Anyone here have experience removing a mini-SAS cable when the plastic tab has broken off? Tried checking online but couldn’t find anything.
Thank you,
– Ryland
Try shim stock or a feeler gauge between the plug and socket to work the latching fingers. This isn't something that I've tried specifically in this case.
You might need to put a notch in the stock or feeler gauge so that you can work the fingers from the backside. Kinda like that old trick of using a credit card to prise a door latch, except this should work since there's no deadlatch. 
You might also try gently twisting a small screwdriver or spudger stick between the plug and socket too to increase the gap between the socket and plug.
-joe
Joe’s response is spot on. I would also suggest you look at the “latching finger” mechanism on a spare, then apply some of the techniques Joe suggests.
Eric
Luma optics
Hit the wrong reply button before, but we were able to get it removed by unscrewing the top latch and removing that first at an angle. Then the connector was able to be pulled straight out. Plastic was very thin on the pull tab and it snapped without much resistance.
Thank you,
– Ryland
Hi,
That happened to me more often with the DAC cables I had the displeasure to deal with.
And yeah got old valve gap feeler gauge to the rescue =D
One of the best DACs I've ever had - and I wish I could find them or
the manufacturer again - was one with a relatively thick metal T push
bar that you had to push in towards the switch to release the latch.
Almost impossible to break, and nearly as impossible to accidentally
get unplugged.
Yeah, being fairly new to SAS connectors in general, it surprises me that they’re not better engineered to prevent something like this from happening. Seems like it could be a fairly common issue from how easily this one snapped.
Thank you,
– Ryland
The DACs with the metal release are definitely considerably more robust. They are, however, sometimes more difficult to unlatch to remove, particularly in scenarios with tightly-spaced ports.
thanks,
-Randy
A related question – every now and then I run into SFPs where the bail / level has decided to come off, and now I’ve got a jammed SFP+ inna slot. I’ve often managed to wiggle the bail back in and use it to release the SFP, or used the tip of a small screwdriver to push down the release, but this doesn’t always work… I’ve ended up with a few line cards/devices with some ports unusable because of this…
The best tool I ever found for this is a Peterson 0.015 stainless steel hook pick (https://www.thinkpeterson.com/hook-5-stainless-0-015-slender/), or slender reach pick, but, well TSA/customs people get all twitchy when traveling with lockpicks (which is a separate issue, but let’s not get into the politics here)
Does anyone know of a purpose built tool for this? Something that won’t get me on the additional screenings lists?
It's not purpose-built, but you may find a traveller hook / Shrum tool
useful. Carolina Roller is one manufacturer. Ironically, this tool has
been adopted by the locksport community, but is intended for use in
textile manufacturing.