Odd issues with front panel cable

[Flybye]

So I finally took a few hours to build the front cable only to discover a few strange problems:

1. USB
If I plug in a USB drive to the front panel, I lose my keyboard/mouse. I have an apple keyboard connected to the back of the case. Even if I disconnect the USB drive, I can't get kb/mouse control. Even if I disconnect the kb and try another port, I can't get it back. Rebooting gets me back kb/mouse.

2. Audio
I've always had hissing with my mic. If I move the mic slider bar around just a tiny bit, the hissing goes away. I use the VoodooHDA drivers since that the only driver that seems to work with my audio. With the front panel, the hissing stays no matter what I try to do and no matter if the speakers are attached to the back or front panel. Hissing only becomes evident when the driver is activated while ML boots up.

Thing is, I decided to make my front panel cable out of an IDE cable (I wanted the flatness of it) which has 32 gauge wires in it. If I wrap my hands around the IDE cable, the hissing starts distorting in all strange ways. I'm leaning towards the IDE cable having the wires too thin and not having enough distance between the smaller cables, but what do you guys think? Would the IDE cable also cause an odd issue like that with the USB?

 

[MacTester57]

I think, you have to use shielded and twisted cables to fix these issues. Are you sure, that you didn't interchange some wires of the USB?

 

[neilhart]

Are you using a 40 conductor IDE cable or an 80 conductor IDE cable? If you use the later, you could try grounding every other conductor in an attempt to squelch the noise. Google "high density IDE cable".

neil

 

[Flybye]

I just checked them and they are all correct.

But there is 1 wire I did not connect. USB shield ground. I didn't connect it because others have mentioned that ground is ground. So as long as there is a ground, then it should work. I did not connect it because the USB extension header that I have didn't have that cable in it. Think this could be the cause?

 

[MacTester57]

I just checked them and they are all correct.

But there is 1 wire I did not connect. USB shield ground. I didn't connect it because others have mentioned that ground is ground. So as long as there is a ground, then it should work. I did not connect it because the USB extension header that I have didn't have that cable in it. Think this could be the cause?

According to the USB specification, the data+ & data- wires have to be twisted and shielded (inside of a metallic braid, that is connected to GND).
For details see Here. And yes, GND is GND, but the braid must be connected to GND.

 

[Flybye]

Are you using a 40 conductor IDE cable or an 80 conductor IDE cable? If you use the later, you could try grounding every other conductor in an attempt to squelch the noise. Google "high density IDE cable".

neil

Its a 34 pin (with 1 blocked pin) ribbon cable. Actually, I just remembered its a floppy ribbon cable if that makes any difference. I'll be grounding the other pin tonight, and will do a search for what you suggested in just a bit.

 

[eelhead]

You get this figured out?