Sata or Molex on an LED strip ?

[LapX]

Hello everybody, me and my dad want to make LED strips for computers and we are wondering a few things about what connectors we should use.

 

I think we should make the strip get it's power directly from a Sata connector, but he thinks Molex is a better way to go.

 

This isn't for my own computer by the way, we want to sell what we make.

 

I don't need any other advice since my father is already selling LED products and we know how everything works.

 

Just need to know what connector is the most pratical

 

Thank you !

 

[QueenDemetria]

Use what you have available. I'm building a custom PC soon and when I sleeve my cables, I plan on getting rig of every 4 pin molex connector(so I'm using sata). If you use most or all of the sata cables, maybe making it molex would be a good idea.

[DevilishBooster]

If its a personal system, use what ever is available. If it's something you are planning on doing for income, I would have a standardized system, one way or the other. Since Molex to SATA power adapters cost quite a bit more than Molex extenders, and the SATA power connectors have to plug into Molex anyway, I would say just use Molex. If you want to make sure any Molex wires in the systems look clean, then you can put your own color coordinated sleaving on the Molex cables and it should be fine. That's my 2 cents, anyway...

[W-L]

-SNIP-

 

Molex is probably the easiest since it is a fairly large connector that is easy to crimp together and install the pins in but it just depends what you have available also from your PSU. I personally like using 3 pins and plugging it into a 12V fan source usually a PWM splitter since it directly supplies 12V and is a nice small connector that isn't large or bulky.

[LapX]

This isn't for my own computer by the way, we want to sell what we make.

Please

 

Use what you have available. I'm building a custom PC soon and when I sleeve my cables, I plan on getting rig of every 4 pin molex connector(so I'm using sata). If you use most or all of the sata cables, maybe making it molex would be a good idea.

 

Molex is probably the easiest since it is a fairly large connector that is easy to crimp together and install the pins in but it just depends what you have available also from your PSU. I personally like using 3 pins and plugging it into a 12V fan source usually a PWM splitter since it directly supplies 12V and is a nice small connector that isn't large or bulky.

[LapX]

If its a personal system, use what ever is available. If it's something you are planning on doing for income, I would have a standardized system, one way or the other. Since Molex to SATA power adapters cost quite a bit more than Molex extenders, and the SATA power connectors have to plug into Molex anyway, I would say just use Molex. If you want to make sure any Molex wires in the systems look clean, then you can put your own color coordinated sleaving on the Molex cables and it should be fine. That's my 2 cents, anyway...

 

Your 2 cents is very interesting, but can't I plug the strip directly into the sata cable that's powering my drives if the cable on it is sata power ?

[QueenDemetria]

Please

Seriously, as long as you aren't using a custom pinout it doesn't matter what you use, it just boils down to personal preference or availability. Its just for lights, so its not like there are any power constraints, and they are close to the same size so it doesn't matter from that aspect.

 

Like I said though, just use what you have available or what makes sense. Like my example system, it would make no sense to have all sata connections and 1 molex. I have had systems though where I have used all of my sata power connections for drives and only had molex left, so if you are in this situation then molex would make more sense.

[SSOB]

The way to do it in my opinion would be to research what adapter costs less(so molex to sata or sata to molex) and include that in the box.

[LapX]

Seriously, as long as you aren't using a custom pinout it doesn't matter what you use, it just boils down to personal preference or availability. Its just for lights, so its not like there are any power constraints, and they are close to the same size so it doesn't matter from that aspect.

 

Like I said though, just use what you have available or what makes sense. Like my example system, it would make no sense to have all sata connections and 1 molex. I have had systems though where I have used all of my sata power connections for drives and only had molex left, so if you are in this situation then molex would make more sense.

But what need do you think is most common these days ? If you had to choose one connector for your standardized case LED strip, what would it be ? I thought Sata but it might just be my case and most people may not have the same needs as I do. Thanks

[QueenDemetria]

But what need do you think is most common these days ? If you had to choose one connector for your standardized case LED strip, what would it be ? I thought Sata but it might just be my case and most people may not have the same needs as I do. Thanks

Personally I would use Sata, but that's because I have had to deal with molex for too many years. Molex is less common for most things today, but it will always be around.

[willp789]

What's the voltage of the LEDs? SATA can provide 3.3v (as well as 5v and 12v) but that would seem a little low for an LED strip. As for connector availability, most people will have free molex connectors since drives use SATA nowadays.

