Just curious but does anyone know what the function of the small white connector on CD rom cables are for?
I know you can connect them to soundcards, but I dont seem to lose any functionality with them disconnected.
That's just a cable that can be connected to different drives. The white one was afaik used by Sony. Use the one that fits, the other one stays unconnected.
Both drives and cards had multiple kinds of connector (and in some cases pinout) to do exactly the same job. Before everything standardized on the four-pin three line flat connector (the black one in the pic) you saw cables with two or sometimes even three different connectors. You only need to hook up one.
Early CD-ROM hardware was a wild west of standards, that connector was used by several CD-ROMs and sound cards instead of the general 4-pin pinout. Also be reminded that there are a couple different pinouts (LGGR vs LGRG) for that header as well.
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Ah very helpful replies thank you!
I see people with cards that have both plugged in quite a lot, so I guess it can't do any harm?
GrampaGotTheKeys wrote on 2020-01-27, 15:28:so I guess it can't do any harm?
It can. Depending on the pin-out, you may end up with mono only when connecting both plugs. Just don't do it.
derSammler wrote on 2020-01-27, 16:15:GrampaGotTheKeys wrote on 2020-01-27, 15:28:so I guess it can't do any harm?
It can. Depending on the pin-out, you may end up with mono only when connecting both plugs. Just don't do it.
Oh snap, that explains some audio issues I was experiencing in the past, thought it was just a loose cable
