SATA connectors (data + power).
7 pin SATA data connector.
15 pin SATA power connector.
7 pin eSATA data connector (male + female).
Serial ATA (SATA) is the serial successor to the older parallel ATA (PATA/IDE) interface, used mainly to connect hard drives and optical drives to a computer. It uses a point-to-point link with a single device per port, replacing PATA’s wide ribbon cable with a thin 7-conductor data cable (two differential pairs plus three grounds) and a separate 15-pin power cable. Data is transmitted with 8b/10b encoding over low-voltage differential signalling at 1.5, 3.0 or 6.0 Gbit/s — SATA revisions 1, 2 and 3, also marketed as SATA 150, 300 and 600. SATA supports hot-swapping, and an external variant, eSATA, allows shielded cables up to about 2 m for external drives.
SATA Data pinout
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GND | Ground |
| 2 | A+ | Transmit + |
| 3 | A- | Transmit - |
| 4 | GND | Ground |
| 5 | B- | Receive - |
| 6 | B+ | Receive + |
| 7 | GND | Ground |
SATA Power pinout
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | V33 | 3.3 V power |
| 2 | V33 | 3.3 V power |
| 3 | V33 | 3.3 V power, pre-charge, 2nd mate |
| 4 | GND | Ground, 1st mate |
| 5 | GND | Ground, 2nd mate |
| 6 | GND | Ground, 3rd mate |
| 7 | V5 | 5 V power, pre-charge, 2nd mate |
| 8 | V5 | 5 V power |
| 9 | V5 | 5 V power |
| 10 | GND | Ground, 2nd mate |
| 11 | Reserved | - |
| 12 | GND | Ground, 1st mate |
| 13 | V12 | 12 V power, pre-charge, 2nd mate |
| 14 | V12 | 12 V power |
| 15 | V12 | 12 V power |
Legacy PATA (Molex) power pinout
A SATA drive may also offer the older 4-pin Molex power connector.
| Pin | Signal | Wire (18 AWG) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | +12 V DC | Yellow |
| 2 | +12 V Return | Black |
| 3 | +5 V Return | Black |
| 4 | +5 V DC | Red |
Notes
- SATA signal names are given relative to the host; on the device the transmit and receive names are reversed, so a host transmit pin connects to a device receive pin. The data connector is keyed at pin 1.
- The 15-pin power connector supplies three voltages (3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V). Each voltage and ground is carried on several pins ganged together, because each contact is rated for only about 1.5 A.
- The pre-charge pins (3, 7, 13) and the ground pins are made longer so they mate first, which is what allows hot-swapping.
- Pin 11 can indicate drive activity, enable staggered spin-up (to stop many drives spinning up at once), or be left unconnected.
- Molex-to-SATA power adapters usually provide only 5 V and 12 V, leaving the 3.3 V pins unconnected; most drives do not rely on 3.3 V.
Power connector part numbers
- Cable connector: Molex 67582-0000
- Terminals: Molex 67581-0000
- Maximum current per circuit: 1.5 A