SlimSAS Cable Assemblies
SlimSAS, also sold as Slimline SAS, is the 0.6 mm pitch internal connector of SFF-8654, made in four-lane (4i) and eight-lane (8i) sizes. Servers use it to carry SAS or PCIe lanes from controllers and motherboards to drive backplanes, with the cable pin assignments for each protocol set out in SFF-9402. A SlimSAS line is either built to your drawing by our manufacturing partner or sourced as a finished cable, and the quotation states which.
Where SlimSAS assemblies are used
RAID and HBA controllers
From a SAS or tri-mode controller to the backplane: 8i at the card, often split to two 4i at the drives.
NVMe from the motherboard
On-board PCIe ports to U.2 drive bays, one four-lane link per drive.
Mixed platforms
Cables that join a SlimSAS port to Mini SAS HD or MCIO hardware at the other end.
What you can specify
Each point is confirmed with our manufacturing partner before the quotation. Connectors are the genuine parts your drawing names, and an alternative is used only with your written approval.
- 4i or 8i at each end, and any 8i-to-two-4i split
- The protocol on the link — SAS or PCIe — so the pin map matches
- The far end: SlimSAS, Mini SAS HD, MCIO, U.2 or SATA drive connectors
- Branch lengths and connector orientation
- Sideband lines for backplane management
Testing and records
Assemblies built to your drawing are continuity tested unit by unit and ship with a test report; sourced cables ship as supplied by their maker. Signal-integrity data such as insertion loss or impedance is never assumed: if your link needs it, say so in the RFQ, and whether and how it can be measured is confirmed before the quotation.
Each lane and sideband conductor is tested end to end, splits included, so every 4i branch lands on the drive the drawing names.
How testing and records work →How long can the cable be?
Sum the PCIe channel the way the specifications budget it, host package to device, and read the margin a given length, wire gauge and host trace leave at Gen4, Gen5 or Gen6. Every figure is sourced on the page and can be replaced with your own.
Open the MCIO / SlimSAS insertion loss calculator →Common questions
Do SAS and NVMe use the same SlimSAS cable?
Not necessarily. The connector is the same, but SAS and PCIe links assign its contacts differently, and a host may document an assignment of its own. Name the controller or board and the drives, and the cable follows that pin map.
Can you make SlimSAS 8i to two 4i cables?
Yes, built to your drawing or as a sourced part: one 8i plug at the controller, two 4i ends at the backplane, each branch labeled. The lane split follows the host's documentation.
What should a SlimSAS cable RFQ include?
Both end connectors and their widths, the protocol, the controller or motherboard model, the length of each branch, orientation, sideband needs and quantities.
Related connectors
Connector and series names on these pages — JST, Molex, Micro-Fit, Mini-Fit, PicoBlade, Pico-Lock, CLIK-Mate, PCIe, MCIO, SlimSAS, OCuLink, HSD, HFM and DEUTSCH among them — may be trademarks of their respective owners. They are used only to identify the connectors an assembly is built with or mates with. Interconnix is not affiliated with, sponsored by or an authorized distributor of any connector maker.