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DIY 80 wire IDE cables, which connectors are necessary?


SoftMachine
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I'd like to make some 80 wire IDE cables for the Xbox, 80 conductor 30 AWG ribbon cable is no issue but when it comes to IDC/IDE/PATA connectors there are a lot of different names and specs, I'm quite sure which ones I have to account for. 

I've been told that normal keyed 40-pin IDC connectors will not do the job, so what type of connector is needed? Also, if you've made these cables before, where did you source the connectors from?

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2 hours ago, SoftMachine said:

I'd like to make some 80 wire IDE cables for the Xbox, 80 conductor 30 AWG ribbon cable is no issue but when it comes to IDC/IDE/PATA connectors there are a lot of different names and specs, I'm quite sure which ones I have to account for. 

I've been told that normal keyed 40-pin IDC connectors will not do the job, so what type of connector is needed? Also, if you've made these cables before, where did you source the connectors from?

It's a regular 40 pin with the center blocked opposite the tab.

I had a special cable made for my xtender project by stonewall cables, it cost me 85 dollars, but worked perfectly.  

I had a hard time finding 80 conductor 40 pin connectors, so on my test cable I ordered several of the cheapest 18" ultra ide cables and took the connectors off and put them on a Manhattan 36" cable ( I was going for 3 hard drives tho) 

 

A regular 24" Manhattan ultra ide cable works very well if folded correctly.

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32 minutes ago, Puritan001 said:

It's a regular 40 pin with the center blocked opposite the tab.

I had a special cable made for my xtender project by stonewall cables, it cost me 85 dollars, but worked perfectly.  

I had a hard time finding 80 conductor 40 pin connectors, so on my test cable I ordered several of the cheapest 18" ultra ide cables and took the connectors off and put them on a Manhattan 36" cable ( I was going for 3 hard drives tho) 

 

A regular 24" Manhattan ultra ide cable works very well if folded correctly.

Those 24" cables are the ones I've been using which are around $8-9 per and do fit fine backwards, but I use a lot and want to get my cost down (also orient them correctly for Xbox.) I just found a 3 color set here: https://www.sfcable.com/flat-ribbon-connectors.html which are not priced too bad considering they're clearly labeled as ultra ATA connectors. After more research I did find that 80 wire connectors are indeed different and every other or-so conductor is grounded so I went ahead and just ordered some of those 3 color packs. 

My next step is sourcing 80 conductor flat cable but I have yet to find that for a price I think is fair, I did find some $0.99 per foot cable but the shipping for 200ft is over $90 and that's within the USA 😬

Edited by SoftMachine
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4 hours ago, SoftMachine said:

I'd like to make some 80 wire IDE cables for the Xbox, 80 conductor 30 AWG ribbon cable is no issue but when it comes to IDC/IDE/PATA connectors there are a lot of different names and specs, I'm quite sure which ones I have to account for. 

I've been told that normal keyed 40-pin IDC connectors will not do the job, so what type of connector is needed? Also, if you've made these cables before, where did you source the connectors from?

You need one of each of these 3 connectors: 

Hardware Accessories - Ribbon Connectors - 40/80 ATA IDE Female Connector, Black, Blue, Gray - CablesOnline

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27 minutes ago, KaosEngineer said:

Yes I do, SFcable had the same ones for a fraction of the price but immediately refunded me and sent an email saying they didn't have them :| $2.50 per connector is really up there though, I'm gonna email them. 

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