How to Build Your Own PC - Power to Hard Drive

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How to Build Your Own PC - Save A Buck And Learn A Lot
9 Chapter 6: Connecting Components
9 Connecting the Power Cables

Power to Floppy Drive

Power to CD-RW Drive and Other Devices

Power to Hard Drive

The standard four-pin power connector is called a Molex (Figure 108). One side of the connector is rounded, while the other side is square. This prevents the connector from being plugged in the wrong way.

**Figure 108: Four-pin Molex power connector**
These connectors provide power to most drives, including 3.5” hard drives, CD-RW drives, DVD drives, etc. One end has rounded corners so that it can only plug in in one direction. Sometimes, it takes a bit of force or wiggling them about to plug them in or remove them.

Plug in a molex power connector to the hard drive (Figure 109 and Figure 110). Sometimes it takes a bit of force to push a molex power connector all the way in. It sometimes helps to wiggle it from side to side as you push it in. They can also be difficult to remove. When removing any cable or power connector, always try to grab it by the connector and not by the actual ribbon or by the wire. Pulling too hard on a ribbon cable or on the wire could damage the wires inside. Pulling on the connector shouldn’t hurt anything.

**Figure 109: Plugging in a molex power connector to hard drive**
Case sits on its side.

**Figure 110: Back of hard drive**
The four pins on the right are for the Molex power connector.

Power to Floppy Drive

Power to CD-RW Drive and Other Devices

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How to Build Your Own PC (http://www.PCGuide.com/byop/) on PCGuide.com
Version 1.0 - Version Date: May 4, 2005

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