All:
is IDE terminator (those little black female plugs on IDE cable) the proper terminology?

I have IDE cables (just like everyone else) that are on avg from 10 - 18 inches. I have a standard case and the ide ports on the mobo are on avg about 4-6 inches from the drives. As such I scoured the web (the usual sites: directron.com, xpcgear.com, etc) looking for ide cables in length of 5-10 inches.

after not finding any I started contemplating just rethreading my IDE cables to shorten them. With some of the test cables I've experimented with it seems that to remove the original plug from the ide cable you have to pretty much destroy the plug. Does anyone know where I can buy just the little black plugs on IDE cables (or premade rounded short ide cables)?

tia,
jpbarto

newark, digikey, mouser.

thanks!

Could you not just fold them over and put a band around them to tidy them?

There called IDC flat ribbon connectors.

michaelk thank you for the correction. Thymox yes I could just fold them over... but I'd prefer to have a much cleaner look by having the cable run directly from the mobo to the drive. Plus for like $1.50-$2.50 per connector its worth learning a little too. Does anyone else think its odd or maybe inconvenient that ide cable is only sold in 10-34 in segments?

Not really. That is an average length. It would cost to much to keep a whole bunch of sizes and I wouldn't think the demand would be that great.

BTW there is a special tool required to assemble them to the ribbon cable. You don't need the tool but you are apt to break the connector without it.

FYI IDC stands for Insulation Displacement connector.

Nexfan Round Cables

Scroll to the bottom of the page. They have several 10 inch and 18 inch round IDE cables for like $5.00. I have a couple in my main system.

slight

michaelk thanks for the tip. again shortening ide cables is a learning experience for me as I've never done it before so I appreciate any advice.

P.S. does everyone else have a full tower case that they need 10+ inch cables? I'm the odd man out aren't I.

Nope.... check out Frankenstein..... I feel your pain guy. I can barely fit all of the cables in....

slight

oh wow... what is that a micro-atx board? seems like an odd layout... with the ports all the way on the back end of the board. The cpu down by the bottom probably isn't too bad an idea. My board has the cpu right below the PSU ... up near the top of the case where all the heat would sit.

You're right though... some Frankenstein's got some definite cable management issues.

Not to change the thread topic but is Frankenstein the machines actual name? My latest box is named Metatron. Along with Gabriel, Mephisto, and Azrael.

Yup.... At least, frankenstein is what I call it.

Here is the story of where it comes from, if you are interested in the read:

Slack, Fluxbox, junk parts

Any luck finding IDE connectors yet?

slight