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IDE type cable connector on G card

  • 19-08-2003 11:35am
    #1
    KoNiT
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 577 ✭✭✭


    Whats the IDE type cable connector on Graphics cards for?

    I've an ATI Rage pro & Soundblaster sound card with this conector.


Comments

  • #2
    maxheadroom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,569 ✭✭✭maxheadroom


    How old is the soundblaster - On old SB cards, there actually was an IDE interface, to let you plug in a CD-ROM if your comp didn't come with one.


  • #3
    Inspector Gadget
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,393 ✭✭✭Inspector Gadget


    If I'm not mistaken, anything that looks like an IDE interface on a graphics card is probably a VESA feature connector or similar, used for specialised daughterboards.

    (An example of this would be the Rainbow Runner video capture cards Matrox used to offer for their earlier Millenium cards)

    The one on the SB could be an IDE interface; hell it could be an earlier company-specific interface for a CD-ROM, as existed in the days before support for removable and/or read-only drives were added to the IDE spec. I can't remember exactly, but there was a Sony interface, a Panasonic/Matsushi ta/Creative (oh look!) interface, and (I think) Mitsumi.

    It could also be an interface to a daughterboard; some sound cards could make use of MIDI daugterboards containing samples and that sort of thing.

    However, in fairness, the types of connectors used for old-style "parallel" IDE cables are bog-standard 0.1" pitch pin headers, that could be (and have been) used for anything and everything, in various sizes and arrangements... cases in point in every PC are:

    Jumpers (if your board has any left)
    Floppy connectors
    Analog CD Audio cable sockets
    USB/Firewire headers,
    Speaker/Front Lights & Switches
    3-pin fan sockets

    (Okay, okay, some of these have custom shrouds, but they're the same...)

    Gadget ;)


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