Hi dear unRAID users,

 

Hope you're having a nice weekend. I'm in the process of upgrading my unRAID box (adding some drives, an LSI card, a SSD cache drive, give it some love...) and I have a couple of quick questions. My Antec 650W power supply has 7 sata power connectors and I will soon add more than that. I've read some horror stories about some MOLEX to SATA or SATA Power Splitter on the web and I don't want my computer and my house to catch fire. So, my first question, are they safe to use? I think about this one. If I have to change my power supply, I will but I clearly prefer to keep this one and invest in more storage. So this leads to my second question, if I have to change my power supply, which power supply offers, let's say, 15 sata power connectors? Any brand/model to recommend?

 

Thank you for your time,

Draven

You might want to watch this video and read the comments posted beneath it.

 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TataDaUNEFc

 

 

The picture that you linked to is one that SHOULD not give a problem.  The ones to avoid are the ones where the wired is molded into the connector.  The ones where the wires are crimp-connected by squeezing a second plastic part into the other plastic part which causes a displacement of the insulation on the wire to form the connection are generally satisfactory.  Plus, you can visually inspect the part to see if it looks like is OK.  (If you have doubts, don't use that one...) 

 

Another comment---  I would be more inclined to use a MOLEX to SATA power expander if possible.  I would expect that the MOLEX-to-MOLEX connector can carry far more current than the SATA-to-SATA connector.  

38 minutes ago, Frank1940 said:

I would expect that the MOLEX-to-MOLEX connector can carry far more current than the SATA-to-SATA connector. 

According to this site the "four pin peripheral power connector" can handle up to 13 amps per pin (though they are often wired up with cable that can't), while the SATA power connector can carry 1.5 amps per pin (though there are three pins wired in parallel for each cable, so 4.5 amps per circuit).

 

Molex themselves make quality connectors but the peripheral power connector often referred to as Molex isn't one of theirs! It's actually an AMP connector and often third party manufacturers make them very cheaply. In fact, most of the power connectors in a PC are Molex designs except for the one that's generally called Molex!

3 hours ago, John_M said:

Molex themselves make quality connectors but the peripheral power connector often referred to as Molex isn't one of theirs!

??

https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/276/0887511310_CABLE_ASSEMBLIES-153024.pdf

1 hour ago, jonathanm said:

??

It's a common misnomer, like calling the 8P8C modular connector at the end of an Ethernet cable "RJ45".

 

Molex made a connector and patented it; AMP made a similar but incompatible "copy"; Shugart used the AMP version on its original 5.25-inch floppy disk drive; it became the standard for floppy and hard drives; Molex eventually made a version compatible with the AMP one. So you can buy them made by TE Connectivity (AMP), by Molex and by any number of third parties but the original design was the AMP "MATE-N-LOK". Real Molex connectors are used elsewhere in PCs for motherboard power, CPU power, PCIe power, SATA power, on many modular PSUs, etc.

 

EDIT: But the smaller four pin 3.5-inch floppy disk power connector is also an AMP design, not a Molex.

 

See the Wikipedia article for a potted history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex_connector

 

Edited March 11, 20197 yr by John_M

Ahh, I thought you were saying that the Molex company didn't make any of the connectors in question when you made that statement. I wasn't discussing the design, just manufacture, since I prefer to use Molex brand, whether they own the design or not. I've never had any issues with their branded products.

5 hours ago, John_M said:

the peripheral power connector often referred to as Molex isn't one of theirs