Can it be done... How to connect a 3.5 desktop HDD to a laptop {without USB}?

[SoftwareEng]

Hey everyone,

So I need to connect a desktop (3.5") SATA HDD to my laptop's internal SATA connector. Assume I don't have any working USB ports, so unfortunately traditional USB adapters don't apply.

Can you recommend a connector, dongle, or adapter that I can buy to make this work?

(Please note: this is the ONLY way to do it in my case: no USB, no WIFI).

Huge thanks!

 

[TheELF]

As long as you can hook the drive up to the sata cable you can use an external power source like a PSU, shorted to always be on.

The SATA port provides only the data connection,the power connection is not called sata port but SATA power connector.

 

[SoftwareEng]

As long as you can hook the drive up to the sata cable you can use an external power source like a PSU, shorted to always be on.

The SATA port provides only the data connection,the power connection is not called sata port but SATA power connector.

That's what I mean, where can I get this connector? It's exactly what I'm asking. I believe the laptop's internal SATA port is different and cannot be simply connected to a 3.5" desktop HDD

 

[dave_the_nerd]

That's what I mean, where can I get this connector? It's exactly what I'm asking. I believe the laptop's internal SATA port is different and cannot be simply connected to a 3.5" desktop HDD

The port on the motherboard is different, but the HDD-end of the connector is the same for 2.5" and 3.5" drives. The only real caveat is that the laptop won't supply enough power for the 3.5" HDD (need 12v, only provides 5v, not enough amperage either) hence needing an external PSU.

You just need a little adapter. Maybe internal SATA to eSATA and then another eSATA to SATA or something.

Oh, and if the laptop has eSATA then you don't need to do any of this.

 

[TheELF]

I believe the laptop's internal SATA port is different and cannot be simply connected to a 3.5" desktop HDD

Post a pic if you can,it is pretty common that laptops use their own connectors,you are probably talking about a connection that is not supposed to take an hard drive,if it's a optical drive connection it will most probably be a weird connector.

 

[corkyg]

...
Oh, and if the laptop has eSATA then you don't need to do any of this.

That is how I would do it - my laptop has an eSATA port. 🙂

 

[mindless1]

I guess I haven't been paying attention to newer laptops because those I recall, have a motherboard SATA connector that is compatible with a standard SATA cable. That makes sense because that's what's on 2.5" SATA drives, but also what's on 3.5" drives. The real problem then is mechanically stuffing 3.5" of drive into 2.5" of space.

They have additional pins next to that SATA for power, but you don't have to use them, can just plug a standard cable into the mainboard and 3.5" HDD, then supply power from an alternate source as The ELF suggested.

On the other hand if it's the SATA for an optical drive, some of those have some sled setup.

What good is a laptop that doesn't have USB or wifi? Do you mean you don't have an extra USB port so you need a USB hub? How about ethernet? Surely you could use a way to get data in and out of this laptop?

What is the use scenario? Do you merely need to move data around or boot from this 3.5" drive? How about network sharing it, does the laptop at least have ethernet?

 

[SoftwareEng]

News update! 🙂

Laptop's SATA hard drive and desktop SATA hard drive have the SAME connectors. They are PHYSICALLY identical - both the power and the data channels.

The problem is the desktop drive needs more power, so even if you plug it into the laptop's internal SATA connector (because they are physically identical), it won't work. And, you can't "add" the extra power to the connector without a proper power supply - which on your desktop computer is simply the 12 volt line from the PSU.

Thank you all for trying to solve my problem! Been a pleasure. 🙂

 

[mindless1]

^ SATA power plug delivers 12V, 5V, and often 3.3V. Usually you can do without the 3.3V but may need the 5V, which of course would be on any desktop computer PSU's SATA power connector, or provided by a molex 4 pin connector on the PSU, through an add-on 4 pin to SATA adapter cable.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Laptop's SATA hard drive and desktop SATA hard drive have the SAME connectors. They are PHYSICALLY identical - both the power and the data channels.

The problem is the desktop drive needs more power, so even if you plug it into the laptop's internal SATA connector (because they are physically identical), it won't work. And, you can't "add" the extra power to the connector without a proper power supply - which on your desktop computer is simply the 12 volt line from the PSU.

^ SATA power plug delivers 12V, 5V, and often 3.3V. Usually you can do without the 3.3V but may need the 5V, which of course would be on any desktop computer PSU's SATA power connector, or provided by a molex 4 pin connector on the PSU, through an add-on 4 pin to SATA adapter cable.

3.5" and 5.25" (opticals) both require a 12V supply. 2.5" drives run exclusively from the 5V connection. Which is why 2.5" drives can work on a USB connection without additional power. 3.5" and 5.25" drives can't do that.

3.3V is used very rarely on consumer class drives, so you can omit it with f.x. a molex-to-SATA adaptor.

 

[SamirD]

If you can access your laptop's sata connector, you can simply use a sata to esata cable and then put your 3.5" drive in an esata external enclosure. This will solve the power issue for the 3.5" drive.

You can also check if the laptop has an esata port on the laptop itself or on a factory branded docking station (my hp one does). Connecting the external esata 3.5" drive to this connector would be the same as connecting it internally as it's the same controller.

Another route would be to simply extend the sata connector and then use the power supply from this kit by kingwin. I've used this method a few times when working with servers that didn't have power for a drive, but had a sata port:
http://www.kingwin.com/adapters/usi-2535-2/#tab-67f88ace-151e-4

 

[SoftwareEng]

I wish there was a male to male SATA cable - that would let you connect any SATA drive to your laptop internally and "indirectly" . (My laptop has a second SATA port for the internal DVD-ROM drive, which I pulled out. Without such a cable, it's impossible to elegantly feed the data and power line into that internal SATA/power port.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[SamirD]

I wish there was a male to male SATA cable - that would let you connect any SATA drive to your laptop internally and "indirectly" . (My laptop has a second SATA port for the internal DVD-ROM drive, which I pulled out. Without such a cable, it's impossible to elegantly feed the data and power line into that internal SATA/power port.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Not a male-male, but a male-female (the sata connector is female on the port and male on the drive). These actually do exist, but are a bit hard to find. I found some eventually by startech:
https://www.startech.com/Cables/Dri...ATA-Power-and-Data-Extension-Cable~SATA22PEXT

Another way to do is is to get an expresscard esata port like this one:
https://www.startech.com/support/ECESATUSB1

This can add a sata port to your system. Of course, you could also just add a usb3.0 port the same way and put the drive in a 3.5" external enclosure:
https://www.startech.com/Cards-Adap...sCard-SuperSpeed-USB-3-Card-Adapter~ECUSB3S22

 

[sultroy]

If you're able to MacGyver the thing, eSATAp has a dual voltage spec and connector.

The hollowed out DVD area of the laptop could be replaced with a panel to which you'd connect a dual voltage eSATAp connector. You'd probably be able to grab 12 volts from somewhere within the laptop. Then you could use a dual voltage eSATAp cable.

This would likely involve some disassembly of the laptop and soldering.