[dbconsultant]

We hooked up a 500GB WD Essentials HD to our 622 during the Olympics and are loving it! Now that I know it works well, I want to take the usb cord and plug it into the port on the back (cable now strung down the front of the entertainment center to the front port). I need to get a longer usb cable to do this and I know the WD's use the mini-b's but last night I googled on using a longer cable and saw some people having difficulties with the HD working when the longer cable is used.

I'm planning on picking one up tonight - either a 10' or 12' - but would like to know if anyone here has used the longer ones and if they have had success with them. I'd hate to have to re-arrange my whole entertainment center to accommodate the short cord!

 

[tnsprin]

We hooked up a 500GB WD Essentials HD to our 622 during the Olympics and are loving it! Now that I know it works well, I want to take the usb cord and plug it into the port on the back (cable now strung down the front of the entertainment center to the front port). I need to get a longer usb cable to do this and I know the WD's use the mini-b's but last night I googled on using a longer cable and saw some people having difficulties with the HD working when the longer cable is used.

I'm planning on picking one up tonight - either a 10' or 12' - but would like to know if anyone here has used the longer ones and if they have had success with them. I'd hate to have to re-arrange my whole entertainment center to accommodate the short cord!

Why do you need such a long cord? Obvious the longer the more delay in signal. Grace Hooper used to give out nanoseconds, piece of wire about a foot long. 12' is 12 additional nanoseconds (24 if roundtrip) delay which is huge for many computer commands and can lead to problems.

 

[Bill R]

There is absolutely no problem using longer cables with external drives on ViP receivers. As I have mentioned in other posts I am using a USB switch with several external drives. The cable from the ViP receiver is a 6 foot USB cable and the USB cable from each USB switch port is 6 foot to each external drive.

And tnsprin's comments about long cables do not apply to USB devices; they only apply to internal computer devices.

 

[dbconsultant]

Why do you need such a long cord? Obvious the longer the more delay in signal. Grace Hooper used to give out nanoseconds, piece of wire about a foot long. 12' is 12 additional nanoseconds (24 if roundtrip) delay which is huge for many computer commands and can lead to problems.

Thanks to both of you.

My entertainment center is a built in with really deep shelves and no rear access, that's why I need a longer cable. I have to snake the cable to the back of the shelves and down to the receiver. Yes, I could rearrange everything to move the HD closer to the receiver but that is even more of a PITA and cause for much cursing - when I have to rearrange for new components, even the dogs leave the house!

There is absolutely no problem using longer cables with external drives on ViP receivers. As I have mentioned in other posts I am using a USB switch with several external drives. The cable from the ViP receiver is a 6 foot USB cable and the USB cable from each USB switch port is 6 foot to each external drive.

And tnsprin's comments about long cables do not apply to USB devices; they only apply to internal computer devices.

Thanks, Bill, I will be picking one up on the way home!