DiLinKer oCuLink 4X to NVMe U.2 SSD, SFF-8611 to SFF-8639 Cable with Power 100cm(CBL-SAST-0956)

Put a U.2 NVMe drive on an OCuLink port. This DiLinKer assembly (CBL-SAST-0956) connects an OCuLink 4x host connector (SFF-8611, 36-pin) to a U.2 device connector (SFF-8639, 68-pin) and includes a 4-pin power lead, because a U.2 drive needs 12 V as well as the PCIe link. It is the straightforward way to hang enterprise NVMe storage off NAS boards, industrial platforms and M.2-to-OCuLink adapters.

Why this cable

• Drive-side power included. The 4-pin lead feeds 12 V to the U.2 connector, so the drive runs without a backplane.
• Four PCIe lanes, straight through. A U.2 drive is a 4-lane device — this cable gives it all four lanes from the host.
• Built for PCIe 3.0 / 4.0 x4 links. About 3.9 GB/s at Gen3 x4 and 7.9 GB/s at Gen4 x4, per port.
• 100 cm reach. From a controller card or board header to a drive bay without strain.
• Passive assembly. No switch chip — the drive appears directly on the host PCIe bus.

Specifications

Compatibility

Works with

• Boards and NAS platforms with OCuLink 4x ports.
• M.2 to OCuLink adapter cards on desktop and workstation boards.
• U.2 NVMe SSDs such as Samsung PM9A3, Micron 7450, Kioxia CM6 and Intel P4510 series.

Does not work with

• SAS or SATA drives. The link carries PCIe only, so the device must be NVMe.
• SlimSAS (SFF-8654) hosts — different connector standard.
• PCIe 5.0 links. Plan on Gen3/Gen4 operation for this assembly.

Typical deployments

• NAS with a U.2 tier. OCuLink ports on a storage board driving enterprise NVMe drives.
• Desktop NVMe expansion. An M.2 to OCuLink adapter plus this cable adds a U.2 drive without a PCIe slot.
• Test benches. Swap U.2 drives between systems without a backplane.

Frequently asked questions

My board has no OCuLink port — can I still use it?

Yes, with an M.2 to OCuLink adapter card in a spare M.2 slot. The adapter presents an OCuLink port; this cable then carries the link and power to the U.2 drive.

Why does the cable need a power lead?

U.2 drives take their 12 V supply through the SFF-8639 connector. Without power the drive will not spin up even though the PCIe link is fine. Connect the 4-pin lead to a PSU output once and you are done.

What speed will I get?

A Gen3 x4 link moves about 3.9 GB/s and Gen4 x4 about 7.9 GB/s — in both cases faster than the drive itself can sustain, so the cable is not the bottleneck.

Can I connect SATA drives?

No. OCuLink carries PCIe only. SATA drives need a SATA controller and standard SATA cables.

In the box

• 1 × OCuLink 4x to U.2 cable with power lead, 100 cm (CBL-SAST-0956)

Backed by a 24-month warranty. If a link trains at reduced width or does not appear, contact us with your controller and device models and we will help you isolate the cause.

Related

• All OCuLink (SFF-8611) cables
• U.2 NVMe (SFF-8639) cables and adapters