Round IDE Cable.... Cable Select?

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

I've looked at several ads for them, but in no case was it mentioned whether the cables supported "Cable Select".

Do all round cales support CS? None?

TIA

Hose

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7141

Why are you using cable select?

Set the drives as Master or Slave on each channel.
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HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

It's easier to swap HDs if all are set on CS. My CS cable went bad and I'm hooked up on a regular Master/Slave setup now.... looking for CS cable, however.

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7141

To each there own, but you will have less problems with the standard way of setting up the drives.
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HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

Hadn't had any problem until today.... turned it on and my slave HD was not recognized.... traced the trouble to the cable.

Yoshida · UberTweaker Joined: 24 Dec 2003 Posts: 1219

I agree with nathan on just using jumpers, id assume that round cables do support this feature (dont really see why they wouldnt) on my round cables there is a tag that specifically labels each connector as slave and master, so i'd bet money they do support cable select.

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

Found a line in an article, ".... all 80 wire cables now support CS..."

Older ribbon CS cables had a hole in them. Newer ones apparently not.

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

2old2care · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:33 pm Post subject:

What is in control of the function?
The drives...No, the cable....Not, the BIOS....ding....ding...ding...
So CS is mobo dependent upon how reliable it is.
And....we don't even want to talk about what could happen OC'n.
It's really just more reliable to get used to switching jumpers....oops

I guess that IS old school.... with SATA being the more common way now

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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

Agreed....CS was invented for the lazy or or those who didnt want to read the directions....=P
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HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

HA HA HA HA

you do that..and ill start sticking SIMMs in my floppy drive.
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2old2care · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:47 pm Post subject:

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

I still may try rounds, but since all 80 wire cables now support CS I'm all set. I'd just thought that because none of my ribbon cables had the hole on wire 28, they would not support CS and I'd have to buy something. As each new HD ships with a new ribbon, I've already got a multi year supply.

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2752

All new cables support CS. That means all rounded cables.

Should you use it? No. Set the jumpers as you normally would. I don't know for sure why, but in most cases, CS settings have troubles detecting multiples of the same drives.........i.e. two Maxtor 200gb drives on IDE 1. It can also lead to botched OS installs.

To follow the argument that CS is the logical development out of jumper settings..............Windows ME came AFTER Windows 98..............'nuff said.
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ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

2old2care · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:04 am Post subject:

HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

The Logic = Money (easier for user, fewer technical support calls)

Jumpering and CS should be electronically equal. It's a small piece of hardware and an electrical signal which determines Master and Slave.... both cases.

Logically, then, if CS is overall easier, less costly, and functions the same, then it is "better" by definition. (If CS had been conceived first, there wouldn't even BE jumpers on a drive... they would be totally unnecessary. In the "good old days", the Master was the middle connector... how dumb is that?)

2old2care · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:30 pm Post subject:

Huh....in the old days (IDE wise) there was not a master or slave position on a cable. There were jumpers to set these things....and the data (on 40 pins) was parallel (hence the name) and the jumper created the electrical signal to indicate position electrically.
I used to turn cables upside down all the time when I had a hdd close to the board, or opticals that were farther apart than usual.
I think we just came full circle....It doesn't function "exactly" the same, that is what others are saying. Sometimes, albeit getting more and more rare, there are incompatabilities. When we used jumpers....it was like a crank on the car...it always turned the engine over. If it didn't work it was the "nut behind the wheel".

Again...it's a legacy debate....no problem with the SATA drives. Of course, if you cross over to the "dark side," and use SCSI...you better get ready to set some jumpers.

If the CS is working for you, I see no reason not to use it.
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Silicon Skum · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 7:24 pm Post subject:

If I recall correctly, the cable select feature was not originally a feature of the early hard disks, it was a required connection for a certain manufacturer of high end / specific task machines. It was a feature that just became more common on hardisks and was eventually supported by a larger number of drive controller manufacturers. It was so long ago I learned of this I can't be sure of the actual details.

Cable select is NOT superior in any way to master / slave jumper settings, and I have experienced huge problems with CS if the drive controller is run outside of even a narrow range of it's rated speed. So for overclocking in most cases it is a big no no. CS can also be problematic between different controller chips used on the same cable.

The CS option is not realy a usefull setting for drives, though it is used by some manufacturers and in certain types of drive arrays in some computers, or where high production turnover with pre imaged drives or other reasons where specific settings for master / slave combinations are not of a high priority, such as creating production style pre imaged hardrives from a master image file.

Just because the feature is available does not mean it is suitable for use for "every day" use.

some interesting info and links that may be of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_drive

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HoseB · SirTweaksabit Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 260

Ham_fisT · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:25 pm Post subject:

I never use it, but not because i've had problems, i just don't mind setting jumpers

the reason nearly all new drives are jumpered CS, is because the average buyer is purchasing it for a second drive in his / her Dell, or HP, (which, coincidentally, come configured in CS mode), this eliminates a bunch of sill n00b tech-support calls.
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Silicon Skum · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:44 am Post subject:

ToggleHead · TWEAKGURU Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 4360 Location: Jersey

^^^^Agreed

It doesnt ALWAYS work....while master and slave does......IMO, better to be safe, than sorry
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