# three way ide



## toxict3arz (Oct 12, 2004)

is there a three way ide cable? .. like .. connects to three hard drives with one cable?


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

No because one IDE controller cant have more than 2 devices connected to it.


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## toxict3arz (Oct 12, 2004)

so no chance of getting three hard drives on my computer correct? .. (considering i have a cd rom and a dvd rom also)


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## kodi (Jun 30, 2004)

You can use a PCI card with two IDE connecters and run two more hardrives.


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## toxict3arz (Oct 12, 2004)

can you tell me a little more about that kodi?


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

A PCI IDE Controller Card

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=16-115-009&depa=0


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## norin (Dec 28, 2004)

why couldn't this have been posted b4 i threw away my magazine.... 

i had a computer magazine from a computer online stor that sells crazy nifty things... and one of them was the choice for IDE ribbons... either 2, 3, 4, or i think possibly up to 5 aditional IDE slots open in addition to that one that connects to the mother board. but i forgot the name of the mag and i don't have the name or the site either. but i get the mag once a month once i get it i will post abck here and try to find it for you.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

A single IDE channel will only support 2 drives. As opposed to a SCSI controller which can support 7 or 15 devices on a single channel.


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## norin (Dec 28, 2004)

maybe that's what those IDE cables were for then.... hmmm i am still looking and trying to investigate


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

I have seen and even purchaced IDE cables with more than 3 connectors on them. However you can only have 2 devices on them at once.


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

crazijoe said:


> I have seen and even purchaced IDE cables with more than 3 connectors on them. However you can only have 2 devices on them at once.


Out of curiosity - if they are sold that way - then for what purpose ?


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## Fr4665 (Nov 18, 2004)

good point sarcast but if u know you can custom make them so maybe someone just put another conector on there to freak someone out :laugh: 

yeah PCI ATA133 controllers thats what they are called decent ones sell for around 50$ and they have two more IDE ports so you can hook 4 more devices up that use IDE. I got a 40$ controller and after a year its still running like a dream its a good thing to have cause if you just want to whipe something of an old hard drive you just plug it in and dont have to worry about getting in a mess with slaves and stuff and masters

ttyl


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Sarkast said:


> Out of curiosity - if they are sold that way - then for what purpose ?


They were extended length cables with several connectors at different points. More or less for a custom box set up where say the master may not be sitting right under the slave. You could choose which connecectors that would keep it more tiddy. I used one on a rackmount 1U case. 3ft long IDE cable with 5 connectors on it. Only used one on the MB, one on the HDD and other on the CDROM drive. The MB only had a single IDE channel and the drives were set in a way that a standard IDE cable was not long enough and the connectors would inhibit both drives from being connected.


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## toxict3arz (Oct 12, 2004)

crazijoe said:


> They were extended length cables with several connectors at different points. More or less for a custom box set up where say the master may not be sitting right under the slave. You could choose which connecectors that would keep it more tiddy. I used one on a rackmount 1U case. 3ft long IDE cable with 5 connectors on it. Only used one on the MB, one on the HDD and other on the CDROM drive. The MB only had a single IDE channel and the drives were set in a way that a standard IDE cable was not long enough and the connectors would inhibit both drives from being connected.




it must be one crazy messy inside of a computer eh?


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Actually it's quite neat. The longer cables allow you to route them tuck them under places.


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