Background

The new sata spec changed the way the 3rd pin worked, it now disables the drive if it gets a 3.3v signal. This was intended for datacenter use and usually isn't relevant for consumer drives at this time. However there have been a lot of people buying external drives and taking them out of the enclosure (shucking) as the prices are much better. Now for years the solution is usually to either add tape over the pin, remove the pin, modify the 3.3v power from the cable, use a molex to sata (since molex doesnt carry 3.3v), etc. They each have downsides.

 

My main point

Its driving me nuts that no one had just made an adapter that goes at the end of the sata power cable and simply removes that 3rd pin connection. Has anyone found something like this? from a reliable source? Its the simplest solution out there and so obvious but I cant seem to see anyone that has done it.

The problem is the SATA power connector is so poorly designed that any such adapter is likely to cause as many issues as it solves.

 

 

I mean a simple male to female stubby one would be fine, we already have sata extensions to daisy chain stuff and this wouldn't even have a cable...

49 minutes ago, Necrotic said:

we already have sata extensions to daisy chain stuff

Yes, and those can cause issues as well. The bent spring to pad connection is just a very poor design, it's usually fine when first inserted, but doesn't hold up in the long term. The issue is that current flowing through a tiny contact patch causes heat, heat changes the metal and makes it brittle and rigid instead of springy, heat also promotes corrosion, which means that even a tiny shift caused by vibration or disturbance can cause the resistance to go up, making even more heat when current flows.

 

Even with the best materials possible it's not a great design, add cheap manufacturing and substitution of inferior metals to the mix, and it's terrible. There is a reason so many drives start having issues out of the blue when their internal media smart reports are perfectly fine, SATA connections are just junk.

 

The fewer of that type of connection you have, the better. Ideally there is only one SATA connection per drive, the one directly connected. 4 pin molex style aren't perfect, but they are MUCH better than SATA style for transmitting power and staying connected under stress. SATA connectors are adequate for single drive current, splitters are just asking for trouble.

Problem solved, and they're multi-purpose too

 

52 minutes ago, DarphBobo said:

Problem solved, and they're multi-purpose too

 

Same solution I came up with.