Internal 5 + 12 V power connectors

  • Thread starter Thread starter ITMA
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ITMA

Anyone know where to buy new, unwired, white connectors as used on hard
disks, cd drives, and so on? The ones with the yellow, two black and a red
cable going in and are really hard to pull off a device once connected?

I'm fed up with the standard leads from a power supply not reaching to where
I want them to reach so am going to wire my own ... if I can get the
connectors
 
They're called Molex connectors, although there may be hundreds of types of
connectors made by Molex.

If you'd like some UV sensitive (fluorescent) ones,

http://www.newegg.com/app/searchPro...&DEPA=0&bop=and&description=molex&InnerCata=1

You might be able to find plainer ones at regular electronics distributors
(www.digikey.com), but they sometimes have minimum order requirements.

The simplest approach would be just to lengthen the existing cables with
spliced-in wires, but it might not be pretty.

HTH.

Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=45342&item=6738769368&rd=1

And if you want to be colorful;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3670&item=6738407796&rd=1

And if you just don't like fighting with the Molex connectors to disconnect 'em;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3668&item=6738762989&rd=1

And if you wanna get too cute;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3669&item=6737966014&rd=1


Anyone know where to buy new, unwired, white connectors as used on hard
disks, cd drives, and so on? The ones with the yellow, two black and a red
cable going in and are really hard to pull off a device once connected?

I'm fed up with the standard leads from a power supply not reaching to where
I want them to reach so am going to wire my own ... if I can get the
connectors
Click to expand...
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ITMA said:
Anyone know where to buy new, unwired, white connectors as used on hard
disks, cd drives, and so on? The ones with the yellow, two black and a red
cable going in and are really hard to pull off a device once connected?

I'm fed up with the standard leads from a power supply not reaching to where
I want them to reach so am going to wire my own ... if I can get the
connectors
Click to expand...
The ones that plug into the drives are AMP 1-480424-0. If you are building
cable extenders, you will also need their mates (AMP 1-480426-0). You will also
need to buy the appropriate crimp pins for the wire sizes you plan to use. In
the US, DigiKey, Mouser and Allied carry them.
 
As we've got two or three experts on the subject here, can I ask a follow up
....

My PSU - like all of them in fact - has various cables coming out of it,
typically or for the sake of this question with say four wire with a molex
connector at the end of it and then a second molex connector in parallel to
it. And then there are two or three other identical sets, but these other
ones each have their own four-cable feed from the PSU. My question is
this - do they all spring from the same place inside the PSU and, therefore,
if making my own cables for use within the PC case I can either simply run
everything from a single set of four-cables or (if it proves more
convenient) connect all the three or four sets of four-cables in parallel
and have one high-capacity supply from which to tap into? Does that makes
sense ???
 
ITMA said:
My PSU - like all of them in fact - has various cables coming out of it,
typically or for the sake of this question with say four wire with a molex
connector at the end of it and then a second molex connector in parallel to
it. And then there are two or three other identical sets, but these other
ones each have their own four-cable feed from the PSU. My question is
this - do they all spring from the same place inside the PSU and, therefore,
if making my own cables for use within the PC case I can either simply run
everything from a single set of four-cables or (if it proves more
convenient) connect all the three or four sets of four-cables in parallel
and have one high-capacity supply from which to tap into? Does that makes
sense ???
Click to expand...

I'm not an expert, but from what I remember of disassembling power
supplies [1], they all connect to the same place inside the CPU.

In my opinion, you should still balance things between the cables,
though -- part of the reason for having multiple cables is so that the
total current draw of all your devices doesn't go through just one
wire. I would also suggest connecting your homemade cables to
individual original wires, rather than ganging all the original wires
together, but I don't think it matters much.

- Brooks

[1] Dead ones which had sat unused for years. The "sitting for years"
being important to make sure they didn't have high voltages left in the
capacitors.
 
ITMA said:
My PSU - like all of them in fact - has various cables coming out of it,
typically or for the sake of this question with say four wire with a molex
connector at the end of it and then a second molex connector in parallel to
it. And then there are two or three other identical sets, but these other
ones each have their own four-cable feed from the PSU. My question is
this - do they all spring from the same place inside the PSU and, therefore,
if making my own cables for use within the PC case I can either simply run
everything from a single set of four-cables or (if it proves more
convenient) connect all the three or four sets of four-cables in parallel
and have one high-capacity supply from which to tap into? Does that makes
sense ???
Click to expand...

I'm not an expert, but from what I remember of disassembling power
supplies [1], they all connect to the same place inside the CPU.

In my opinion, you should still balance things between the cables,
though -- part of the reason for having multiple cables is so that the
total current draw of all your devices doesn't go through just one
wire. I would also suggest connecting your homemade cables to
individual original wires, rather than ganging all the original wires
together, but I don't think it matters much.

- Brooks
Click to expand...
True enough. I would spread around the extra cabling/molex connectors.
At the same time, some of the more modern power supplies are splitting
things up with things like bus/cables specifically for fan connections.
Those may not have the capacity for loading down that specific bus with
amp sucking add ons.

You might want to consider an Enermax. I have a Big case with 10 drives
and like their PSs. Cables like a yard long might still give you fits but
for different reasons; in any case<g> they won't be too short.
Like 10 4-wire molex connectors on those cables should let you run as many
IDEs as you like, fans, lights, brass band, whatever you can fit in there.
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ITMA said:
Anyone know where to buy new, unwired, white connectors as used on hard
disks, cd drives, and so on? The ones with the yellow, two black and a red
cable going in and are really hard to pull off a device once connected?

I'm fed up with the standard leads from a power supply not reaching to where
I want them to reach so am going to wire my own ... if I can get the
connectors
Click to expand...
You can get ready made extensions from CompUSA, Fry's, Radio Shack and a
number of internet/mail order catalog companies.
 
As we've got two or three experts on the subject here, can I ask a follow up
...

My PSU - like all of them in fact - has various cables coming out of it,
typically or for the sake of this question with say four wire with a molex
connector at the end of it and then a second molex connector in parallel to
it. And then there are two or three other identical sets, but these other
ones each have their own four-cable feed from the PSU. My question is
this - do they all spring from the same place inside the PSU and, therefore,
if making my own cables for use within the PC case I can either simply run
everything from a single set of four-cables or (if it proves more
convenient) connect all the three or four sets of four-cables in parallel
and have one high-capacity supply from which to tap into? Does that makes
sense ???
Click to expand...

Actually... it can be a PITA to crimp 2 wires into the pins of the Molex
connectors and have them stay there. I had sidelined 2 36gig drives in the
past month or so, and the recently christened C drive crapped out on me the
other night. I had recently put them into a new 3bay filtered fanned drive
cage to keep them cool. I looked and one of the wires direct from the PS had
pulled out of the first connector. 'Taint the first time either.
Most people don't actively consider the power connectors wiring. Myself,
I only took a look when the scsi card couldn't find the first 3 (0-2) drives.
They were all on the same cable.

Once upon a time I ditched an old PS that had gone supercritical (Bang!).
Before I tossed it tho I cut the cables off it. It had these neat cables
with these neat little crimp-on Molex connectors. Think of 4 long parallel
wires with the connectors laid across them; the same conductor goes all the
way to the last connector. Some day I'll use them.

Don't know where you could get them but it might be worth a search just to
head off the hassle of crimping multiple wires into the pins.
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