Molex/SATA Power Cord Extensions Question

[BinaryData]

Hey Guys & Gals,

I'm sure that a few of you are aware of DataHoarders on Reddit. To say the least, a lot of us have storage arrays with stupid amounts of storage for archiving purposes. I've embarked on a new journey to see how many HDDs I can smash into one system without breaking the cooling system. With that said, I ran into a problem.

My power cords for SATA/Molex won't be long enough to reach, nor will I have enough power slots.I was looking at making my own extension cables for it, however I'd rather not fry a $500 PSU and $3,000 in Motherboard, CPU, Memory and SSDs/HDDs.

Is it safe to use an extension for the SATA/Molex Connectors?
Is there a maximum length I should consider?
Is there a maximum amount of Molex/SATA Connectors per cable strand?


My other thought was;
Could I use VGA/GPU Plugs for Power? But that's 12v vs 5v, probably not a good idea, right?


The Build in Question is;

900D Case with maxed out expansion for the 3.5" Drives + 3x 5.25" to 5x 3.5" Conversion bay, and a 2x 5.25" to 3x 3.5". If I did my math right, that's about 26 Slots available.

 

[velocityg4]

Is it safe to use an extension for the SATA/Molex Connectors? As long as they are well made. Crimped SATA are better than those cheap molded ones. The ones an your PSU are likely the crimped kind.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?p=130311

Is there a maximum length I should consider?
Depends on the gauge of the extension. Best I can tell. With 18 gauge. The max length at full draw from SATA to PSU is 3.4 feet for 11A. Since you be running hard drives at different distances. I'd assume the furthest drive could be further away. But you also lose voltage. So, I wouldn't go too far. I'm just using the linked calculator. To calculate 12V and 11A.
https://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Calculator-_ep_41.html

Is there a maximum amount of Molex/SATA Connectors per cable strand?
A strand can handle about 11A. It really depend on the PSU. If the PSU uses a heavier gauge cable. It can likely go higher. I believe 18 Gauge is standard. Just check carefully. Sometimes they use a heavier gauge on the PCIe lines than the peripheral lines. So, if it says 16 guage double check.

FYI. Molex is rated for 11A. SATA is 5A. The lines feeding them are usually 11A. But that is the limit of the connectors themselves.

Look up the ratings of your drives. There is huge variation between drives. Depending on RPM, number of platters, size of platters, &c.

Could I use VGA/GPU Plugs for Power? But that's 12v vs 5v, probably not a good idea, right?
I don't think so. Not unless the adapter had some voltage converter. Molex and SATA provide 12V and 5V. PCIe only provides 12V.

 

[BinaryData]

Is it safe to use an extension for the SATA/Molex Connectors? As long as they are well made. Crimped SATA are better than those cheap molded ones. The ones an your PSU are likely the crimped kind.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?p=130311

Is there a maximum length I should consider?
Depends on the gauge of the extension. Best I can tell. With 18 gauge. The max length at full draw from SATA to PSU is 3.4 feet for 11A. Since you be running hard drives at different distances. I'd assume the furthest drive could be further away. But you also lose voltage. So, I wouldn't go too far. I'm just using the linked calculator. To calculate 12V and 11A.
https://www.wirebarn.com/Wire-Calculator-_ep_41.html

Is there a maximum amount of Molex/SATA Connectors per cable strand?
A strand can handle about 11A. It really depend on the PSU. If the PSU uses a heavier gauge cable. It can likely go higher. I believe 18 Gauge is standard. Just check carefully. Sometimes they use a heavier gauge on the PCIe lines than the peripheral lines. So, if it says 16 guage double check.

FYI. Molex is rated for 11A. SATA is 5A. The lines feeding them are usually 11A. But that is the limit of the connectors themselves.

Look up the ratings of your drives. There is huge variation between drives. Depending on RPM, number of platters, size of platters, &c.

Could I use VGA/GPU Plugs for Power? But that's 12v vs 5v, probably not a good idea, right?
I don't think so. Not unless the adapter had some voltage converter. Molex and SATA provide 12V and 5V. PCIe only provides 12V.

Is it safe to use an extension for the SATA/Molex Connectors? - Response
All of mine are crimped. I don't use the molded ones unless i'm 100% SOL. Much like my Y-Splits I have. These, are molded, rather than crimped. Which is really frustrating. I built these two rigs almost 2 years ago. I'll shop around for new parts for these older servers.

Is there a maximum length I should consider? - Response
Hmm... I shouldn't be going more than 18" in the full length. I'm using 1400W+ for the PSUs, Corsair or EVGA. I may only need to extend them by 6", 9" tops. That'd be for the very top HDD.

Is there a maximum amount of Molex/SATA Connectors per cable strand? - Response
I was actually told by a few PC Mod guys to avoid using thicker gauge wire for the HDDs. Could cause problems that would be un-necessary. 18 Gauge should work just fine. So, I'll go with that. I'll have to find some better Y-Splits for 4-Pin Molex. I'll have to add 1 Y-Split for each lead, except the 6th, which will be 2, for the SSDs.
Drives will be 8TB - 12TB HGST Drives. 7200RPM.

Could I use VGA/GPU Plugs for Power? But that's 12v vs 5v, probably not a good idea, right? - Response
Worth a shot to ask. Thinking outside the box is what keeps the world spinning and evolving

Thanks man! If you have any links for custom cable making, that'd be majorly appreciated too!

 

[velocityg4]

These guys carry higher end cables for practically any internal cable. They also carry the components for making your own cables. They even carry motherboard headers and other specialty parts.
https://www.moddiy.com/categories/Connectors/

These guys do as well. They also have a lot of flare. Such as UV reactive cables and connectors.
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g51/Connectors.html?id=FEujvFFZ

 

[BinaryData]

You sir, are amazing.

 

[velocityg4]

You're welcome! If so inclined you could actually build custom cable strands from your PSU, across your hard drives. With each SATA power connector spaced properly for your case. Just don't reverse one accidentally.