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Extending an IDE cable...

N

NfM-Malice

n00b
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Messages
8
I dont htink this is possible.. but I figgered if anyone knew how to.. it would be here...

I need to see if there is ANY way to Extend my CD Rom Drive somewhere in the neighborhood of 30' (Feet, not inches) away from my computer...

I know IDE cant be run longer than 24" in most extreme cases..


But is there ANY way to do this by ANY means?
 
I'm pretty sure there isn't in practical terms, due to signal loss.

However, you could extend an IDE device quite a bit (don't know about 30 feet) by putting it in a USB interfaced enclosure.

Erik
 
Firewire shouldn't be a problem, or you could use SATA, with the right converters .(There aren't any SATA-CD-roms out yet, are there?)
USB2.0 would probably work as well.
 
Okay.. after a little more research... I think Im gonna have to go with firewire 800...

FireWire 400 delivers data over cables of up to 4.5 meters in length. Using professional-grade glass optical fiber, FireWire 800 can burst data across 100 meter cables.
Click to expand...

I dont think 4.5m is enough distance... though 100m is overkill.. =P

So the next question is... Who has "Stylish" decent priced Firewire 800 Enclosures.. =P
 
Originally posted by NfM-Malice
Who has "Stylish" decent priced Firewire 800 Enclosures.. =P
Click to expand...

Haha...

Wait, was that a real question?

;).

Erik
 
The easy answer is get a second computer at the far end and just network them together.
Useing something like Windozes XP Pro, its simple to either just share the drives or use remote desktop and work the second comp from the first.

Luck.........:D
 
Originally posted by NfM-Malice
Doh..

Now I need to figure out how to run my Video Signal the Same distance.. lol
Click to expand...

Composite-to-coax, and coax cable, perhaps?
One would think thinnnet-coax has less signal degradation than your usual composite video cable.

Dare I ask just what you are doing with this?
 
Well...

Let me get you a little background on what Im Envisioning here:

AS to what Im trying to do...

I just moved my 2 Desks (With 3 Computers) into my Front room.. so my office is the first thing you see when you walk into my house... And with 3 COmputers... it's like a Giant Rat's Next of Cables... Looks Fugly as all hell..

So what I was going to TRY and do, was to put the computers in a Centralized Location (Like in the entry Closet or something...) and then run Extenders to my desktop for USB/Key/Mouse/Audio and then extend them through the walls to the computers...

But then I thought it would be a plain in the ass if I had to switch CD's... So I thought that if I could Wire the CD-Rom to my Desktop... I could Fabricate some sort of small Desktop Box Just a Tad Bigger than the CD-ROM drive itself.. With all the Connectors I needed in it.

That way there wouldnt be this huge Mess of Cables hanging back down the wall.. Nor 3 Monstrosities that are my CPU CAses Below the desks...


So any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated.. =P
 
Originally posted by NfM-Malice
Well...

Let me get you a little background on what Im Envisioning here:

AS to what Im trying to do...

I just moved my 2 Desks (With 3 Computers) into my Front room.. so my office is the first thing you see when you walk into my house... And with 3 COmputers... it's like a Giant Rat's Next of Cables... Looks Fugly as all hell..

So what I was going to TRY and do, was to put the computers in a Centralized Location (Like in the entry Closet or something...) and then run Extenders to my desktop for USB/Key/Mouse/Audio and then extend them through the walls to the computers...

But then I thought it would be a plain in the ass if I had to switch CD's... So I thought that if I could Wire the CD-Rom to my Desktop... I could Fabricate some sort of small Desktop Box Just a Tad Bigger than the CD-ROM drive itself.. With all the Connectors I needed in it.

That way there wouldnt be this huge Mess of Cables hanging back down the wall.. Nor 3 Monstrosities that are my CPU CAses Below the desks...


So any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated.. =P
Click to expand...

3 VNC sessions, running on one three-monitor computer, with one or a few CD drives shared to the other computers?
(You only need a computer capable of showing three simultaneous vnc/rdp/X/whatever-sessions and sharing a CDrom, and at worst a cheap dual-monitor video card + an even cheaper PCI one)

Alternatively, you could just do something smart with the cables, possibly including a KMV-switch.
 
