IDE cable connections

[Cohibaman]

I've got a music server using a PowerPC-based motherboard with an 300GB IDE hard drive and IDE CD-ROM. You pop in a CD and it rips it to the HD in either WAV or mp3 depending on user setting.

The factory configuration of the HD jumper is master & the CD-Rom is slave. I imagine to accommodate the physical layout, they swapped system and master connections on the 40 conductor IDE cable (i.e., the "system" cable connector is connected to the HD while the "master" cable connector is connected to the motherboard). Works just fine in this configuration as it should.

However, I replaced the 300GB with 750GB drive, also set to master - just like the original - but it won't boot with the swapped factory cable configuration. I had to get a longer 30" IDE cable to make it reach, connecting the "system" connector to the MB and the "master" connector to the HD.

I've never had a computer that acted like this when jumpers are set to master/slave.

[Agent24]

Re: IDE cable connections

Maybe it had something to do with putting the cable backwards...

Don't even try it on 80-conductor cables. Pretty sure the design of the ground bus in those would cause something to get shorted.

[c_hegge]

Re: IDE cable connections

It's apple. 'nuff said.

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

It's apple. 'nuff said.

Nope, it's not Apple.

Don't even try it on 80-conductor cables. Pretty sure the design of the ground bus in those would cause something to get shorted.

The longer cable is actually an 80 conductor.

[c_hegge]

Re: IDE cable connections

Nope, it's not Apple.

Ah. OK. PowerPC is an Apple platform.

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

Ah. OK. PowerPC is an Apple platform.

lol, so is an Intel Core i5

[Agent24]

Re: IDE cable connections

The longer cable is actually an 80 conductor.

But you're not using that one backwards, are you?

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

But you're not using that one backwards, are you?

Yes, it's the only way it works. It makes no sense to me.

[joshnz]

Re: IDE cable connections

Yes, it's the only way it works. It makes no sense to me.

by backwards he means the key upside down.

master and slave position are interchangeable provided the drives are set to master/slave.

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

Sorry, I misspoke on how the new drive works....

This is the original configuration where MB & HDD are swapped, which will NOT work with the new larger drive.

[]-----------14"---------------[]-----5.5"-----[]

(ABC left-to-right)

A is connected to the HDD (System connector)
B is connected to the CD ROM (Slave connector)
C is connected to the motherboard (Master connector)


The new drive ONLY works this way with ANY cable (literally tried 10 different cables)...

[]-----------15"-----------------[]-----15"----------------[]

A is connected to the CD-ROM (System connector)
B is connected to the HDD (Slave connector)
C is connected to the motherboard (Master connector)

[joshnz]

Re: IDE cable connections

Sorry, I misspoke on how the new drive works....

This is the original configuration where MB & HDD are swapped, which will NOT work with the new larger drive.

[]-----------14"---------------[]-----5.5"-----[]

(ABC left-to-right)

A is connected to the HDD (System connector)
B is connected to the CD ROM (Slave connector)
C is connected to the motherboard (Master connector)


The new drive ONLY works this way with ANY cable (literally tried 10 different cables)...

[]-----------15"-----------------[]-----15"----------------[]

A is connected to the CD-ROM (System connector)
B is connected to the HDD (Slave connector)
C is connected to the motherboard (Master connector)

seems like the drive is using cs

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

by backwards he means the key upside down.

Nothing to do with the connector key

master and slave position are interchangeable provided the drives are set to master/slave.

That's what I thought too.

[momaka]

Re: IDE cable connections

Have you tried putting the CD ROM and HDD on CS (Cable Select) and let the motheboard "figure it out"?

I've done the same as your original setup (i.e. the "motherboard" end of the IDE to a drive, and the "drive" end on the motherboard), and it never caused problems for me either, so I don't know what could be the issue. When you tried this, does the BIOS (or whatever that PowerPC motherboard has as equivalent... if any?) see the drive?

[stj]

Re: IDE cable connections

the different coloured plugs are not the same internally on the ones i'v opened.
that configuration shouldnt work.

[Cohibaman]

Re: IDE cable connections

Have you tried putting the CD ROM and HDD on CS (Cable Select) and let the motheboard "figure it out"?

Yep, when it only fired up the one way, I thought, "screw this...cable select!" Nope, didn't work. Had to get the ridiculously long cable.

When you tried this, does the BIOS (or whatever that PowerPC motherboard has as equivalent... if any?) see the drive?

CS never worked at all. It's a long story and involved many late nights obcessing about upgrading the drive (to a "known to be" compatible drive) until I serendipitously figured out cable position mattered in this rig, but briefly...with factory cable config., it WILL discover the HD, but ONLY when first installing the operating system from a restore disc in the CD-ROM onto the new, freshly formatted HD. Once the operating system is loaded, the system hangs on reboot - even if I try to reinstall the OS. If I reformat the drive, it'll do the same over & over (rinse & repeat).

For what ever reason I swapped cable positions and it finally worked.

It does have a bios btw, but non-accessible, proprietary and fickle too.