IDE cable length?

[Gut8]

i want to move my internal cd and 2 dvd drives from my pc to my desktop,
problem ive got is how long the IDE cable can be
ive seen i can buy them at 1m length but will i get data coruption at this length
or can i go longer?
thanks

[calumc]

As far as i know they cant be got because there wouldnt be enough power to go that far.
If you switched to SATA or got IDE to USB converters you could do it though

[slytherock]

36" is the max lenght for a IDE cable

[calumc]

ok I'm wrong, 36'' is almost exactly 1m!!

[Airbozo]

36" is the max lenght for a IDE cable

The "official" max cable length for IDE cables is 18", although with an 80 pin shielded cable I have pushed this to over 3' with no noticeable interference. Some things that would limit the length of the cable would be any close fluorescent lighting, any motors, cordless phones, amateur radio equipment (CB's too) or any other noise producing electronics.

http://www.dansdata.com/rcables.htm

[Gut8]

it might seem an odd question if someone is selling them at a meter length then they must be ok, but i remember reading at some time that 18" was the max so was just making sure.

thx

[Luke122]

I agree that using a USB-IDE converter would be best, then you could extend them as far as needed.

That being said, if your BIOS doesnt support booting from USB, you are in for a headache when you try to boot from a CD.

[Gut8]

the USB-IDE converter does seem like the best idea
especialy if you can go any distance the only problem being that
i can find 1mtr long ide cable but only a standard size USB-IDE converter,
if i get problems with the IDE i might have to look more into the convertor

[Luke122]

Well, not "any" distance.. I think the max for active USB cables is 5m.

[Gut8]

5mtrs is more than enough
do you need to watch for interference with USB's like you do with the IDE like what
Airbozo mentioned?

[Luke122]

USB is more resistant to interference, but it never hurts to be aware of the possibility. :)

[crenn]

I'll mention this, each little wire has a small currently, each wire produces a small magnetic field, and can affect each other. If you want to go longer... go for thicker wires.