Help request for name of 4 pin connector  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Mp3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2020, 04:59:48 am
content: Hello, I have this HP motherboard I am trying to use however I need to make myself a pair of SATA power cables for it. I am not sure the name of this connector.I saw some connectors that look like they fit on eBay, but they are for a SATA slim optical drive, plus I would rather DIY the cable from the start for the price the sellers are asking.Many thanks.

author: sahko123
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2020, 06:13:17 am
content: Honestly because of economy of scale your most likely better off finding a premade cable which may be cheaper than finding the connectors on some suppliers website then paying 20 quid or so for shipping for a 1 euro/dollar/pound connector. But you have one of the uses for such a connector try find your way back from there

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 17, 2020, 06:55:53 am
content: I'll second sahko123's advice - and add that another thing to keep in mind is that those connectors are very tiny and most likely designed to be crimped onto the wires. Trying to solder them will make a mess, and attempting to crimp them with other than the connector-specific tooling will result in mangled terminals that won't want to go into the housings and is begging Murphy to rear his ugly head and cause you grief down the road. I made the mistake of speccing one of those microscopic connectors on a project a few years ago a moment of monumental stupidity - we needed it to be small, but Ipicked one that was far too small. For the number we needed to make, spending several hundred dollars on a hand held crimping tool wasn't worth the cost, so we wound up outsourcing the needed cables, which was a PITA, because they were only for test.Cannibalize a premade cable - it will be much easier in the long run.-Pat

author: MarkMLl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2020, 03:22:47 pm
content: There's a whole lot of those connectors which look almost identical, at the very least you need to know the accurate pitch (spacing) of those pins.I bought a selection of premade connectors from DirtyPCBs.com specifically to sort out this type of problem, and I /still/ come across ones that don't match (e.g. the "Grove" ones).MarkMLl

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2020, 12:48:07 am
content: XH2.54-4P Look very close.

author: MarkMLl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2020, 07:41:51 am
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 19, 2020, 12:48:07 amAre you sure? Comparing it with the adjacent jumpers suggest that the pitch is smaller than 2.54mm. Also the XHs I've got here have keying/locking grooves rather than a space.MarkMLl

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2020, 09:07:05 pm
content: I just said very close. 2.54 is the pin pitch, so change that number.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2020, 09:32:52 pm
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 19, 2020, 09:07:05 pmUm, but then it isn't an JST XH series! (and those are 2.5mm pitch, not 2.54mm - JST is metric).Anyhow, that's certainly not an XH connector, the locking mechanism on those is different:http://tech.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/#xhThese connectors are much smaller than 2.54mm pitch - just look at the header pins to the right of the connectors (with the blue jumper caps). That looks to be 2mm or maybe even smaller pitch.Possibly a 4 pin JST PH series:http://tech.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/#ph

author: MarkMLl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2020, 07:09:56 am
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 19, 2020, 09:07:05 pmWhat you said could be interpreted as "look very closely and you'll see that it's a xxxx", i.e. that you were claiming definite identification.I'm not even sure that it's a 2.5mm, comparison with the 2.54 headers next to it makes it look smaller but probably still >2mm.MarkMLl

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2020, 08:35:01 am
content: Quote from: janoc on July 19, 2020, 09:32:52 pmAgreed. Looks like a JST PH to me, whose 2mm pitch is plausible compared to the 2.54mm headers nearby.But given that one would need to spend a rock-bottom minimum of $20 on a crimping tool to prepare the connector, it makes no sense to DIY the cable if it’s just a one-off.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2020, 08:37:00 am
content: Quote from: JustMeHere on July 19, 2020, 12:48:07 amNo, they don’t. They don’t look close, and the pitch can’t be.Quote from: JustMeHere on July 19, 2020, 09:07:05 pmWhat good is that? Just misinformation potentially sending the OP down the wrong rabbit hole.

author: MarkMLl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2020, 09:34:30 am
content: Quote from: tooki on July 20, 2020, 08:35:01 amAgreed: referring to the OP's photo and Googling "SATA power" "JST PH" brings up a lot of hits (apparently there are both 2- and 4-pin variants). OP would be best buying a sacrificial cable.MarkMLl