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#237627 - 14/10/2004 17:33 Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)?
petteri
addict

Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
Hello,

Being pretty new to this I've searched the FAQ and the BBS and seem to have found refrences to the problem I'm having. I'd bought an EMPEG off of Ebay and it was shipped to me from Europe. When I plugged in the unit I got the "No hard drive found error". I opened up the Empeg and checked the cable from the HD to motherboard. It seem like the IDE connector from the END of the cable that connects to the motherboard was VERY loose. I tried to plug it back in but it just pops right back out. I did manage to get it to "stay" once, or so I thought, but just got "lost player settings" or something like that and then the "no hard drive" error again. So I opened up the EMPEG once again and the IDE cable is loose again. So what do I do now? Does the unit need some "professional" care or is there something I can do myself to fix this? I have NO experience in this sort of thing. Thanks for any adive you can provide!

Peter
Miami, FL USA

P.S. It seems as though the cable IS crimped properly and there are no dry or loose solder joints.

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#237628 - 14/10/2004 17:45 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: petteri]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
I tried to plug it back in but it just pops right back out.

An IDE cable should not behave like that unless the pins are bent, the cable is on backwards, it's the wrong type or length of IDE cable, or something similar.

I recommend just getting a new cable from Eutronix (link above), and making sure it's on in the right direction.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#237629 - 14/10/2004 17:51 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: tfabris]
petteri
addict

Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
Thanks for the quick reply. I'll order the cable. Is it necessary to "glue" the cable to anything as it is on the original drive? Thanks again.

Peter
Miami, FL USA

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#237630 - 14/10/2004 17:56 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: petteri]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
Is it necessary to "glue" the cable to anything as it is on the original drive?

The gluing should not be necessary on the motherboard side of the assembly. It should also not be necessary on the disk drive side unless the player gets a lot of rough treatment.

The fact that it keeps popping off the motherboard hints to me that it's either installed backwards so that there's not enough length at the motherboard end, or that it's the wrong cable altogether.

The Eutronix cables are a tiny bit longer than the factory cables, as well, just in case.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#237631 - 14/10/2004 17:58 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Maybe someone tried recrimping it and ended up crushing it instead.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#237632 - 14/10/2004 18:01 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: petteri]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Is it necessary to "glue" the cable to anything

Not in my experience... I've had my drives without glue for more than 2 years now - since last round of drive upgrades - without any problem. Only IDE problems I've had were a poor solder connection on the IDE header on the motherboard and a poor crimp on the first drive connector (middle connector on the cable) - both fairly easy to fix (latter moreso than the first) and well documented in the FAQ.

Edit: late again


Edited by mtempsch (14/10/2004 18:02)
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/Michael

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#237633 - 14/10/2004 18:05 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: wfaulk]
petteri
addict

Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
Quote:
Maybe someone tried recrimping it and ended up crushing it instead.


In taking a closer look at the connector for the 1st drive the glue has been removed (mostly) and the black plastic does show some scarring on it. I have ordered a new cable in the longer size. So this should be just a simple matter of replacing this cable then! If so I'm pretty happy. What causes the other error I saw before? I searched for that but came up empty. It stated something about lost player settings, but I don't recall exactly.

Peter
Miami, FL USA

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#237634 - 14/10/2004 18:37 Re: Newbie IDE problem (loose connection to motherboard)? [Re: petteri]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31594
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
What causes the other error I saw before?


What, the "lost player settings" error? Something's gone pretty wrong at that point, perhaps because of all the cable trouble and futzing. It means the player lost its flash settings. I don't know if it's simply going back to the prior flash setting when you get that message, or if everything got reset to factory defaults.

In any case, that error message shouldn't happen in normal usage.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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