ATX Connector Pin Source

[John DeTuerk]

I am trying to locate a supplier of the pins for the ATX power supply connector. I would like to shorten the powersupply pigtail to fit a SFF case. I don't have any problems removing the leads, I just havn't yet found a place to purchase the female pins for the connector.

[drew and not u]

You could simply cut a section of wire out of the harness and splice the wires back together. As long as you match up the colors correctly it will be ok. I recently spliced a 24-pin ATX connector to a 20-pin harness, took me about 25 minutes.

[gvblake22]

I agree with drew. It is easier to cut the wire and solder it back together with a bit of heatshrink than it is to try and crimp another pin on. If you wanted to try your hand at crimping pins, then it looks like you can get them at Performance-PC's: Male or Female
Don't forget that you would need a crimp tool also...

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by John DeTuerk

I am trying to locate a supplier of the pins for the ATX power supply connector. I would like to shorten the powersupply pigtail to fit a SFF case. I don't have any problems removing the leads, I just havn't yet found a place to purchase the female pins for the connector.

First, welcome to the HL Forums!

Next, to find the right pins or sockets you need to know the connector part numbers, this should help with that:

All about the various PC power supply cables and connectors

Also this is a good read:

Pinball: Molex Connectors and Terminal Pin Crimping Explained

To get the pins and or sockets:

MOLEX Connectors, Molex Tools, Molex Pin Extractors and .062, .093, KK and Others

There is no shortage of suppliers.

Ron

[gvblake22]

WOW, awesome links Ron!

[RangerXLT8]

I don't recommend cutting and shorting the wires, it can interfere with the flow of electricity is the solder is not done correctly.

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by RangerXLT8

I don't recommend cutting and shorting the wires, it can interfere with the flow of electricity is the solder is not done correctly.

Actually cutting, splicing and soldering is another viable option. Soldering, when done correctly will work just fine. The main downside to soldering is more cosmetic than electrical in nature. When you splice and solder you have the unsightly connections to cover. That is generally done using some heat shrink tubing.

When you crimp pins and or sockets (Pin = Male & Socket = Female) for connectors you also need to be careful. Poor crimps cam make for as many problems as faulty soldering (cold solder joints).

I started a tutorial on soldering back in March. Then life got busy. I really should get back to the guide in the next few weeks. The beginnings of it can be found here:

Soldering 101

I haven't actually gotten to soldering yet.

Soldering is a skill and like any other skill requires practice. You screw up some solder joints and then they improve. Patience & practice on scrap wires.

Ron

[drew and not u]

You could definitely get as involved as soldering. Being lazy however, I kept it simple. Cut, strip, twist, and tape. It may not be as technically reliable as soldering, but if you strip a decent length, and twist the wires, securely, and tape them securely, and then tape the entire harness, it will be pretty much as secure as soldering.