RF interference from a hdd

[hdtv?]

I have a desktop setup next to my radio tuned to a local FM station.
Normally the desktop has an IDE hdd setup as primary master. I have used a
half dozen different IDE hdd's in this desktop without noticing radio
interference.

Yesterday I cloned the IDE to a Maxtor 250GB SATA hdd (XP Pro). Today I have
radio interference when the hdd reads (on bootup).

Is this a cable issue, or a connection issue?

 

[Rod Speed]

I have a desktop setup next to my radio tuned to a local FM station.
Normally the desktop has an IDE hdd setup as primary master. I have
used a half dozen different IDE hdd's in this desktop without
noticing radio interference.

Yesterday I cloned the IDE to a Maxtor 250GB SATA hdd (XP Pro). Today I have radio interference
when the hdd reads (on bootup).

Is this a cable issue, or a connection issue?

Just the different way the drive connects to the system.

SATA uses a rather higher speed serial connection, that's what the S is there for.

 

[Arno Wagner]

I have a desktop setup next to my radio tuned to a local FM station.
Normally the desktop has an IDE hdd setup as primary master. I have used a
half dozen different IDE hdd's in this desktop without noticing radio
interference.

Yesterday I cloned the IDE to a Maxtor 250GB SATA hdd (XP Pro). Today I have
radio interference when the hdd reads (on bootup).

Is this a cable issue, or a connection issue?

Open case? Other than that it may be a flaky power cable connector.

Arno

 

[hdtv?]

Open case? Other than that it may be a flaky power cable connector.

Arno

Yea, my main desktop is always open case for ease of hdd swaps. I know the
negatives re cooling/dust and I have various disk caddies here as well.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Yea, my main desktop is always open case for ease of hdd swaps. I know the
negatives re cooling/dust and I have various disk caddies here as well.

Ok, wit an open case it may simple be a cable that is in a different
position and now radiates towards your A/V equipment.

The primary rrason for metal cases is RF shielding ...

Arno

 

[Davy]

Maybe trying a ferrite clamp or toroid on all the leads might help,
or get an old ferrite rod antenna from a duff AM transistor radio
strip the coils off and wrap a few turns of the leads from the drive
round it, this will act as a rf choke hopefully stopping the leads
acting as an antenna.

This ought to prevent radiation from the leads, direct radiation from
the unit will require screening the unit... VHF FM only requires a
few inches of wire to make an effective antenna.

Ferrite clamps tend to be on the expensive side compared to toroidal
core's obviously they have to be big enough to allow the wire to pass
through, even one just slipped over the wire 'could' help.

The only other alternative is to move the radio further away.

Davy

 

[Michael Hawes]

Ok, wit an open case it may simple be a cable that is in a different
position and now radiates towards your A/V equipment.

The primary rrason for metal cases is RF shielding ...

Arno

As SATA is serial I/F, data clock is much higher than PATA I/F, hence
different RF effect. Closed case will reduce.
Mike.

 

[Arno Wagner]

As SATA is serial I/F, data clock is much higher than PATA I/F, hence
different RF effect. Closed case will reduce.
Mike.

The primary advantage of serial ATA is that it uses twisted pair.

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Ok, wit an open case it may simple be a cable that is in a different
position and now radiates towards your A/V equipment.

The primary rrason for metal cases is RF shielding ...

And obviously you only need that at bootup.
After that you can just take the cover off again.

 

[mj56219w]

I had the same problem and most of the RF interference stopped when I
plugged the hard drive in to another connection to the Power supply.
I plugged in a fan and DVD drive to the same cable so that no unused
pluggs were on the cable plugged in to the SATA drive.