On Jun 17, 2009, at 3:11 AM, Ralph Green wrote:
> Use any flat IDE cable you want.
Only if you want to force the lowest possible performance, as without
the additional information available using the technique previously
mentioned, the 'puter has no other choice but to force basic mode
(16.67 MB/sec), and all models from the B&W on make the provision for
enhanced mode (33 MB/sec, or faster).
> Use 80 pin cables if you want speeds
> greater than 33 megabytes per second.
That is but one (and only one) reason to use 80-wire/40-pin cables.
Another is most modern optical drives, although these never use
faster than 33 MB/sec, these require 80-wire/40-pin cables for more
than 8X writing.
Although the OEM packaging never says so, the retail packaging
certainly does: in order for the drive to operate faster than 8X an
80-wire/40-pin cable is required, even if the host bus is 16.67 MB/sec.
An 80-wire/40-pin cable may also be required for some of the improved
burning strategies ("always write", etcetera).
Bottom line: to ensure the highest percentage of good burns, and,
conversely, the lowest percentage of "coasters", an 80-wire/40-pin
cable is required.
All desktop Macs from B&W on use an 80-wire/40-pin cable for both ATA
buses, whether those buses are ATA-2, ATA-3 or ATA-4 (and higher ATA
modes on the MDD).
Only the Beige used a 40-wire/40-pin cable, and that model series was
limited to 16.67 MB/sec, and two masters if Revision 1, and two
masters and two slaves if Revision 2 or 3.
(The Revision 2 or 3 models could accept slaves on the optical bus,
but the HD bus was never provided with a slave connector on any
revision, for the reason that the slave drive would be located more
than 18 inches from the host connector, although that limit could be
exceeded with specially designed and tested cables).
> Use CS if you are prepared to
> have your computer guess which drive is which and whether you have the
> right cable.
There is no "guessing" involved.
The drive which is connected to the black connector is master; the
drive which is connected to the gray connector is slave.
But, as master and slave are actually "peers", it doesn't matter
which drive is master and which drive is slave, just as long as the
following rule is met: if there is only one drive on a bus, it must
be master and it must be at the end of the cable.
The black connector is on the end of the cable.
Incidentally, the black, gray and blue connectors are not identical.
There are pins missing (open) or are present and are grounded
(closed) in certain strategic positions.
In this way, the host may determine if the cable is 40-wire/40-pin or
is 80-wire/40-pin, or is not present at all, and also the maximum
operating speed of each connected device.
80-wire/40-pin cables allow for asymmetric operation (16.67 MB/sec
for one device, and 33 MB/sec or faster for the other device).
> Set the master/slave settings if you want to know it will
> work.
Well, yeah, but all of the above must be met, too.
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