[W-L]

What's the voltage of the LEDs? SATA can provide 3.3v (as well as 5v and 12v) but that would seem a little low for an LED strip. As for connector availability, most people will have free molex connectors since drives use SATA nowadays.

 

LED strips are 12V so sata or molex will work as said go with the cheaper option and more common one. 

[willp789]

LED strips are 12V so sata or molex will work as said go with the cheaper option and more common one.

I have LED strips which run at 5v and seem reasonably bright... Just sayin

[W-L]

I have LED strips which run at 5v and seem reasonably bright... Just sayin

 

Just wondering which ones do you have, the majority of the LED strips on the market run off 12V there are some that are 3.3V I've seen but very rare.

[jessicametal]

I would go with molex. It's cheaper to buy/assemble, it won't use up your SATA ports so that they're free for storage/optical drives/fan controllers, and very few commonly used devices still use molex for power. So a simple molex connector would work just fine for LED lighting. I know that some people get kind of irritated by the rainbow-like color of the molex cables, but maybe you could address that by doing some cool sleeving as well.

[VirtualNinja]

Personally I use 2 pin fan headers with a molex to 3pin adapter,

 

The advantages are it is much smaller connector and if I want to connect a few strip in series, I can easily use connectors between the strips. so if a strip needs to be replaced it's a much easier operation, rather than having to remove the lot to desolder and replace.

[LapX]

What's the voltage of the LEDs? SATA can provide 3.3v (as well as 5v and 12v) but that would seem a little low for an LED strip. As for connector availability, most people will have free molex connectors since drives use SATA nowadays.

As I said, I know the specs of my strips, I buy lots of them. They are 12v.  But thanks anyway

[LapX]

I would go with molex. It's cheaper to buy/assemble, it won't use up your SATA ports so that they're free for storage/optical drives/fan controllers, and very few commonly used devices still use molex for power. So a simple molex connector would work just fine for LED lighting. I know that some people get kind of irritated by the rainbow-like color of the molex cables, but maybe you could address that by doing some cool sleeving as well.

But what if you have to plug a molex cable only for the LED's ? Isn't that irritating ?

[jessicametal]

Possibly, but I would find having all my SATA ports used up for lighting to where I couldn't expand to more hard drives/etc. even more irritating. I was thinking maybe using 3-4 pin fan headers as a possible option, but then again I don't wanna block myself off from adding more fans if need be either. So in the end, molex seems like the easier, most affordable, and least irritating option that I can think of here.

[kkpatel87]

Hello everybody, me and my dad want to make LED strips for computers and we are wondering a few things about what connectors we should use.

 

I think we should make the strip get it's power directly from a Sata connector, but he thinks Molex is a better way to go.

 

This isn't for my own computer by the way, we want to sell what we make.

 

I don't need any other advice since my father is already selling LED products and we know how everything works.

 

Just need to know what connector is the most pratical

 

Thank you !

 

Neither, i would use a Mil-spec 38999 series III connector. ...not very practical but the best.

 

As for practical, much easier to cleanly mod 4-pin "molex" connectors than SATA.

[LapX]

Possibly, but I would find having all my SATA ports used up for lighting to where I couldn't expand to more hard drives/etc. even more irritating. I was thinking maybe using 3-4 pin fan headers as a possible option, but then again I don't wanna block myself off from adding more fans if need be either. So in the end, molex seems like the easier, most affordable, and least irritating option that I can think of here.

 

 

Neither, i would use a Mil-spec 38999 series III connector. ...not very practical but the best.

 

As for practical, much easier to cleanly mod 4-pin "molex" connectors than SATA.

 

Thanks guys, Molex it is !

[λGhost]

Why is Molex still around?, I thought IDE was a thing of the past. Now I need sata to molex adapter to use the extra sata power connector on my sata power cable, otherwise I'd have to run another 5 foot power cable with 3 molex connectors. 

[GzeroD]

Molex is more practical. Sata looks better.

[JVarholTech]

Personally, I feel that if you are soldering these connectors onto a board a fan header would probably be the best bet. Molex and SATA are both far wider than the LED strips and would most likely just get in the way.

[CableMod]

we decided to offer all our LED Strips with SATA because we believe it is easier than MOLEX and also motherboards and PSUs these days just have more SATA ports.