New PCIe HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 with Dual M.2 Slots

Seeed Studio has recently launched an exciting new expansion board tailored for the Raspberry Pi. Specifically, this PCIe 3.0 switch to dual M.2 HAT is designed exclusively for the Raspberry Pi 5 because of its special PCIe connector, which is crucial for high-performance SSDs and other expansion cards.

Features and Compatibility

The board is aptly named, as it comes with two M.2 module slots and supports various sizes including 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280. While the primary purpose of these slots is to enhance SSD storage, they can also be utilized for AI accelerators like the Hailo-8 or Hailo-8L, boosting machine learning functions.

Performance Specs

Equipped with the ASM2806 chip, this Raspberry Pi 5 HAT is capable of supporting PCIe 3.0, achieving sequential read speeds of up to 822 MB/s, and writing speeds reaching 716 MB/s. Though these numbers are quite impressive, the PCIe interface of the single-board computer can become a limiting factor when paired with a modern high-performance SSD, like the Crucial P3. Nonetheless, the expansion board does enable users to boot smoothly from an SSD.

Design and Accessibility

In contrast to many Raspberry Pi accessories, Seeed Studio’s expansion board is not a standard HAT, as it connects to the underside of the Raspberry Pi 5. This unique setup allows the GPIO pins on the top of the SBC to remain accessible. This design also means that users can stack another expansion board on top, utilizing the flexible GPIO interface. However, this arrangement does not work with the official Raspberry Pi case due to the increased height. To remedy this, Seeed Studio has provided 3D printing plans for a custom enclosure.

The new HAT is currently up for grabs at a price of $45 USD. The add-on board is shipped directly from China, so those tinkering with SBCs may need to be a bit patient.

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