SATA cable connections "wimpy"

A

aamsel

Gawd
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Messages
940
Is it just me, or do you find SATA connections to be "wimpy" at best??
I just used several for the first time, and I was surprised that nothing clicks into place to hold cables on, and that they really don't hold on in any "positive" manner.
Or, did I do something wrong??

Thanks,
Andrew
Austin, TX
 
Yeah, they aren't the best. I wish they made connectors like nintendo or Xbox for the HD especially
 
It's not you...it's just a (for lack of a better term) shitty design. The connectors are WAY to fragile for cables that stiff. I like the fact that the cables are smaller (although I'm baffled at the increase to 15 pins on the power connector), but they are too stiff. I have a PATA-SATA converter and have had to re-solder and superglue the connector back onto it already and I've only messed with it a couple times.
 
Yeah, well I have had them wanting to slide off the motherboard connection. LIke, if I go into the case to do something, I have to be especially careful not to disturb the SATA cables in any way, which seems pretty poor.

Thanks!!
Andrew
Austin, TX


Retro Rex said:
Yeah, they aren't the best. I wish they made connectors like nintendo or Xbox for the HD especially
Click to expand...
 
The vast majority of users will have someone in a Dell/HP/whatever sweatshop plug the cable in once and never touch it again. SATA cables can handle that just fine and it will probably even save the manufacturers a half-cent or two in production costs. Remember, the market isn't built around power users.
 
I'm surprised those connections stay in when those Dell boxes get the crap beaten out of them by the experts at UPS
 
Knocked these silly connectors loose several times, thank goodness I was learning about RAID5 at the time. Arrays rebuilt on 4 occassions, due to my own clumsiness. For something this important, you'd think the connectors locked into position. Of course this is not the case. If you have a Raid card in you're rig, be very careful, putting the side back on you're case. You really can knock them loose quite easily.
 
And remember that SATA cables are not shielded so its best not to put 90 degree or greater bends in them as it may hinder performance.
 
Western Digital and Molex already have latched connector schemes for their Serial ATA products. More importantly, the Serial ATA II spec has provisions for mating points with "positive mechanical retention."
 
BoogerBomb said:
And remember that SATA cables are not shielded so its best not to put 90 degree or greater bends in them as it may hinder performance.
Click to expand...

When you say "or greater" you mean bringing it more towards the obtuse angle?
 
I guess I did word that wrong. It should say dont bend it smaller than 90 degrees (IE dont fold the slack and zip tie it together) otherwise there is the possiblity of data corruption.
.
 
BoogerBomb said:
I guess I did word that wrong. It should say dont bend it smaller than 90 degrees (IE dont fold the slack and zip tie it together) otherwise there is the possiblity of data corruption.
.
Click to expand...

so if you shield it...can you fold/bend? Or do you mean shield the individual wires inside the cable...
 
Im talking about the wires inside the cable. IDE cables are shielded from one another by their sheathing and one strip of empty sheathing placed in between each wire. Ultra ATA cable have 80 wires but only 40 of them are used.

Heres a website that lists do's and dont's regarding SATA drives: http://www.ata-atapi.com/sata.htm. Doing a Google search turned up quite a few forum threads regarding SATA cable problems.
 
with the new systems and sata
1 out of 2 systems shipped to me
(500 out of 1000 in the last quarter)
have had the sata plug fall out of the HD on shipment
its come to the point where
i just open up every single case and look inside

right now the most likly cause of a desktop
not working for a client is the sata plug fell out
beeting out user stupidity
when something beets out user stupidity
someone should get draged out into the street and hung
 
Damn, I almost would have been happier if it was just me. :)

No, really, I am glad it wasn't just my imagination.

Andrew
Austin, TX
 
tiebird321 said:
with the new systems and sata
1 out of 2 systems shipped to me
(500 out of 1000 in the last quarter)
have had the sata plug fall out of the HD on shipment
its come to the point where
i just open up every single case and look inside
Click to expand...

Do your systems ship on pallets or individually?
 
Shielding, or lack of, has nothing to do with the flexibility of the cable. It has to do with keeping out noise from other components, like power cables, and such that might screw with the data integrity. Bending them has nothing to do with this. I have mine bent over on top of itself, like an accordian to save space.
 
Snugglebear said:
Do your systems ship on pallets or individually?
Click to expand...

depends on order size
orders vary from 1 unit to 80 units
when its over 20 they get sent on pallets
it does not seem to make a difference with the pallet vs not shipping
its still about 1/2 units with both methods
it seams to be constat vibration rather than sharp impacts that dislodge them

which worries me termendosly about long term support
as i figure if someone uses a bunch of unbalanced cd's it might vibrate the case enough to dislodge the conector
 
i remember reading a post a while back. there was talk about the cable brands and the rentention that they have on the connections. This was of course about sata cables. the people in the group that posted mentioned that foxconn sata cables are the best.

i have purchased a sata drive recently and used the cable provided by maxtor. it did have good retention but was not good and had possibility of displacement. i decided to experiment because of the comments. when i purchased my d875pbz motherboard it came with 2 foxconn sata cables. i have to say that they are corrrect. my hand starts to shake from the pull before it pops off. this is with both connections, the hard drive and motherboard interface.

so maybe there is some truth to the quality of the cables?

btw - all the do not's that i have seen in this info site and others i have done without any replication of errors or severe issues-this is with both cables.
 
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