PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Power-Supply-to-Device Connectors

Power supplies provide two types of connectors to power disk drives and other internal peripherals:

Peripheral Connector

The Peripheral Connector, shown in Figure 26-2, is often called a Molex Connector by technicians. The cable uses a Molex PS-8981-04P or AMP 1-480424-0 connector or equivalent, and 18 AWG wires. Pin 1, at left as you view the connector face, carries +12V and uses a yellow wire. Pins 2 and 3 are COM (ground) and use black wires. Pin 4 is +5V and uses a red wire.

Figure 26-2. Peripheral Connector

Floppy Drive Connector

The Floppy Drive Connector, shown in Figure 26-3, is often called a Berg Connector, and is also used by some other types of drives (5.25-inch floppy drives use the larger Molex connector also used by hard disks and other drives). The cable uses an AMP 171822-4 connector or equivalent. The wires are 20 AWG. Pin 1, at left as you view the connector face, carries +5V and uses a red wire. Pins 2 and 3 are COM (ground) and use black wires. Pin 4 is +12V and uses a yellow wire.

Figure 26-3. Floppy Drive Connector

Warning

Note that wire colors map to the same voltages on the Peripheral Connector and the Floppy Drive Connector, but the pinouts are exactly reversed. While building a home-made cable, we once toasted a drive by assuming ...