eSATA and power eSATA?

[kranky]

Building a new PC and would like to be able to accommodate eSATA devices. I have no experience with SATA devices and I don't know what the difference is between "eSATA" and "power eSATA".

From what I can figure, regular eSATA devices connect to both an eSATA port on the PC for data AND also connect to a USB connection for power. I take this to mean an eSATA device has two ports, an eSATA port and a power port, and use two cables.

The newer "power eSATA" ports on a PC handle both data and power on a single connector. Does that mean the devices attached to a "power eSATA" port have to be "power eSATA" devices? Or does it mean just use a special cable with a "power eSATA" plug on one end which splits out into eSATA and power connectors at the device end like this one pictured? And does the device end of the cable fit every eSATA device?

Or am I way out in left field?

 

[sxr7171]

Wow that is cool. I think there is a standard for the distance between SATA connection and power connection.

One thing I never got about SATA is how the power connector is wider and has more connectors than the actual data connection. Weird.

 

[pjkenned]

Or does it mean just use a special cable with a "power eSATA" plug on one end which splits out into eSATA and power connectors at the device end like this one pictured? And does the device end of the cable fit every eSATA device?

Closer to that one. The powered eSATA plug (left one in your picture) both gets USB power and eSATA over one cable. The connector on the left is for standard SATA spacing. Note drives like slimline SATA drives and many 1.8" drives like the Intel X18-M use different SATA connectors. Prior to putting power over the same connector, eSATA devices/ enclosures needed a second cable, often from a USB port, to provide power to the devices. They finally realized that eSATA is much more useful if it can power devices like USB can, and are starting to give it a power option to reduce cabling.

 

[Old Hippie]

How about this?

IDK if any powered eSATA standards have been put in place but the last thing I read they would only power 2.5" drives.

From what I can figure, regular eSATA devices connect to both an eSATA port on the PC for data AND also connect to a USB connection for power.

Just to clarify, only 2.5" eSATA drives can be driven with USB power and all 3.5" must use a 110v external power.

 

[MightyD]

I am looking for some more details on the form factors of these new connectors. I was unable to find anything recent and after over a year of talk it seems these are still not being implemented.

Will the Power over E-Sata MALE connector fit in a normal E-Sata FEMALE connector?

I have an external hardrive with USB 2.0 interface and I am looking for an adapter to connect it to a e-sata port. All I found was the Startech adapter for USB to Power-over-esata. Will that male connector fit in the normal female esata port?

Nothing on the sataIO website, nothing in wikipedia, old stuff in google. Anyone can help?

Thank you.