Advice on Custom SATA cables

WantoN

WantoN

WantoN

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Joined
11 Jun 2003
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Hampshire
I’m sorting all the cabling and connectors for an upcoming project. For most of my custom cables I use MDPC-X sleeve and black silicon wire, generally 18AWG (I tend to re-use wire when making custom fan cables).

So I’ve got a few LEDs I’d like to power via SATA, a connector I’ve never worked with before. It seems the power connector is 15 pin, with a two part plug that either snaps on or needs gluing. Connectors coming from the power supply are female, and components tend to be male. Please correct me if any of this is wrong!

None of the PSU cable will be visible, so I can use one of the standard daisy chained ones with four of the pass through connectors.

Where the hell do I find two-part male connectors with solder terminals? I’ve looked everywhere, and OCUK don’t seem to do any connectors of any sort these days.

So questions:
  • Is my thinking sound?
  • Have I gotten anything wrong that’ll cause me trouble when making these?
  • Where the hell do I find the appropriate connectors?
  • Is there an alternative I’m not considering?
If I need to make custom wires for the PSU that’s not a problem, I would really like to avoid the traditional 4 pin molex as I think it’s garbage. I suppose I could use fan connectors, though I think they’re less appropriate.
 
Fan connectors are at least a standard, and can be crimped and sleeved easily.

I've never seen SATA components available for sale which allow proper custom assembly. I've seen SATA connectors on fan controllers etc which can be PCB mounted. So you could get those and solder on but it won't be super neat.

Maybe it's easier to buy the plugs for your PSU and build custom cables with fan connectors? I've just used a 7-pin DIN to connector a battery charger to a box so I feel your pain.
 
Last edited:
Journey said:
Have you looked at Digikey?
Click to expand...

Good idea. I tried the usual electronics suspects. I was just genuinely surprised that more of the modding sites don’t do them.

I’ve picked up some male and female fan housings and pins, off the good ol’ bay in the end. Doubt the quality will be epic, but worst comes to worst and I’ll pick up something from work.

Thanks for the help lads, genuinely surprised there’s not a bigger selection out there, maybe my google skills are not on point.
 
WantoN said:
Good idea. I tried the usual electronics suspects. I was just genuinely surprised that more of the modding sites don’t do them.

I’ve picked up some male and female fan housings and pins, off the good ol’ bay in the end. Doubt the quality will be epic, but worst comes to worst and I’ll pick up something from work.

Thanks for the help lads, genuinely surprised there’s not a bigger selection out there, maybe my google skills are not on point.
Click to expand...

Digikey, Mouser, and few others are what most of the electrical engineers I work with use for low volume projects when needing reasonably quick delivery. They are not cheap, but you get access to all the datasheets and RoHS certification etc. which is important for industrial/commercial use.

I guess there just isn't the market for it any more at the enthusiast level, and places like Maplin don't exist anymore so that doesn't help. At least you have found a solution, I hope it works out well for you. :)
 
Journey said:
Digikey, Mouser, and few others are what most of the electrical engineers I work with use for low volume projects when needing reasonably quick delivery. They are not cheap, but you get access to all the datasheets and RoHS certification etc. which is important for industrial/commercial use.

I guess there just isn't the market for it any more at the enthusiast level, and places like Maplin don't exist anymore so that doesn't help. At least you have found a solution, I hope it works out well for you. :)
Click to expand...

Yes these plus a couple of others are what I’ve used for work. So much of it these days is surface mount that we don’t even use them that often anymore. I did find another couple of pc specific sites though, I don’t want to breach rules, but they could be useful in the future. I use an excellent connector for external components, but they’re very expensive, so I’d rather avoid them for this.

It’s all a shame really as it’s a part of my projects I really enjoy. Coming up with wiring solutions, busting out the soldering iron and trying to make them look good. I don’t get my hands dirty at all with work these days, and honestly I miss it.

I’ll be starting the project log soon, just want to finish some of the processes that don’t look exciting and take ages, so it’s not one of those threads that takes months to conclude. Won’t be at all as impressive as some of the lovely stuff that goes on here, but I’m looking forward to it. Going for a clean industrial aesthetic.

Thanks for your help man.
 
WantoN said:
It’s all a shame really as it’s a part of my projects I really enjoy. Coming up with wiring solutions, busting out the soldering iron and trying to make them look good. I don’t get my hands dirty at all with work these days, and honestly I miss it.
Click to expand...
Relate so much to this. Looking forward to seeing the build :)
 
davido_labido said:
aaah, I have pretty much all connectors and pins here I think dude!
Click to expand...

Haha, typical mate. Don’t worry I’m all sorted, I’ve decided not to light some of the hardware anyway, and stick to a couple of light sources plus any illumination on the components. I’ll use the 5v RGB header for a strip, and a fan connector for a small light bar.
 
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