UCTRONICS NVMe M.2 SSD to PCIe Adapter for Raspberry Pi 5, Supports M.2 NVMe (M-Key) Drives in 2230/2242/2280 Sizes, PCIe Gen2/Gen3 Compatible

Overview

The UCTRONICS NVMe M.2 SSD to PCIe Adapter is designed for the Raspberry Pi 5, enabling high-speed NVMe SSD performance. It supports 2230/2242/2280 SSDs and complies with PCIe Gen2/Gen3 standards. The compact design fits beneath the Pi 5, preserving GPIO access for peripherals. Compatible with official and third-party cooling solutions, it ensures efficient thermal management. Includes a high-quality FFC PCIe ribbon cable and supports direct power delivery (up to 5W), with a 27W PD power supply recommended for stability.

Applications

• Raspberry Pi Nas
• Pi-Hole
• Home Assistant Server
• Raspberry Pi Kubernetes Cluster
• Homelab

Features

• Optimized for Raspberry Pi 5: Designed specifically for seamless integration with the Raspberry Pi 5, this PCIe NVMe Adapter (or M.2 PCIe Adapter) enables high-speed data transfers, unlocking the full potential of NVMe SSDs for enhanced performance. A must-have among Raspberry Pi 5 accessories.
• Wide Compatibility: This NVMe to PCIe Adapter supports M.2 NVMe SSDs in various sizes (2230/2242/2280) and complies with PCIe NVMe Gen2/Gen3 standards, ensuring fast read/write speeds and compatibility with a broad range of applications. Perfect for Raspberry Pi 5 SSD or NVMe setups.
• Compact Design with GPIO Accessibility: The low-profile design of this PCIe M.2 Expansion Card fits neatly beneath the Raspberry Pi 5, preserving access to GPIO pins for additional peripherals such as heat sinks or PoE HATs, ensuring flexibility in your setup.
• Efficient Cooling Solutions: Compatible with the Raspberry Pi 5 official Active Cooler and third-party cooling options, this M.2 to PCIe Adapter ensures optimal thermal management for sustained performance during intensive tasks.
• Easy Setup and Power Options: Includes a high-quality FFC PCIe ribbon cable for reliable connectivity and supports direct power delivery through the ribbon cable (up to 5W). For best results, pair this PCIe SSD Adapter with a 27W PD power supply for stable operation.

Package Including

• 1 x M.2 NVME Adapter
• 1 x PCIe FFC Cable
• 1 x Screw Pack

Note

• Exclusively supports M.2 NVMe SSDs and is not compatible with M.2 SATA SSDs, M.2 PCIe AHCI SSDs, or other M.2 non-NVMe devices.
• The Raspberry Pi 5 and M.2 NVMe SSD are not included in the package.
• Please follow the tutorial to burn image in you NVMe HAT and enable NVMe to ensure your Raspberry Pi boots from NVMe instead of the SD card or OS.
• After discussions in the Raspberry Pi forum, it's been observed that Raspberry Pi may not boot from WD hard disks, possibly due to the Phison controller equipped with this SSD.

Troubleshooting Steps

• Check Hardware Connections:

  Verify that the FFC is fully seated and properly aligned within the connector. Ensure that the Raspberry Pi is securely mounted onto the HAT, with the Pingo Pins making solid contact with the GPIO solder joints on the reverse side of the Pi. You can try swapping the HAT or FFC cable to troubleshoot.

• Check SSD Compatibility:

  Only M.2 NVMe (SATA) Key-M SSDs are supported. M.2 NGFF Key-B SSDs are not compatible. Try a different brand of SSD to see if it works.

• Update EEPROM Firmware: Check and update the bootloader firmware to the latest version: Update the bootloader configuration.  Run the following command to confirm the update was successful:

  vcgencmd bootloader_version

• Enable PCIe:

  ○ Add the command in /boot/firmware/config.txt:

  dtparam=pciex1

  ○ Reboot and detect the NVME SSD: 

  lspci

  ○ Ensure that PCIe is enabled, run the following command to configure NVMe SSD boot instead of SD card:

  sudo rpi-eeprom-config --edit
  Change the line: BOOT_ORDER=0xf416
  Add the line: PCIE_PROBE=1

  ○ Then reboot and config uctronics display. Refer to NVMe_User_Guide for more details.

• Raspberry Pi only supports PCIe 2.0. Enabling PCIe Gen 3 (x3) may cause instability. To fix this, remove the line: dtparam=pciex1_gen=3
• Use the official Raspberry Pi power supply (27w) to avoid low voltage and USB peripheral current limit:

  ○ For power supplies under 25W, enable: 

  usb_max_current_enable=1

  ○ For power supplies with a POE HAT, set: 

  psu_max_current=5000

Documentation

• How to burn image to NVMe and boot from NVMe
• UCTRONICS Rackmount Catalog