31 Aug 2003, 00:19, Jasen Betts (3:640/1042), wrote to Roy J. Tellason:

Hi Jasen.

 RJT>> 80?  Will that need something different at the other end?  I'm
 RJT>> only looking at the standard stuff on the MB here..

 JB> you know how with a 40 conductor IDE cable half the pins are 
 JB> ground, well, 

No they are not Jasen.  Only pins #2, 19, #22, #24, #26, #30, and #40 are
ground in a 'standard' 40 conductor IDE cable.  Those isolate only the
"main" control lines, nothing whatever is done for the data
lines.

 JB> with an 80 conductor cable the pins aren't but every second wire is 
 JB> still a ground, I think the plugs are wired differently internally.

This _is_ correct for the 80-wire cable, each of the 40 pins of the
connector still carry the same label, and are 100% compatible with older
cables.  40 additional wires were added with one lead _between_ each
existing lead of the original 40 wires.  I've not yet determined whether
they are just "spacers" or whether they are actually grounded,
and if they are grounded, whether at only one end or at both ends.


     Good luck...  M.

--- Msged/386 TE 06 (pre)