Switched On Tech Design

Tag: cable

  • Right-angled SATA cables

     

    Having trouble with routing SATA cables in a tight space? Don’t forget that you can get SATA cables with connectors at a variety of angles, including 90 degrees to the side:

     

     

    This can make routing cables quite a bit easier – sometimes allowing you to avoid pressing the cable in at an odd angle or putting pressure on the connector (which can break your $100+ drive rather than your $5 cable). The other end can be straight or 90 degrees – straight is usually the most handy for the motherboard end:

     

     

    They’re around the same price as a regular straight-ended SATA cable – only a few dollars each, which is well worth the investment if it means avoiding putting strain on your drives or potentially damaging the cable through awkward routing.

     

     

    Hope that helps someone who didn’t know they existed!

  • SAS Cable Length for Norco 4224+M1015

     

    This is a question we get asked reasonably often – what is the right SAS cable length for a Norco 4220/4224 chassis while using IBM M1015 HBAs?

     

    50cm: Doable but puts a great deal of strain on the connectors, particularly on the card end.

    60cm: Enough with some slack and no excessive pressure on the connectors.

    75cm: Enough with a reasonable amount of slack; will likely require a few cable ties to prevent obstructing airflow if you have more than one.

    1m: Too much slack.

     

    We tested the lengths with the HBAs in each of the available slots, from nearest to the CPU to farthest away. Were you to have raid cards/HBAs with end ports rather than upwardly-facing ports you would be able to get away with the 50cm cables without issue.