StarTech - PYO4SATA .com 15.7-Inch (400mm) SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable - M/F - 4x Serial ATA Power Cable Splitter (PYO4SATA) Black

Looking for a good safe power expansion cable for sata drives

I am adding a new drive in my PC, but ran out of power connections for it, so I am looking for an expansion cable. I saw this on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/

but some of the reviews are saying they are a fire hazard. Are there any good safe alternatives?

Need more sata power connectors, how ?

Hello,

My PSU had 4 power sata connectors. I've also 3 molex pins. I read that it is not recommended to use molex to sata adapters.

Is it better to buy a sata extension cord like https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/

Thank you

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Ah-DFbHERBX06

Looks awesome!

I'd dump the molded sata power cables though - because fire. Something like this is much safer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086OGN9E

FYI you can overcome this issue for 4 drives with a $5 part from Amazon without having to deal with tiny pieces of tape on conductors or worse, physically modifying the PSU cables/drive... https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=sata+power+chain&qid=1605041528&s=electronics&sr=1-3

Just cut the wire that is not needed and insulate it with something to avoid a short, much less hacky than trying to precisely place a tiny piece of tape AND keep it in position down the road when you need to unplug it for some reason.

I just bought some of these over getting the molex to sata connectors because I thought the risk for connecting some 8tb drives wasn't worth it. Hopefully the sata splitter is safer.

it's a cable comming from the power supply something like this https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

As he said, the PSU you linked should have 3 cables with SATA power connectors. if it doesn't, you should ask your retailer.

If you don't care, you can just get a "splitter" like this one

Hey man!

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

I have this sata power cable connected to my primary ssd. Is it safe for me to use it with my 2nd ssd?

First off thank you for such a quick reply!

Would it be possible to use this splitter? I already have a SATA power cable in use somewhere else on my PC, do you think it would be effective to use this splitter and connect my Kraken AIO to this splitter or should it get a direct cable to the PSU?

I'm only asking because right now with the virus going on, it seems incredibly hard to find these PSU to SATA power cables since the cable I linked in OP is nearly $54. Unless I'm not looking hard enough

These splitters have worked great for me when I ran out of SATA power slots on my PSU.

not sure exactly what your wiring setup looks like, but they do make sata splitters and harness for various server applications that I think would solve this. Example

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

Does this look safe? It looks crimped. I plan on fitting 6 HDDs and 2 SSDs in my Phanteks P400 for a storage / Linux "server" and my power supply only has 6 sata power leads.

SATA splitter cables can be used to achieve more connections (example).

They sell sata extenders they're not sketchy used them last month, basically adds +4 sata power StarTech.com 15.7 in (400 mm) SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable - M/F - 4x Serial ATA Power Cable Splitter (PYO4SATA), Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_o6LtFbAR2B4V3

StarTech.com 15.7 in (400 mm) SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable - M/F - 4x Serial ATA Power Cable Splitter (PYO4SATA), Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ir1cFbNBH4XM6 looks like that

Tons of different adapters out there. Did u bother to use Google?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_yd.WEbJEAF2WR

Just add a SATA splitter.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/

minimizes cables, and you can pull the 5th wire to solve the 3.3v problem

I suggest a sata splitter like this for high density of drives like a NAS.

Do not use anything else except the cables that came with the PSU on the PSU itself.

I am using a SeaSonic Focus right now with two WD Whites. I'm looking for a PSU for my server that I'm trying to build. The server will have a collection of WD Whites and WD Reds. I'm looking at others because I can't find additional SeaSonic modular power supply cables anywhere.

I have some concerns over adding a power splitter. SeaSonic isn't super upcoming with how many Amps/Watts each rail can actually support on their website. I know that my Focus only has one 12v rail. My server psu should probably have more than one...

what about this

Buy a SATA power splitter and install both drives. Problem soved as far as I can see.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_5?crid=21CHCT731PGTX&keywords=sata+power+splitter&qid=1577823737&sprefix=sata+power+s%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-5

Probably need an extra SATA data cable. You can just tape/velcro the SSD inside the case if needed.

Just off the shelf components. I daisy chained two of the link below together and pushed the cable between each plug into the gap between each HDD. Then the cable wraps around the back and connects to the power supply.

StarTech.com 4X SATA Power... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Not sure why you got down voted....but you’re right. I bought four from amazon.it takes a sata power cable in and splits it to 4 outputs. I bought four for my freenas build in the l4500 case. link

Like these?

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

Is there a limit on how many you can daisy chain?

