Can i use an old IDE cable with RPi B+ GPIO pins?

[jenzo]

I want to use an old IDE cable (with 40 pins) for the GPIO pins, without modifying it or removing the connectors. Is it safe to do that?

[PiGraham]

Yes. 40 pin IDE cables are simple pin to pin cables.

[FLYFISH TECHNOLOGIES]

Hi,

Is it safe to do that?

If the cable condition is ok, it is safe.

There are several details which can cause troubles in some circumstances (eg. length of the cable), but generally speaking, you can use it.


Best wishes, Ivan Zilic.

[redhawk]

Yes and maybe no it depends on the IDE cable and whether it's blocked off the middle pin to prevent applying the cable the wrong way up.
If you have such a cable you may need to drill a hole otherwise it would be physically impossible to place this over the GPIO header.

Richard S.

[mahjongg]

The blocked hole in the IDE cable corresponds to a GND pin in the GPIO header, so you could simply cut that pin, without losing functionality.

[Burngate]

Or just use a big hammer.
Either it'll make its own hole, or it'll bend out of the way

[jenzo]

Well, the middle pin was blocked, but that wasn't my biggest problem. I was able to drill a hole, but unfortunately the GND pins on the IDE cable ( http://courses.cs.tamu.edu/cpsc483/rabi ... a2copy.GIF ) are all connected, hence i can't really use it for raspberry.
Thanks for your answers though!

[klricks]

Well, the middle pin was blocked, but that wasn't my biggest problem. I was able to drill a hole, but unfortunately the GND pins on the IDE cable ( http://courses.cs.tamu.edu/cpsc483/rabi ... a2copy.GIF ) are all connected, hence i can't really use it for raspberry.
Thanks for your answers though!

A 40 pin cable is just a 40 pin cable. It's not IDE unless plugged into an IDE device. When plugged into RPi GPIO then its GPIO.

[mahjongg]

I was able to drill a hole, but unfortunately the GND pins on the IDE cable ... are all connected,

no they are not!

for a 40 wire IDE cable, it its just an IDE cable, wires are not connected between each other, unless plugged into an actual device that connects the wires together externally to the actual cable.

As said below a "80 wire IDE cable" is not a normal IDE (isolation displacement) cable, it is a specifically manufactured product that overcomes the transmit line problems of a normal 40 pin IDE cable by giving each wire its own ground return wire, and in the process it connects all pins used as GND in a harddisk interface cable together! it cannot therefore be used with a PI!

[joan]

I thought there was no interconnection. However on the IDE cable I have (is it an 80 connector one?) the ground pins are connected on the cable when I buzz through.

[mahjongg]

yes, there are IDE cables that have extra shielding and GND returns in the form of 40 extra wires interleaved with the 40 normal wires, and yes these connect to all the wires normall used for GND to the normal 40 wires assigned as GND's (in a HD interface cable) .

And no, what I said in the previous post does NOT apply to these cables, they are indeed useless for the PI, you need IDE cables with 40 wires, not 80 wires.

do not use 80 wire "IDE cables", they cause shorts!

[joan]

yes, there are IDE cables that have extra shielding and GND returns in the form of 40 extra wires interleaved with the 40 normal wires, and yes these connect to all the wires normall used for GND to the normal 40 wires assigned as GND's (in a HD interface cable) .

And no, what I said in the previous post does NOT apply to these cables, they are indeed useless for the PI, you need IDE cables with 40 wires, not 80 wires.

do not use 80 wire "IDE cables", they cause shorts!

Well that was fortunate. I got my 80 connector IDE cable out of the loft intending to use it with the B+ but never got round to plugging it in!

[reppard]

I am using a 40(IDE) Cable without issue. I've got mine wired up to an analog joystick(pulled from a PS2) and some pushbuttons. The middle hole isn't blocked on this particular cable.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d2clqy596zna5 ... i.jpg?dl=0

[kayinseven]

Hi.

I read tons of info about and I was still in doubt , so i plugged the old IDE cable 40 pin ATA 33 to the raspberry pi 2 with no alimentation. Then i tested each pin with a multimeter , comparing to the gpio 40 pin map.
The test showned nothing anormal. Results were the same as gpio map so
The old 40 pin ide cable with all holes can be used safely.

The 80 pin wasn't tested , so i can't say anything about it

Cheers

[mahjongg]

Yes, a "40-pin IDE Cable" is simply a 40 wire flatcable with two "isolation displacement connectors", no magic going on there, unlike the much later specially designed "80-wire IDE cables".

I wrote this: viewtopic.php?p=665572#p665572 about it in the "pitfalls for beginners" sticky.

[Sozyer Faise]

http://www.shivaranjan.com/shivaupload/ ... /80_40.jpg

This image is a great example of the differences between the two. Visually they are very different.

Consider the age of the computer you're about to gut for your new project. If its any newer than Y2K... you NEED to double check what kind of cable it is.

That all being said, it's perfectly reasonable with a few hours, a pair of snips, a lot of patience, and a few googles, you could probably isolate the 40 ground wires and suss out any proprietary common grounding in the plastic heads and bend the cable to your (apparently) iron based will / complete stubbornness. This would take a lot more time than going to your mom's house to pick up that old dell you had in high school, or swinging by your local online-retailer while you're supposed to be working... but keep in mind... we don't hack stuff into existence because it's easy.

[elhtmlnoexiste]

If you crack both conectors open the central metal row can be removed without affecting pin functionality. I've attached an image

IMG_20170118_203308.jpg (12.33 KiB) Viewed 15570 times