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I was reading about Serial ATA the other day.
Why did the folks who helped develop the SATA standards think it was necessary to also develop and define a new power connector that carries twelve volts? My understanding is that SATA disk drives operate on 3.3 volts only. Why define a new 15 pin connector that includes 12 volts?
The hdd motor requires 12V.
The Molex connector used on IDE drives also has a 12volt connection for that reason.
The motor requires 12 volts?
Ok then I guess that means the circuit board requires 3.3.
OK, then why the new power connector?
Isn't 12 volts already available on existing power supplies?
The 3.3v lines are needed for hotplugging, that is the reason they implemented a new power cable.
Liam
Also, SATA disks can also be used with SAS controllers (Serially Attached SCSI) - power and data connectors fit, they're hot swappable, and SAS controllers kick butt.