Why does shopping for cables always sound so dirty?
January 13, 2010 8:54 AM Subscribe
Computer power supply conundrum. We need to convert SATA power (male) to old school Molex (female) and we need to add another 12" of length. I can't seem to find a single cable that meets our needs.
We have a new enormous server from Dell and it has a power supply without the older four pin molex connectors. We need to put in a Digium phone card that takes a four pin molex power. Due to the size of the box and some serious air flow concerns, we also need to extend the power connector by 12".
I've tried Monoprice.com and a few other sources, but if you know of a vendor that may have what we need, that would be great. If we can't find what we need, should we adapt the connector at the SATA end and use a Molex extension? Any other bright ideas?
We have a new enormous server from Dell and it has a power supply without the older four pin molex connectors. We need to put in a Digium phone card that takes a four pin molex power. Due to the size of the box and some serious air flow concerns, we also need to extend the power connector by 12".
I've tried Monoprice.com and a few other sources, but if you know of a vendor that may have what we need, that would be great. If we can't find what we need, should we adapt the connector at the SATA end and use a Molex extension? Any other bright ideas?
If you do not make one yourself, you will -in all probability- not find a single cable to meet your needs.
Just as an alternative to woncorgi, you could also use an external power supply. Digium wants to sell you one, but a cheaper unit should do, too.
posted by mmkhd at 10:22 AM on January 13, 2010
Just as an alternative to woncorgi, you could also use an external power supply. Digium wants to sell you one, but a cheaper unit should do, too.
posted by mmkhd at 10:22 AM on January 13, 2010
I've personally made this cable a couple times before. It was pretty easy, just make sure you match up the wires correctly.
The pinouts for sata and molex can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#Power_supply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex
posted by rickim at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2010
The pinouts for sata and molex can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#Power_supply
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex
posted by rickim at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2010
Best answer: OK, a few responses and the ultimate resolution.
I spend the time to look for one cable because it involves two fewer connectors, so there are fewer places something could go wrong. This is a priority for me since it's a server deployment.
If this were for my own use, I would totally make a cable, but since it's for work, purchased cables are preferred by all.
Oddly, it turns out that we don't need the power after all. The power connection only gets used when you run it in a mode where the phone lines need to provide power like old land lines. Apparently that isn't needed in this deployment, so we can skip it.
Thanks for the help.
posted by advicepig at 9:23 AM on January 15, 2010
I spend the time to look for one cable because it involves two fewer connectors, so there are fewer places something could go wrong. This is a priority for me since it's a server deployment.
If this were for my own use, I would totally make a cable, but since it's for work, purchased cables are preferred by all.
Oddly, it turns out that we don't need the power after all. The power connection only gets used when you run it in a mode where the phone lines need to provide power like old land lines. Apparently that isn't needed in this deployment, so we can skip it.
Thanks for the help.
posted by advicepig at 9:23 AM on January 15, 2010
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Quick search on newegg finds this- add a molex or sata extension and you should be set.
posted by wongcorgi at 9:10 AM on January 13, 2010