3 ms·

> It would be nice to replace legacy molex connectors with a more modern standard Any example of the modern one? I personally have no issues with the current o

> It would be nice to replace legacy molex connectors with a more modern standard Any example of the modern one? I personally have no issues with the current one. I am not sure if those molex connectors should be called as legacy.

wlesieutre 7y ago
Bulkiness is my main complaint, they can be a real nuisance in small form factor cases.
- usrusr 7y ago
  And some recent examples are a terrible fit, I remember them aligning much smoother. A clear sign that manufacturers consider them second class. And nobody will complain, because it just strengthens the pre-existing assumption that the new plugs are better.
- willis936 7y ago
  Industrial design demands this. A replacement connector should be difficult to remove and use sufficiently thick cables. Because of the requirements there is little room for improvement and thus we have used the same connectors for 30 years.
  - wlesieutre 7y ago
    The molex 2.36mm pins can apparently carry 8.5A, which at 12V gives you about 100W. That’s useful for some power hungry components, but I wish there were a smaller alternate 4-pin power cable standard that I could use to route power around to things like fans and SATA SSDs. Something in between the giant molex connectors and a 3-pin fan connector.
Marsymars 7y ago
The SATA power connector is the obvious successor. Most random doodads (e.g. internal fan controllers) have moved from using molex connectors in the past to SATA power connectors now.
- yellowapple 7y ago
  > Most random doodads (e.g. internal fan controllers) have moved from using molex connectors in the past to SATA power connectors now. They have? I've literally never seen this in the wild.
  - Marsymars 7y ago
    I've had this fan controller in my desktop for probably five years now: https://www.thermaltake.com/commander-fp-10-port-hub-for-pwm-fans.html https://www.thermaltake.com/commander-fp-10-port-hub-for-pwm...
    - yellowapple 7y ago
      Huh. That's pretty cool. I've only seen (and used) the Molex to whatever-that-connector's-called adapters, which is indeed what I used in my Threadripper build about a year ago.
- myself248 7y ago
  The SATA power connector isn't that great at high currents, look at the numerous fires. Fan controllers have moved to that because most modern PSUs have a lot of them laying around, that's all. And the board-side connector is literally a PCB edge with gold fingers, so it's cheaper. The Mini-Fit Jr connectors seem fit for purpose, but I don't like how stiffly they stick even after releasing the latch. And they're sort of tall, depending on what you're doing. I'm a fan of Micro-Fit 3.0, and the single-row variants are available in enough positions that you could have a low-profile connector delivering plenty of reliable power. I think the dual-row would be more appropriate for most applications though. They're cheap enough, though the tooling isn't.
unlinked_dll 7y ago
Idk if it's MOLEX or whoever is knocking off their designs but the plastics they use are very brittle. I've had the clip on a number of modular cables snap off while inserting it into the motherboard and GPU connectors. I also think the design is large and dated, and I think the modular nature of the connectors is unnecessary. But I don't know how small a wire gauge you can safely use for the current delivery on some of these 500-1k W PSUs.

wlesieutre 7y ago

Bulkiness is my main complaint, they can be a real nuisance in small form factor cases.

usrusr 7y ago
And some recent examples are a terrible fit, I remember them aligning much smoother. A clear sign that manufacturers consider them second class. And nobody will complain, because it just strengthens the pre-existing assumption that the new plugs are better.
willis936 7y ago
Industrial design demands this. A replacement connector should be difficult to remove and use sufficiently thick cables. Because of the requirements there is little room for improvement and thus we have used the same connectors for 30 years.
- wlesieutre 7y ago
  The molex 2.36mm pins can apparently carry 8.5A, which at 12V gives you about 100W. That’s useful for some power hungry components, but I wish there were a smaller alternate 4-pin power cable standard that I could use to route power around to things like fans and SATA SSDs. Something in between the giant molex connectors and a 3-pin fan connector.

Marsymars 7y ago

The SATA power connector is the obvious successor. Most random doodads (e.g. internal fan controllers) have moved from using molex connectors in the past to SATA power connectors now.

yellowapple 7y ago
> Most random doodads (e.g. internal fan controllers) have moved from using molex connectors in the past to SATA power connectors now. They have? I've literally never seen this in the wild.
- Marsymars 7y ago
  I've had this fan controller in my desktop for probably five years now: https://www.thermaltake.com/commander-fp-10-port-hub-for-pwm-fans.html https://www.thermaltake.com/commander-fp-10-port-hub-for-pwm...
  - yellowapple 7y ago
    Huh. That's pretty cool. I've only seen (and used) the Molex to whatever-that-connector's-called adapters, which is indeed what I used in my Threadripper build about a year ago.
myself248 7y ago
The SATA power connector isn't that great at high currents, look at the numerous fires. Fan controllers have moved to that because most modern PSUs have a lot of them laying around, that's all. And the board-side connector is literally a PCB edge with gold fingers, so it's cheaper. The Mini-Fit Jr connectors seem fit for purpose, but I don't like how stiffly they stick even after releasing the latch. And they're sort of tall, depending on what you're doing. I'm a fan of Micro-Fit 3.0, and the single-row variants are available in enough positions that you could have a low-profile connector delivering plenty of reliable power. I think the dual-row would be more appropriate for most applications though. They're cheap enough, though the tooling isn't.

unlinked_dll 7y ago

Idk if it's MOLEX or whoever is knocking off their designs but the plastics they use are very brittle. I've had the clip on a number of modular cables snap off while inserting it into the motherboard and GPU connectors. I also think the design is large and dated, and I think the modular nature of the connectors is unnecessary. But I don't know how small a wire gauge you can safely use for the current delivery on some of these 500-1k W PSUs.