Definitely not..

Parallel ATA has a distance limit of one meter (~3 feet) before the signal just turns to pure shit and you start experiencing data loss.

Serial ATA is much better, but still nowhere near what you are looking for at a max distance of 5 meters.

Firewire or USB 2.0 are where the money is at.

You should be able to just run an extension on the video, you can retain signal quality at up to 50 feet away from the source with a properly shielded cable.

Good luck. The wiring job on that is going to suck.
 
Originally posted by Egekrusher
Definitely not..

Parallel ATA has a distance limit of one meter (~3 feet) before the signal just turns to pure shit and you start experiencing data loss.

Serial ATA is much better, but still nowhere near what you are looking for at a max distance of 5 meters.
Click to expand...

About now I'll confess to having been a bit too fast when I converted feet->meters :D
(Not a conversion I need to often)
 
3 VNC sessions, running on one three-monitor computer, with one or a few CD drives shared to the other computers?
Click to expand...

Problem is.. I have 3 People Using the 3 Computers at any given time...

I I think running the 3 instances on one computer is a bad idea..

Or maybe Im misunderstanding..

But so far you guys have been very helpful.
 
Just put a Shuttle on your desk and run the lan cable to a hub in the closet to conect to the other comp's.
Or even go wireless.
Prob not the cheapest solution but the easiest.

Luck......:D
 
Problem is.. I have 3 People Using the 3 Computers at any given time...
Click to expand...

Thats a diffent problem than the one I thought we where solveing.

Luck........:D
 
Originally posted by Tigerbiten
Thats a diffent problem than the one I thought we where solveing.

Luck........:D
Click to expand...


Indeed. I think you could set up three separate X screens, with different mice and keyboards, with some wild messing with XF86Config, then run some remote protocol (vnc, rdp, citrix, X), one instance of the client on each monitor.

I'm turning this into a software problem, but then, I often do that.
(I've used a piece of CAT5, a SGI O2, and esd to get a headphone connection by my bed, instead of just extending the sound cable :) )
 
My Initial thought was to do exatly that.. go with Shuttle style Cube Cases and make them all look Nice... But then someone Suggested the alternate idea... and it was appealing as well...

Im just trying to figger out which way would be the most cost effective.. hehe
 
Call up Intel and Microsoft and tell them that you'd be willing to beta test their Vanderpool technology.
 
There are a few misconceptions in the thread I though I'd point out, though I can't offer a good solution.

First of all, USB tops out at about 20' unamplified. That's why they usually only make cables up to 16'.

Second, VGA can be run quite far. I believe it might actually make a 100' run. I have done some theater work and run VGA at least 25' so I'm sure it will go that far.
 
when i worked for an isp all of our boxes where ran off of a "annex" box that taped into a kvm and form there went to the boxes you wanted to control... and it was all done with a remote session... the down siad... i think all of the boxes where unix... so unless you plan on migrate your home... this may not work..

our you could do what im working on ... and build a good sized cube that is desgind to hold 3 matx mother boards 3 250w psu's (ok.. three really small computers) and build them all into one box... i figue if done right.. you could get them all into a box about the size of a yy cube, (i plan on getting 4 into the same sized box+a 5 port hub... its gonna be my portable lan party :D)

any way

gl

thore
 
well, I don't know how much money you have, but there do exist KVM solutions that run over standard ethernet. You could put all your computers in one place, and have access to any one of them from any keyboard/mouse/monitor in the house. I'm not sure if they do sound too. CDW would be a good place to look for that kind of stuff, Newegg doesn't generally carry such corporate-oriented stuff. You could also put in a CD server on the network that would hold all the CD's you think you might use and again have access to any CD from any computer.
 
One computer out front and the other two in back. 3 opticals (one for each computer, mapping 2 of them over the network) in the one and extended KVM cables for the others.

EDIT: Or use Daemon Tools to create virtual CD drives on them all and just switch ISOs as needed. Might not work for all your CDs, but maybe it will.
 
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