SATA moves to ditch power cables
New specification looks to remove need for an extra power source for external serial ATA devices by the second half of this year.


The Serial ATA International Organisation (SATA-IO) is working on a new specification to provide power over external SATA devices, without the need for a separate power source, by the second half of this year.
At the moment, eSATA devices - which include external hard disk drives and portable optical drives - need an extra power source. Under the Power Over eSATA initiative, the SATA-IO would see enough power for a single drive sent from directly from the host system using a specially designed cable.
"Enhancing eSATA with power delivery will provide a new level of convenience to the designer and the end user. By eliminating the need for a separate power connection, customers can more easily expand their storage, making Serial ATA an even more attractive solution for mainstream storage applications," said Knut Grimsrud, SATA-IO's president.
The Power Over eSATA cable would remain compatible with existing connector form factors and keep the current maximum transfer rate of three gigabits per second, SATA-IO said.
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Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.
Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.
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