IBM 628791U - PC 300 GL, User Manual

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Power and Signal Cables for Internal Drives
Your computer uses cables to connect integrated drive electronics (IDE)
drives to the power supply and system board. The following cables are
provided:
Ÿ
Four-wire power cables connect most drives to the power supply. At the
end of these cables are plastic connectors that attach to different drives;
these connectors vary in size. Also, certain power cables attach to the
system board.
Ÿ
Flat signal cables for connecting IDE and diskette drives to the system
board; signal cables are sometimes called ribbon cables. There are two
sizes of ribbon signal cables that come with your computer:
– The wider signal cable has two or three connectors.
- If the cable has three connectors, one of these connectors is
attached to the drive, one is a spare, and the third attaches to
the secondary IDE connector on the system board.
- If the cable has two connectors, one of these connectors is
attached to the hard disk drive, and the other attaches to the
primary IDE connector on the system board.
Note: If you want to add another device, and the signal cable
has only two connectors, you will need a signal cable
with three connectors.
– The narrower signal cable has two connectors for attaching the
diskette drive to the diskette-drive connector on the system board.
Note: To locate connectors on the system board, see “Identifying Parts on
the System Board” on page 62.
The following are some important points to remember when connecting
power and signal cables to internal drives:
Ÿ
The drives that are preinstalled in your computer come with power and
signal cables attached. If you replace any drives, it is important to
remember which cable is attached to which drive.
Ÿ
When you install a drive, ensure that the drive connector at the end of
the signal cable is always connected to a drive; also, ensure that the
drive connector at the other end is connected to the system board. This
reduces electronic noise from the computer.
Ÿ
If two IDE devices are used on a single cable, one must be designated
as the primary or master device and the other as the secondary or
subordinate device; otherwise, some of the IDE devices might not be
recognized by the system. The primary or secondary designation is
determined by switch or jumper settings on each IDE device.
Chapter 7. Installing Options
73