Looking for inexpensive ribbon 0.7 - 1.00 metre IDE ATA66/100 cables. Supplier anyone?

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Peter

I have a tower case with a heap of hard drives installed and my 0.47m
IDE will not reach the drives in the upper bays.

I really don't need the aesthetic of 'round' cables and I certainly
don't need the extra cost f these.

Where can I get 70cm+ inexpensive ribbon cables suitable for ATA66/100
drives in the UK?
 
Peter said:
I have a tower case with a heap of hard drives installed and my 0.47m
IDE will not reach the drives in the upper bays.

I really don't need the aesthetic of 'round' cables and I certainly
don't need the extra cost f these.

Where can I get 70cm+ inexpensive ribbon cables suitable for ATA66/100
drives in the UK?
Click to expand...

I don't think cables that long meet the standard.
 
I don't think cables that long meet the standard.

But I guess that the round format cables meet the standard, no?

I just need a ribbon style cable of the same length.
 
I have a tower case with a heap of hard drives installed and my 0.47m
IDE will not reach the drives in the upper bays.

I really don't need the aesthetic of 'round' cables and I certainly
don't need the extra cost f these.

Where can I get 70cm+ inexpensive ribbon cables suitable for ATA66/100
drives in the UK?
Click to expand...

Cables that long don't meet standard (as CJT mentioned),
round or flat. Which leaves you with basically two
choices:

1. Get PATA-SATA converters ($20ea) and hook those hard
drives up to a SATA controller since SATA cables can be
up to a meter in length.

2. Get a better designed case. The Antec Sonata and
Antec p160 cases are what I would call intelligently
designed. There are 4 3.5" internal hard drive bays in
the lower-front of the case, within easy 18" reach of
the motherboard. Plus, the top 3 or 4 5.25" external
bays are about 4-6" closer then they would be in a full-
tower.

(I used to own a pair of SuperMicro 750 full-tower
cases... I'm much happier with the Antec p160. Just
make sure your motherboard will fit because some boards
that are listed as "ATX" are really a tad bigger then
the tray in the p160 case will allow.)
 
Thanks for that reply.

I would like to check out the cable specification as I have found a
highly reputable supplier Farnell/CPC (www.cpc.co.uk) that does sell
48cm and 90cm IDE ATA133 cables. Ref. part CS1065105

I believe you are right about the stupid design of some cases, and my
full tower is no exception; cables are too stretched. The Antec Sonata
that you suggest is an interesting design and I will explore it more
but I have a further question. And it's quiet!

I would also like a very quiet PC despite my requirement to house 8
IDE hard drives and have been looking for some manufacturer to design
a case the uses perhaps a huge aluminum heatsink as one of the side
panels and bolts the drives directly to avoid noisy fans.
 
Thanks for that reply.

I would like to check out the cable specification as I have found a
highly reputable supplier Farnell/CPC (www.cpc.co.uk) that does sell
48cm and 90cm IDE ATA133 cables. Ref. part CS1065105

I believe you are right about the stupid design of some cases, and my
full tower is no exception; cables are too stretched. The Antec Sonata
that you suggest is an interesting design and I will explore it more
but I have a further question. And it's quiet!

I would also like a very quiet PC despite my requirement to house 8
IDE hard drives and have been looking for some manufacturer to design
a case the uses perhaps a huge aluminum heatsink as one of the side
panels and bolts the drives directly to avoid noisy fans.
Click to expand...

Sonata probably isn't big enough for 8 drives. The p160
case has 1 additional 5.25" bay which might then allow
you to do it.

If 4 of the drives are SATA, I know 3Ware sells a 4-
drive, 3-bay 5.25" unit for hot-swapping. That plus the
4 internal drive bays would give you 8 slots. (Not sure
if there is an equivalent 4-drive 3-bay unit for PATA.)

I have a 6-drive PATA (Promise SuperTrak SX6000) in my
p160 case. Four drives down below, then 2 drives in the
bottom 5.25" bays up top. I have 1 3.5" bay free and 1
5.25" bay free.

Anything over 6-7 drives, you almost have to go with a
double-width server case due to PATA cabling issues.
 
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