What's the deal with these Western Digital SATA cables that BLOCK the SATA power connector keeping it from being used?

[computer]

Yesterday I got a retail WD740 (new one with the 16mb buffer) and the cable that came with it is something I've never before seen. http://www.hothardware.com/articleimages/item847/big_wd5000ks_1.jpg
You can see in that image how it connects to the HD using a large plastic "block" that covers the SATA power connector so it can't be used! WTF?? Even stranger, is that it apparently is NOT just a data cable because there are actually gold metal pins IN the power connector area! If it were passive, then there would be no need for pins! So what's going on here, is there some kind of (for lack of a better term) "electrical cross-talk or communication" between the power and data wires? If not, then why put metal pins in there? Why does WD not want users to use the SATA power and use the 4-pin Molex instead?

 

[computer]

Ah, look what I just found:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article617-page1.html

First of all, even though SATA power connectors are now quite easy to come by, Western Digital has yet to drop the legacy IDE power connector, which helps maintain compatibility if the drive is dropped into a system with an older power supply.

But, the real reason for keeping it may be unrelated to the power supply. Western Digital's proprietary SecureConnect cable fits over the SATA power connector, but does not provide power to it. This means that the IDE power connector must be used when a SecureConnect cable is used.

Why would you use a SecureConnect cable? Well, for one, Western Digital includes it in their retail package. But why would they go to the trouble of developing a proprietary connector for a publicly available standard? The reason is that the connector, as defined in the original standard, was quite flimsy, and would occasionally unplug themselves if the data cable was disturbed. There was a need for a more secure cable that Western Digital recognized, and the SecureConnect cable was developed to fill the need.

But this still doesn't explain the purpose of the metal electrical contact pins in the power side.

 

[Lonyo]

CRAP.
I wish I had a WD drive. I recently BROKE the SATA connector on the back of one of my Maxtor drives because the plug came partly out, and got knocked downwards. Now the drive isn't safe to use.
The metal pins may be grounding pins.

 

[computer]

I'd have to cut one open to see if the pins in the SATA power area actually connected to anything. If they did not, then their presence is still a mystery. If they did, then I guess they'd have to connect to a Ground data wire in the data portion of the cable. ALL of the pins are there, not just one or a few of them.

If your HD is out of warranty, I guess you could always hardwire it.

This talk of SATA power brings up another question, what's the purpose of the orange 3.3v line? If of course isn't there on the Molex connectors.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: computer
I'd have to cut one open to see if the pins in the SATA power area actually connected to anything. If they did not, then their presence is still a mystery. If they did, then I guess they'd have to connect to a Ground data wire in the data portion of the cable. ALL of the pins are there, not just one or a few of them.

If your HD is out of warranty, I guess you could always hardwire it.

This talk of SATA power brings up another question, what's the purpose of the orange 3.3v line? If of course isn't there on the Molex connectors.

The orange line is to provide power for magical and strange things like hard drive hotplugging.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA#Serial_ATA_innovations

Crazy future technology for you.

I have a western digital hard drive and it has both the SATA power and molex power connectors. I'm using the SATA power connector because as I bought my hard drive OEM I use the data cable that came with my motherboard. *shrug*

 

[computer]

Thanks, interesting about the 3.3v line.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
CRAP.
I wish I had a WD drive. I recently BROKE the SATA connector on the back of one of my Maxtor drives because the plug came partly out, and got knocked downwards. Now the drive isn't safe to use.
The metal pins may be grounding pins.

I broke the cable+the entire plastic bracket off, but the pins were still there. I opened the head on teh cable and removed the bracket, then super glued it back around the pins. Reattached the cable, let it dry, and it works fine! Just remember to use a long cable in case you need to relocated the drive, you won't get the cable off w/o breaking the plug again..

 

[Paperdoc]

Based on your second post, it appears WD is using the SATA power connector to add more attachment points to make a more secure fastening of the data cable to the HDD. So, of course, they are using completely unconnected pins in the cable end to fit into the socket, giving more holding force to keep it plugged in. I would expect fully that all those pins going into the power socket have no electrical connection to anything. They have strictly mechanical function.

 

[ECUHITMAN]

I guess if you are in and out of your case all the time it would be wise to get a better SATA connector, but I have two SATA drives using the normal SATA connector and the SATA power plugs that came with my PSU and I have yet to have a drive 'unplug' itself (nor have I broken the plug). Maybe I am just careful, or maybe other people move their computers around a lot, but for me I do not see why that secure connect plug is required.

it is interesting that WD is betting that people that would require the secure connect plug would not want or have access to SATA power plugs. To me it is more likely that people that want a more secure connection would also want the ability to hot swap their HD which would require the SATA power plug (if I understand the hot swap technology correctly) so why not have the secure connection cover up the standard 4 pin molex connector?