Arno Wagner wrote:
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage glee
wrote:
"glee" wrote in message
...
You are correct as far as what that particular web page refers to:
40-pin, 80-wire IDE cables.

Correction/Typo: That should read: 40-pin, 40-wire IDE cables. Brain
failure (again)!

I'm not sure I should go so far as to say you are correct there,
either..... there can and will be the possibility of "electrical
disturbances" regardless.

True. There will be signal echoes on the wires. The enpoint
will indeed get a significantly cleaner signal.

But as I said a device at the end will not improve
the situation for the device in the middle in any way.

Wrong, it reduces the 'signal echoes' which are actually
the sharp edges getting reflected off the impedance
discontinuity. Thats reduced with a drive on the end.

It does not matter whether it is an 40/40 or an 40/80 cable.
IDE devices just don't do any termination.

Irrelevant. The drive has a different impedance to no drive.

That means that while inactive the IDE device at the
end will just be a very high resistance digital input.

Wrong again.

No effect on electical echoes on the wires at all.

Wrong again. Its significantly different impedance to no drive.

If you have a borderline broken device, then you may observe it
only working on the cable end. However if you have a correctly
working device it must work in both positions, regardless of
whether another device is present. (Disregarding the CS/jumpers
issue for the moment.)

Separate issue entirely.