't care about
the facts though, are just looking to argue.

With all due respect, are you only now figuring this out? ;-)

 

[Timothy Daniels]

"korny"shucks and jives:

Essentially you are referencing failures of CAT5 cabling for
the most part. I don't recall suggesting use of CAT5 and
RJ45 with a hard drive, but if you think that's a good idea,
go to it, Tim.

And yours is the first mention of RJ45 in this thread.
Cabling is cabling. Connectors are connectors and
suffer the same frailties regardless of the type.
You're always dodging and weaving and shooting
red herrings. Can't stay on subject, can you?
That's your Alzheimer's showing.

*TimDaniels*

 

[kony]

"korny"shucks and jives:


And yours is the first mention of RJ45 in this thread.
Cabling is cabling. Connectors are connectors and
suffer the same frailties regardless of the type.

You are now looking evermore foolish.

 

[KILOWATT]

Sorry that the thread turned into flaming. As a late update, i've bought a
24" ide cable set and when received, i'll try to manage to fit them the best
i can following the suggestions given here. After consideration and further
reading, i've realized that 36" seems to really push the limits too far.
Will keep in touch. Thanks again.

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian!
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)