Step 19: Connect Cables



Drive with Cable and SCSI ID Connector Attached.

The 68-pin ribbon cable interfaces with the data connector.
The SCSI ID connectors interface with the appropriate pins on the rear of the drive.

RAID Tutorial by magician. Photos by Frank T.

Connecting Your Drive Data and SCSI ID Connectors

1. The 68-pin cable goes on the obvious connector on the rear of the drive. Don't force it. If it doesn't feel right, look carefully at the cable connector and the rear of the drive and make sure you do not have any bent pins. (If you do, very gently bend them back into position with a set of curved forceps. If you snap a pin, contact us for assistance with an RMA exchange. A gentle warning: be prepared to be teased about it.)

2. Use gentle pressure to snug the data connector onto the rear of the drive. Press evenly along all surfaces to ensure it is properly seated.

3. Your drive SCSI ID pins are typically on the rear of the drive. You will need to consult the legend on the top of the drive, or your drive manual to figure out which pins to use.

4. Looking at the SCSI ID connectors, generally black leads go on the bottom row of pins from left-to-right, and the colored leads go on the top row of pins, also from left-to-right.

5. If you have an enclosure designed for 68-pin devices, you will have a SCSI ID connector with four leads on it, acommodating fifteen (15) separate SCSI ID'¦s. If your enclosure was originally designed for 50-pin devices, your SCSI ID connector will have three leads on it, acommodating seven (7) devices. Either is fine. You just need to be able to identify the 0 (zero) wire, and place it on the 0 (zero) pin, with the other wires going sequentially left-to-right over corresponding pins.

6. As you inspect the SCSI ID connector assembly, you will note that you have four total plugs coming off the SCSI ID selector itself in the backplane of the enclosure. The plugs are organized in pairs: one pair is large, and one pair is small.

7. Generally, the small connectors are the ones you want to use on modern Seagate drives. If you are installing older drives, the larger connectors may be the right ones for you to use. Don't get confused: just look at the connectors, look at the pins on the rear of your drive, and figure out whether your drive requires the larger connectors or the smaller connectors.

8. If you are not using Seagate drives, be advised that drives from other manufacturers may have the SCSI ID pins on the front of the drive, underneath the drive on the drive controller board, or on the rear, or in two separate places on the drive. Just use one set of pins. Do not try to use two sets of pins at the same time. It will not work properly, and life will be very confusing.

9. Once you know which size you need to use, inspect the larger connectors carefully. You will notice that there is a caret mark, a small arrow, pointing at one wire. That is your 0 (zero) wire. Note the color of the wire. That is the wire that will go on your 0 (zero) pin. If you need to use the smaller connector, use that one, but make sure you use the right color on the zero pin.

10. Place your connectors over the pins, left-to-right, with colored wires high, and black ground wires low. Once they are snugly attached, again, you can tack them down with a dab of hot glue.

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