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Electronics => Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff => Topic started by: maxwellVII on August 10, 2023, 07:15:07 pm

Title: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: maxwellVII on August 10, 2023, 07:15:07 pm
Starting a new project, I want to make a DC fan controller hub for my PC, I've got alot of dc only case fans and want to control the speed with a motherboard PWM signal.
To power all this, I wanted to use a just a regular 15 pin SATA power connector, as most pc accessories use this to source power.
The problem is, I can't seem to find a SATA power-only receptacle to mount on my PCB. I checked digikey, mouser, and LCSC with no success.
The only part I was able to find was this https://www.ebay.com/itm/181810455064 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/181810455064) ebay listing for a through-hole (ugh) vertical (ugh) connector, which barely has a part number and no discernable manufacturer.
I can make this work, but it would be nice to be able to put together a BoM from a single source, but also a surface mount right angle connector would be nice as well.

Am I missing something? I thought this was a more common thing. Am I just bad at using the part search? Why does nobody seem to sell this? Does the 15 pin SATA power connector have a particular part name I need to search?
Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: kmike on August 10, 2023, 07:24:45 pm
Does Molex 78109-0001 suit your needs?

Mouser has plenty of them on stock

mouser.com/c/connectors/i-o-connectors/?q=sata&instock=y
Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: maxwellVII on August 10, 2023, 07:58:49 pm
Does Molex 78109-0001 suit your needs?

That part looks like either a SATA power+data connector, I'm trying to find an only sata power connector, that an average PC PSU cable could power
Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: kmike on August 10, 2023, 08:41:29 pm
Just cut off the unneeded part? :-)

There is probably no real market for a connector without the data part...
The only company I could find is KLS in china, but no idea how to get parts from them.

Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: mariush on August 10, 2023, 09:05:13 pm
Just use a barrel jack connector, 2.1 ID / 5.5 OD would be most common and perfectly adequate for 12v and a few amps of current.

Example : https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/tensility-international-corp/54-00127/9685436 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/tensility-international-corp/54-00127/9685436)

You can then just buy a sata to molex adapter cable  or sata to pci-e adapter and cut off the molex part and solder the wires to a 2.1 / 5.5 plug ,

here's an example of plug : https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cui-devices/PP3-002A/992136 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cui-devices/PP3-002A/992136)

here's example of sata female to pci-e  (3 pack for 8$ ) : https://www.amazon.com/15-Pin-PCI-Express-Female-Video-Adapter/dp/B08J881YV3/ (https://www.amazon.com/15-Pin-PCI-Express-Female-Video-Adapter/dp/B08J881YV3/) 

You have only 12v and ground wires, so you'd need to add a small ldo inside your product to get 5v from 12v

here's example of sata female to molex (3 pack for 8$) : https://www.amazon.com/Power-Cable-Adapter-Female-8-inch/dp/B07BQFKTG7/ (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Cable-Adapter-Female-8-inch/dp/B07BQFKTG7/)

They're molded sata connectors, wouldn't trust them and use them with more than 2 - 2.5A of current continuously
Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: sparkydog on August 11, 2023, 05:02:07 pm
Don't cut off part of a 22-pin header, you'll compromise the mechanical stability.

Try SMP Technology (https://www.smp-tech.com/_interconnect/sata_connectors.shtm)? Specifically, it sounds like w310-1507-0mxx-z (data sheet (https://www.smp-tech.com/_interconnect/specs/pdf/w/w310-1507-0mxx-z.pdf)) may be what you want?

Yeah, it's THT. It's also going to be on the edge of your board, and THT is going to have better mechanical stability. Deal with it. Or, if you really can't stand it, bend the pins over yourself; lots of SMD components are just THT components with the pins bent, anyway. (Personally, I'd prefer THT; SMD for a connector that's going to see non-trivial strain when you plug and unplug the cable seems like asking for problems.)

If you really must have SMT, it looks like you'd better hope "BestCreate" is a reputable supplier, and that they'll actually sell to you. They make this (https://www.bsc-elec.com/product/Serial-ATA-SATA-15P-Female-Connector-SMT-Surface-Mount.html), and it does, at least, have a data sheet (https://www.bsc-elec.com/Uploads/pro/Serial-ATA-SATA-15P-Female-Connector-SMT-Surface-Mount.160.2.pdf).

You can find similar parts (or very possibly, the same part) on Ali Express if you trust them. (Try searching for "SATA 15P".) Or, if you're really desperate, you could buy a fan controller that uses such a header and scavenge it.
Title: Re: Where are all the SATA power connectors?
Post by: maxwellVII on August 11, 2023, 10:50:20 pm
Quote
Try SMP Technology? Specifically, it sounds like w310-1507-0mxx-z (data sheet) may be what you want?

Big thanks, that's basically exactly what I was looking for.

The THT isn't a massive deal, I'm trying to keep the total PCB size down and SMD makes it a bit easier to populate the bottom side of the PCB with power components, allowing the top to be mostly connectors, but there's no hard requirement for size yet.