Then an alternative would be one of those daisy chain style of data connectors like this https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=sata+power&qid=1599355122&sr=8-3

This is what I used StarTech.com 15.7 in (400 mm) SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable - M/F - 4x Serial ATA Power Cable Splitter (PYO4SATA), Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_QHUPEb6637N5D 

Then I just removed the 3.3v wire, it's one of the outer ones

Sorry. I just realized you said power cables. Give me a second.

Edit: try this

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

If you power supply can handle it, this will do the trick.

Dont do that the easiest and safest way is this

StarTech.com 4X SATA Power... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

You cut one cable and you are done. Took me exactly 30s because I wanted to do it cleanly

I use these with the 3.3v wire completely removed

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gLUiFbKW1TCSE

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=sata+splitter&qid=1595171822&sr=8-3

Or get some Sata power splitters similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/SATA-Power-Splitter-Cable-Adapter/dp/B002N2EHVQ or https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E

Buy this

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_51?dchild=1&keywords=sata+to+molex&qid=1595730956&sr=8-51

Then use the push-on connectors to attach as many as these as you wish

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Cable-Adapter-Female-8-inch/dp/B07BQFKTG7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=molex+sata&qid=1595730988&sr=8-1

Just cut off the other SATA connector

Thanks so much for the help. I'll visit my local computershop tomorrow to see what cables they have. Might have to buy six of these as they seem to be the only good SATA cables available in my country, or perhaps order outside of the country.

One option I just saw is to get an Chieftec Backplane CMR-2131 which uses two Molex as power. That way I can remove 3 HDDs from the SATA cable. Still need to get better splitters.

If I had the space I'm pretty sure I would already have an rack :)

OP, but somehow Chrome never saved password and I haven't been able to guess it yet.

Get something like this and you should be good to go

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=sata+power+cable+evga&qid=1599721049&s=pc&sr=1-4

> molex to sata can cause fire

Some cheaply made ones have been reported to be a fire hazard, though I've used plenty without issue in the past. This thread includes some comparisons between "good" and "bad" cables.

That said, I usually use these SATA-to-4xSATA cables for this purpose and would recommend buying them instead of a Molex-to-SATA adapter. I only use the latter since I have a bunch lying around that were included with old equipment before SATA connectors were ubiquitous on PSUs.

You can leave these connectors alone.

You must replace the cables that look like this coming from your PSU with the new cables from your new PSU.

Your old or new PSU may not have detachable cables. If the above sounds like it's impossible, then don't worry about it for now.

The drive cage has arrived, and it is barebones. Only has a molex-powered fan attached to the front - and the server doesn't even have molex. So, that'll never get used. No included power delivery, so I have to account for that myself. Grabbed one of these, to see if it could handle the task:

• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086OGN9E/

Only need one SATA power connector to power it, and I've done this before with other systems. This leaves only one component on the list...

There are two cables you need to connect to SATA drives. One (the wider of the two) is a power cable. It provides power from the power supply to the drive. These can be chained from one drive to another like you describe.

The second cable is the data cable, it's smaller and the cable is often (not always) colored red. This connects the now powered drive to your computer, usually into the motherboard directly, although some computers like pre-builts may have separate SATA connectors on small boards known as risers, or expansion cards.

Now that we've established what we're talking about, I'm going to tell you some things about each type of cable that can hopefully answer some of your questions.

For power cables:

• Yes you can connect them and chain them
• If you don't have enough available you can get a splitter, if you use too many of these you can overload your power supply, but one or two should be okay
• The order these are connected in makes no real difference

For data cables:

• Chaining these is not possible in most cases
• Each data cable must go to a separate receptacle on your motherboard or whatever other SATA risers or cards you can find
• If you don't have enough SATA connectors available on your motherboard or elsewhere, you need to buy an expansion card that connects to one of your motherboard's PCIe expansion slots.
• If you don't have enough SATA data cables, you can usually buy more pretty cheap. Some of them have L-shaped plugs, this can cause a problem if you are plugging them into ports that are tightly spaced together. On the other hand, it can be convenient if you are trying to install them in a cramped drive bay. Use your own discretion and judgement on which shape to get.
• Yes if you change the connectors or cables your drives are plugged into you can potentially cause them to be detected in a different order. I believe Windows is less stupid about this in modern times but it certainly used to be a problem.
• If needed you can change drive letters (other than C:\) in Windows by running the Disk Management console: Win+R -> "diskmgmt.msc"
• Yes connecting data cables to different connectors can cause speed differences depending on what controller is responsible for those ports. Usually the ports on your motherboard are numbered -- the lowest numbered ports (eg, SATA-1, SATA-2, etc) are usually part of the CPU or chipset's built-in storage controller, are electronically closest to the CPU, and will usually be the fastest.

Hope that clears some things up.

Yeah. It's a pretty simple process.

The only trick is the 3.3v pin

Some people use kapton tape, some use molex to SATA adapters, but I use these SATA to SATA adapters and created my own in-line connector without the 3.3v wire so taping isn't necessary and any new drive I just shuck and throw in without any fuss.

Here is a document by WD that should shed some light on what the compatibility issue is.
https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/collateral/tech-brief/tech-brief-western-digital-power-disable-pin.pdf

The 'molded' adapter cables are not as reliable and can short due to poor quality control. You could just remove the 3.3v power wire from the power supply to each of the power connectors. Or if you want to preserve the warranty on the PSU then you could get one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086OGN9E
Pull the cap (It snaps on and off) on each male plug and remove the 3.3v power wire and pins then on the female adapter end just cut the 3.3v power wire.... replace the caps.
That way you do not have to mess with the tape.... Just my $.02

The cable I can't get to reach looks like this

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

That's different from the data cables, right?

Yes you can. Here is one on amazon you can buy. https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_3?crid=24S3QV0CQ9ULS&dchild=1&keywords=sata+power+extension+cable&qid=1592317282&sprefix=sata+power+e%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-3

This being a marketing mockup thing, it's most likely been all "beautified to look good."

Real world answer: you can make these, can even buy sata power cables and modify them to be like this, have done this myself for my server.

BUT moddiy apparently sells one, or you can buy connectors to make your own:

https://www.moddiy.com/products/Single-Braid-Sleeved-SATA-Power-Cable-40CM-1x-Molex-to-5x-SATA.html

What I did is just bought multiple sata power cables and used one as a "parts cable" and removed the connectors to make mine.

These are the cables I used:

StarTech.com 4 Outlet SATA Power... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0086OGN9E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Or you could buy one and buy some of these connectors:

https://www.moddiy.com/products/SATA-Power-Connector-Black.html

Orrrrrr you could just buy the connectors I linked last, and some cable and the sata to psu adaptor you need with pins/or press in connector and make your cable altogether...

¯\(ツ)/¯

I found a SAS card that supports 8 SATA drives on eBay for \~$45 (I guess its a bit more expensive now) and I didn't need to flash anything for it. I just had to buy a 2 pack cable set from Amazon that did SAS -> 4x SATA. I also got a SATA splitter which does 1 -> 4 so I used 2 to cover all 8 drives. I have had no issues so far.

All of this was literally plug and play. No flashing or extra setup required. When you boot your server, it may boot the SAS card before you get to BIOS; just let it do its thing it'll work. Someone with more technical expertise could explain more about it but I'm a newbie like you when it comes to this "server" equipment.

Oh no. This has been beat to death in the crypto mining communities, but for those that don't know, NEVER use those molded type molex to SATA adapters. The kind you want are pinned into a housing and not molded.

More info here. and here

An example of a good one

Sata + molex + fire google search

I used the caddy for 2.5 drives, the drives are fine. I would first test PSU cable, mobo sata port before worrying the metal clip.

Those clips only present at data cable, which should not provide enough current to "short" the port. Without looking into the spec sheet, those clips are connected to the ground plane at worst, or I believe they are insulated from power/data plane all together.

You mentioned you "tried and everything was OK". What do you mean? Did you try everything (PSU, mobo-sata ports, drives connected) connected outside the case, without the bracket and it boots up OK, or just fits in the case OK?

I noticed you are using a sata power cable with only four wires (correct me if I am wrong). It's possible to power sata drives with four good wires (molex even). But sata power cables from repsectable PSUs I've seen usually are five wires (ref: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Accessories-|-Parts/PC-Components/Power-Supplies/premium-individually-sleeved-sata-cable-type-4-generation-3-config/p/CP-8920186 and https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=lp_3015394011_1_15?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1578936048&sr=1-15).

If the PSU sata power cables are fine, what you described can also be explained by a shorted sata controller/power connecter (or more) on the mobo. When PSU is on, mobo gets the standby power from the 24 pin just fine. And when system is turned on with sata connected, it seemed to trigger some power protection (normally, even if there's no sata connected, it should post). Though you can use a m.2 to boot, so it's not the CPU 8 pin or VGA 8 pin.

With the adapter I showed you, I assumed you had MOLEX already attached to the PSU or got some MOLEX adapters with the PSU in the box. The way the adapter works is it plugs into SATA to read and write data to and from the drive and the drive needs power to run so it's powered via an integrated MOLEX to SATA adatpter.

If you don't have any MOLEX adapters readily available, you can use SATA power splitters off of the already existing SATA power cables and SATA data cables to connect and power the drive.

SATA power splitter: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E

SATA cable: https://www.amazon.com/12in-SATA-Serial-ATA-Cable/dp/B003WV5DK6