Question Shorted 4 drives after installing new PSU - Repair/Recovery advice needed.

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adamk2424

adamk2424

Feb 24, 2022
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Hey folks, I appreciate in advance any knowledge or advice you can share.

I was upgrading from a Corsair CX600m PSU to an EVGA Supernova 750 P2 PSU. I had 2 SSD's and 2 HDD's as storage, with an M.2 as the boot drive. I replaced the GPU, CPU and Motherboard cables but kept the Sata cables in place on the drives. As I have now learned, you cannot reuse Sata power cables when switching PSU manufacturers. Even though they appear the same and will plug in, apparently the pin-outs are different and it shorted all 4 drives.

I wasn't sure why none of the Sata drives were showing up after starting the system, so I disconnected all the old cables and replaced them with the new EVGA ones. Now the system would not even turn on, just a click from the PSU. I disconnected all but my main 2tb SSD storage drive and hit power. It started, but I quickly noticed that there was smoke and arc light coming from the SSD in my hand and ripped the Sata power out of it. On the drive you can see the melted spot right past the connector on the plastic housing.
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Should I even try to connect the other 3 drives to another PC and see if I can get any data off of them, or would that be unlikely to work? I worry that trying it could do more damage that would make data recovery harder/impossible.

How likely is data recovery/drive repair to be able to save the data? My last experience with data recovery was very expensive and they failed to save 99% of the files from a dead disc drive. I found this thread, which makes it look possible but is way beyond my capability.

Question - Mixed Up PSU Cables to Drives: What is Broken?

Hello, I got a new PSU because my old one died out. So being the clueless builder I am, I made a rookie mistake of using the old SATA cables (HDD, DVD Drive, & SSD) with my new PSU (I used the new cables for everything else). After I turned on my computer the first time, there was some smoke...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com

TLDR Used wrong manufacturer sata power cables, drives shorted. Try them on another PC, send to recovery service or no hope?

Thank you.
 
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It would be nice for the PSU makers to include a notice with their PSUs reminding customers to not use/insert any modular cables from other PSUs into their PSUs; once a week, someone ruins a few hard drives and /or SSDs this way.

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making connectors compatible then making pinouts different without warning is just lazy. PSU industry should either make a standard for modular cable connectors or each manufacturer should make the connectors unique (like latest SuperFlower)

For their own benefit as well - returns will reduce a lot
 
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Pextaxmx said:
making connectors compatible then making pinouts different without warning is just lazy. PSU industry should either make a standard for modular cable connectors or each manufacturer should make the connectors unique (like latest SuperFlower)

For their own benefit as well - returns will reduce a lot
Click to expand...

Making an industry standard is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of time and investment and cooperation across international conglomerates. When these things succeed, it's for a compelling financial reason not for an edge case as "people ignoring instructions and re-using modular cables."
 
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DSzymborski said:
Making an industry standard is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of time and investment and cooperation across international conglomerates. When these things succeed, it's for a compelling financial reason not for an edge case as "people ignoring instructions and re-using modular cables."
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OK, then what makes them to use the exactly same connectors on the PSU which is not even a standard? can they make them incompatible with each other?
 
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Pextaxmx said:
OK, then what makes them to use the exactly same connectors on the PSU which is not even a standard? can they make them incompatible with each other?
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Because that is a standard, which ensure interoperability with things consumers want to use, like GPUs and SATA drives. There's a huge financial motive for EVGA to sell PSUs that work with nVIDIA GPUs or Western Digital hard drives. There's little -- if any -- financial motive for EVGA to sell PSUs that work with SeaSonic cables.
 
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DSzymborski said:
Because that is a standard, which ensure interoperability with things consumers want to use, like GPUs and SATA drives. There's a huge financial motive for EVGA to sell PSUs that work with nVIDIA GPUs or Western Digital hard drives. There's little -- if any -- financial motive for EVGA to sell PSUs that work with SeaSonic cables.
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you are basically repeating my point. On the service end, of course they have to follow the standard duh. I am talking about the modular connection end.
 
