2

I need to add additional SATA power connectors to a new machine. I am used to adapters using a Molex connector but the one I have on hand (Christmas eve) isn't familiar to me at all (please see picture). Can anyone identify what adapter this connects to? I've tried Googling this but only come up with the Molex adapters. These adapters will connect harddrives on a new machine.

enter image description here

4
  • What do you mean by "these adapters will connect harddrives on a new machine"? Also, is this cable coming from the power supply?
    – BenjiWiebe
    Dec 25, 2014 at 3:03
  • This connector is for a SATA power adapter; on the other end of it are two SATA power connectors. And yes it looks just like a Floppy Connector.
    – Gedalya
    Dec 25, 2014 at 3:08
  • 2
    Thats not a sata power connector at all. Sata uses a sort of L shaped edge connectors, not pins.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Dec 25, 2014 at 3:19
  • I think I have hooked up a 4 pin case fan to this in my computer. Also there are PCI cards that utilize this for power as well.
    – Carl B
    Dec 25, 2014 at 16:24

2 Answers 2

2

This looks like an auxiliary power connector to me, maybe for a motherboard fan. Could be meant for any number of things. One thing I'm confident it will NOT power, though, is a hard drive.

What you're looking for is a SATA power splitter cable such as this one. (Link is just for example purposes and does not constitute endorsement of the product or the retailer.)

SATA power splitter

6
  • Why is this answer marked as accepted, when the OP left a comment disagreeing with this post?!
    – BenjiWiebe
    Dec 25, 2014 at 3:17
  • 1
    With respect to the OP, the OP was mistaken about the identity of the cable in the photograph. Per the post title, OP wanted to know how to 'add additional SATA power connectors,' which is the information I provided.
    – hBy2Py
    Dec 25, 2014 at 3:21
  • Beg your pardon but your answer is mistaken too. It is not an "auxiliary power connector". It's a power connector for a floppy drive. A few cards like USB and 1394 interfaces have used this for an auxiliary power input when they didn't want to try to pull bus power from the PCI slot, but its primary designation is as a floppy power connector. Oct 1, 2015 at 3:43
  • 1
    @JamieHanrahan Interesting -- every floppy power connector I've seen has been larger than the one in OP's photo (though certainly smaller than a PATA HDD power plug), with a different key configuration (example). You could easily be correct, though, if it's for some sort of small-form-factor floppy drive.
    – hBy2Py
    Oct 1, 2015 at 3:59
  • Oops. You're correct. The floppy connector is a little bigger but more important it has "ears" drooping down the sides to match the tab that's under the pins on the drive. Also the protrusion on top of the floppy power connector is just a squarish bump, while this one runs the entire depth of the connector. My apologies. Oct 1, 2015 at 5:35
0

EDIT

It is a mini 4-pin PWM fan connector, commonly used for powering GPU fans (not 3-pin as I mistakenly first posted).

Here is a picture of the 4-pin fan connector (from this page):

enter image description here

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .