Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
Not sure where you are at, that would help. But a quick search I found:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
If you get crimp on connectors like these, crimp on sata $0.90, 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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
Quote:
Originally Posted by
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DynamoNED
pm sent
Ah, the selflessness of our modders shines though again!
Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!
:grouphug - not mine
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Airbozo
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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
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.
Re: Need Help Splicing in a SATA Power Connector
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: