SCSI Cables
About SCSI Cables
SCSI cable is an incredibly reliable multimedia connector technology. Unlike other contemporary connectors, it uses very little CPU power, will not overwhelm the system bus, and can control a large number of devices at the same time.
SCSI is an acronym for Small Computer Systems Interface. SCSI is a bus technology that links all the devices to a central bus. This means that all devices follow a daisy chain connection. A host controller in the motherboard or from a separate expansion card will be responsible for controlling the SCSI bus. What makes the SCSI system better than other technologies because this system uses three distinct types of signalling methods: Single-Ended (SE), Differential (HVD or high-voltage differential), and LVD (or low-voltage differential). Read this article to know more about them.
Different types of SCSI cables for computers
In the early days of personal computing, Macintosh computers ran using SCSI controllers, and most PCs used IDE or ATA controllers. At that time, all the devices required a SCSI cable interface to work with Macs. These include hard drives, tape drives, WORM drives and printers. On the other hand, PCs used a variety of different controls for different types of peripherals. Not surprisingly, this was confusing for normal users. The Macintosh world avoided all these problems by using SCSI and only needed one bus to run all of its computers. However, all of the SCSI cables were not the same. Here is a list of five different types of them.
VHDCI .8mm 68-pin connectors
This interface makes use of a 68-pin connector at either end. VHDCI, or Very High-Density Cable Interconnect, has 68 .8mm pins arranged in two rows. There are 34 pins in the top row and another 34 pins in the bottom row. Even though the pin arrangement closely resembles that of a Centronics interface, both of them are not compatible with each other. You will see the 68-pin .8mm VHDCI connectors in applications like RAID.
Centronics 50 connectors
The Centronics SCSI connectors might look like the 68 pins VHDCI connectors at first. However, unlike the VHDCI, the Centronics have a hundred pins in the connectors. These pins will be in two rows, with fifty pins in each one of these rows. There is also another variation that has three rows of connectors. In this type, you will find the top and bottom rows having twenty-five pins and the middle row having fifty pins. Usually, the Centronics SCSI are common in older devices, like scanners, game controllers and other old external SCSI units.
Internal 50-pin and 68-pin SCSI
The Internal 50-pin SCSI connector consists of 50 pins arranged one on top of each other in two rows. That means there are two rows of pins with twenty-five pins in each row. This type of connector is common in devices, such as hard drives, optical drives, and removable disk drives. The internal 68-pin SCSI connector is a little bit different from this. It has 68 pins arranged on top of each other in two rows. There are 34 pins in the top row and another 34 pins in the bottom row. While the 68-pin connectors are similar to the 50-pin connectors in use, it has better transfer speeds.
Micro DB68
It might come across as surprising to a lot of people that Micro MDB68 is not one type of SCSI connector. Rather, this is a family of 67-pin connectors. It includes the Micro DB68 and MD68, each of which has 68 pins arranged in two rows. There are 34 pins in the top row and 34 pins in the bottom row. Both Micro D68 and Micro B68 are popular in smaller devices like laptops and notebooks. When it comes to applications, they are similar to other SCSI connectors. You will find them in removable hard drives, controllers, and external CDR/CDRW. In some places, this connector is also known as HD 68, HP68, or Half-Pitch.
Tips on how to buy SCSI Cables Online
Computers are extremely complex machines. Hundreds and thousands of small components have to work together in harmony for the computer to work. Therefore, anything that you use in the computer hardware must be of high quality and also durable. But because of the variety of SCSI cables, it can be hard to figure out the exact type of cable that you need in the system. However, it can be easier if you know what criteria to look for in them. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while you are shopping for SCSI connectors online.
- Type of cable – As you might have already understood, there are a variety of different SCSI cables. It is essential to have the right type of SCSI for any application because they are not cross-compatible. However, it is not really difficult to find the right one because in most cases, you can tell which cable is what type just by looking at the connector.
- Compatibility and transfer speeds – This applies almost all cables that transfer data between the computer and its peripherals. Regardless of whether you are buying the cable for an optical drive or a hard drive, look for the one that offers maximum compatibility and sufficient data transfer speed. All devices will have a maximum read/write speed. The transfer rate of the cable should be more than that.
- Cable length – Because SCSI cables are mainly used for internal connections, you will notice that most of them are only 50 centimetres long or shorter. While going for the longest cable might seem like a good idea at first, you will have to deal with the extra length from getting tangled. On the other hand, if it is an external cable, you might need it to be sufficiently long.
- Quality – The quality of the cable is extremely important for the system to work seamlessly. While it is true that these cables are generally more expensive than SATA cables, it is still not a good idea to cheap out on them. Trying to save money by going for a poor-quality product might cause you to end up paying more in the long run.
Besides SCSI cables, you will need many other types of cables as well for multimedia equipment. These include HDMI cables, DisplayPort cables, DVI cables, VGA cables, SATA and PATA cables, audio connectors, network cables, and many more. You can find any of them easily using our shopping search engine. It will also let you compare the prices and features of different products and pick the best one among them. So, don’t forget to check out all the amazing products from the Multimedia category.
Question & Answer
What is the use of a SCSI cable?
The basic function of SCSI cables is to provide high-speed bus connections between small computer peripherals such as hard disks, printers, and optical disks. In fact, the term SCSI itself stands for Small Computer System Interface. You have to consider the exact purpose of the cable when you are buying them as there are a few different types of them. For audio and video applications, like connecting speakers or displays, you have to use an AV cable. Connecting routers and network devices require network cables.
How do SCSI connectors work?
All of you might have used some kind of data transfer interface. USB is one of the most common types of data transfer buses. While it is enough for writing data to a flash drive, USB cannot handle high-speed data transfer in both directions. That is when you need the SCSI standard. It’s a fast bus that can simultaneously connect a lot of devices, including hard drives, scanners, CD-ROM/RW drives, printers and tape drives, to a computer and enables communication between all of these devices at the same time.
Where to buy SCSI cables online in the UAE?
SCSI connectors are some of the essential items to have in your tool kit, especially if you deal with a lot of legacy systems. Benign an old technology, sometimes you might come across old products that might have been around for well past their intended lifespan. Luckily, you will find really good quality cables online on Shops.ae. What is even better is the fact that it is easy to find products using our retail search engine . Moreover, on Shops.ae, you will get them for a really affordable price.