Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector

[DynamoNED]

I was wondering if anyone on here had ever spliced in an additional SATA power connection into an existing branch from the power supply. Long story short, I'm nearly finished building my parents' new computer, but the only branch from the power supply with SATA connectors is too short to reach my hard drive no matter where I put it. (I even tried moving the DVD drive to the bottom 5.25" bay & the hard drive to the top 3.5" bay, and it's still too short. Moral: Offbrand PSU's included with a case in a bundle deal tend to suck.)

As an alternative, I'm also trying to find where I could get a molex to SATA bridge/extender. The branch with the SATA connectors ends in a molex, so if I could find one of those, it would solve my problem a lot more simply. If anyone has a spare, I'll gladly pay or trade for it, within reason. If anyone knows where I can get one, drop me a line or a link. Any help is appreciated.

[DrkSide]

Not sure where you are at, that would help. But a quick search I found:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3780246

Edit: any computer shop around you should have them, I bet alot of them would even just give you one. I checked Best Buy and they don't carry them.

[DynamoNED]

Appreciate the link, but I'm not sure it's worth $3 plus shipping. I'll keep searching. I checked at both my "local" (i.e. 20-miles-away) RadioShack & computer hobby store in Dickson, TN; RadioShack was out of stock while the hobby store had only one, which was going to be used in another of their client's builds. :banghead:

A friend at the hobby store had some spare connectors, which is why I was going to splice one into the line. I was just wondering if there was any special technique to it, or if it was just like splicing together any other set of wires.

[NightrainSrt4]

If you get crimp on connectors like these, crimp on sata $0.90 (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1220), then you just have to extend the five wires, strip a bit to expose the wires where you want the connector, and crimp it on. Use the passthrough cap for ones along the wire and an endcap on the one on the end.

The orange wire is 3V. If the device you are using doesn't need it then you don't need to worry about adding it. I would just for the sake of uniformity and compatibility.

Just cut the wires before the molex back where there are 5 wires. Add the length of wire you want to extend. Then strip and crimp on where you want them. The addition of the wire and connectors will add some resistance but it shouldn't make too much of a difference. Don't overload the power supply. If you mess it up, which you shouldn't, and your house burns down, I'm pretty sure most homeowners/fire insurance doesn't cover it. So something to think about if your electrical skills aren't that high vs. the cost of just buying a decent psu that fits your needs.

[blueonblack]

If you just need a Molex-to-SATA adapter I've got several lying around and I'd be glad to ship you one for nothing. I can afford a stamp. PM me your address if this will help you.

[DynamoNED]

pm sent

[Airbozo]

If you just need a Molex-to-SATA adapter I've got several lying around and I'd be glad to ship you one for nothing. I can afford a stamp. PM me your address if this will help you.


pm sent

Ah, the selflessness of our modders shines though again!

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

:grouphug - not mine

[msmrx57]

Ah, the selflessness of our modders shines though again!

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

:grouphug - not mine

That's why we love this place.

[DynamoNED]

One thing I can say for this site is that everyone is willing to help & that is something rarely found anywhere. Thanks again to all who gave advice & assistance.

[DynamoNED]

For those curious, a little update on this problem:

I received the molex-to-SATA adapters from blueonblack (thanks again), plugged everything in, and power-tested before attempting to hook up my parents' new 23" monitor I got them for Christmas. Everything seemed fine, but I noticed the rear case fan wasn't spinning up. I found this odd, but since it spun up once I gave it a little push, I assumed it was just a crappy fan I'd replace later. One quick power cycle later, I had hooked up the monitor to the onboard video, powered it on again, it POST'd, and then...nothing. No video whatsoever. Switched from D-sub to DVI back to D-sub, same result. Checked the monitor on a different system, works fine. Tried a different monitor on the build, again nothing. Put in a 9500GT I had to see if I could get video that way; still nothing. :mad:

After testing the other parts, I'd determined it's either that crappy power supply or the motherboard itself. So, I subbed in an older power supply that was also 450 watts, and noticed that everything, including the fan I assumed was broken, spun up immediately (!) . However, I still had no video. So, I'm now assuming the problem is either insufficient wattage to the Phenom II X4 920 processor (which I will test with a 520W PSU I have) or that my M4A785-M motherboard is borked. :(

Either way, the junk power supply is now out of the build, which means my original problem has solved itself (by creating a new problem). :banghead:

[DynamoNED]

Update: I had some time to fiddle with this build today, and there is good news and bad news. I installed the Antec 520W PSU today, and it seemed to fix the wattage problem, since I finally got some spin-up sounds from the HDD & DVD drive. However, still no video...at first. I looked over the manual for the umpteenth time, when I noticed the RAM was supposed to go all in the Channel A slots. Sure enough, I had placed them in the wrong slots. :facepalm: After a quick switcheroo, the system powered up and I had video! Huzzah! :banana:

Moral: RTFM: Read the frakkin' manual!

Unfortunately, what appeared on the monitor was a "Bad BIOS checksum" error. I went to my other PC, downloaded the newest BIOS from ASUS on a USB drive, and restarted the build. BIOS Recovery came up, flashed on the new BIOS, restarted, and...another "Bad BIOS checksum" error. :banghead: However, I know the BIOS flashed correctly, since the boot loader went from v.022 to v.025. Thus, I must have a bad BIOS chip that has been the culprit all along.

Oh well, looks like I'm going to have to get an RMA from TigerDirect, unless anyone know a fix for a bad BIOS chip. :(

[blueonblack]

Wow, you are having no luck at all with this deal, are you? :(

[SXRguyinMA]

usually when I get the BIOS checksum error it's due to a dead CMOS battery, and still works fine otherwise

[DynamoNED]

@blueonblack: Yeah, it pretty much goes this way whenever I build my parents' a PC. I can build them for anyone else with nary a problem. But for some reason, whenever I set out to build my parents a PC, it's like Mr. Murphy decides to appear to beat me over the head with that Law of his.

The last PC I built them back in '06 was the same way; I had to go through 3 sets of RAM (the first 2 sets were on the QVL & didn't work, but the third wasn't and did work), a power supply (blown capacitors), and a graphics card (had a short from the factory) before it worked. Over time, the motherboard also developed a short where it would randomly BSOD Windows XP. Which is why I am building them a new one.

@SXRguyinMA: A friend of mine in my gaming clan suggested that, too. I'll definitely check it before I get an RMA, but given that flashing the BIOS updated the boot loader version but still came back with a bad checksum makes me think it's the chip. At this point, I'm about ready to take this motherboard to Miracle Max, since it seems mostly dead. (Of course, he'd just tell me to "Have fun storming the castle!"...whatever that means...)

UPDATE EDIT: Well, I went to Wal-Mart & got a pair of new CR2032 batteries. Popped one into the motherboard on this build, powered it up, went through BIOS recovery & flashed the BIOS, restarted per onscreen instructions, and I still get the "Bad BIOS checksum" error every time I power up the system, whether I flash the BIOS or not. Guess I'll be getting that RMA after all. :(

[DynamoNED]

UPDATE: I spent about 15 minutes on the phone today with ASUS, and they say the BIOS chip on the M4A785-M motherboard I'm using is removable. After checking that it was seated correctly and still having the same problem, they are sending me a new BIOS chip. So, yes, my board was indeed borked, but it's still fixable! Huzzah! :banana:

[x88x]

Nice! That's great that they're sending you a new chip free-of-charge! I was going to recommend BIOS man...but it appears that they're not in business at the moment... Anyways, free from the manufacturer is always best. :D