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Show me the PCBs and I'll help you to repair them, or at least tell you exactly what is wrong with them so that you can then use an inexpensive repairer to perform the work.

If the HDD PCBs cannot be economically repaired, then you can use hdd-parts.com to transfer the PCB's "ROM(s)" to a new PCB. The total cost is US$50 per PCB.
 
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Pextaxmx said:
you are basically repeating my point. On the service end, of course they have to follow the standard duh. I am talking about the modular connection end.
Click to expand...

I am certainly not repeating your point.

EVGA doesn't have the slightest financial incentive to care if the modular connection ends are standardized: it's no benefit to them if people could use Corsair modular cables on their PSUs.

EVGA has an incredible financial incentive to care if the other connection ends are standardized: it's an immense benefit to them that people can use their EVGA PSUs with GPUs and hard drives and motherboards.
 
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jonnyguru said:
Exactly because of what's already been stated. Suppliers can buy off the shelf micro-fit jr. connectors instead of tooling a unique connector.
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Why not just standardize the pin outs on PSU's? They seem like a fairly standard function, not sure why they would benefit from using different arrangements.
 
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There's also build quality, alloy grade, gauge of wires etc. Say Corsair use proper gauge wire in 60cm 6+2 PCIE AUX in a certain 750W model which can stand the spikes and transients and all - within the nominal bracket for a 750W unit. Even over the rating amperage to some limited extent.

User replace them with some low quality, lower gauge 60cm 6+2 PCIE AUX from CombustionLordsUnited just because he has them from his old CrapTec PSU and because pinouts/connectors are the same and ruin their GPU/cable/PSU. That user would blame Corsair PSU not the crappy piece of 3rd-grade copper/alloy or copper-clad aluminum wires with condom-level shielding.
 
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Satan-IR said:
There's also build quality, alloy grade, gauge of wires etc. Say Corsair use proper gauge wire in 60cm 6+2 PCIE AUX in a certain 750W model which can stand the spikes and transients and all - within the nominal bracket for a 750W unit. Even over the rating amperage to some limited extent.

User replace them with some low quality, lower gauge 60cm 6+2 PCIE AUX from CombustionLordsUnited just because he has them from his old CrapTec PSU and because pinouts/connectors are the same and ruin their GPU/cable/PSU. That user would blame Corsair PSU not the crappy piece of 3rd-grade copper/alloy or copper-clad aluminum wires with condom-level shielding.
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so rather fry your SSD if there's chance elevated ohm wire can be used?
Arguments are so misaligned here.

A good analogy for these mismatched pinout connectors is, you pull 220V service for your laundry dryer, and terminate with 110V outlet part (because it's cheaper?). Maybe you put a red warning sticker indicating 220V outlet... but at some point your tenant can plug the washer (110V) into it and burn your basement. Can you say that's 100% tenants fault?
 
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Pextaxmx said:
so rather fry your SSD if there's chance elevated ohm wire can be used?
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That would happen exactly if there's a univeral plug anything into anything mishmash.

Decent PSU makers, obviously, tests their units with the cables they're supposed to be sold/shipped with. That's why they're 'the best' that you can use for that unit within the standards of the different voltages the PSU is rated to provide, 12V 5V 3.3v and so on, according to ATX switching power supplies standards snd so on. Forget about efficinecy rating ratings of 80+ like silver and gold and etc.

That's why they instruct users who have chosen to use their products - in soft copy and print manuals - to use the cables that they recomment, cables that come with the unit they bought. If they're "standardized" as all brands all models having same connectors and some pinouts there are users who are bound to use the lower quality lower-rated ones where they shouldn't. Somebody would use improper SATA cables, crappy molex to SATA 'adapters' or PCIE AUX from a low quality 450W PSU in a 1KW one just because he can plug them in.

And yes if there's proper warning and user ignores it it's the users fault.

P.S I think I have posted enough semi-off-topic banter in the OP's thread already. The end for me. Have a good one everybody.
 
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