m.2 News - Page 2 of 5 - CNX Software

December 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments

M.2 10GbE network card sells for $86

Almost two years ago, we wrote it was possible to add 10GbE to your system with a M.2 network card based on a Marvell AQC113 chip for about $170. But I’ve now been made aware prices may have come down a lot as another M.2 10GbE network based on the Marvell AQC107 chipset is now selling for $86 including shipping (to Thailand). Just like the previous model, the M.2 card does not include an RJ45 port, instead, it’s included in a separate board that’s mountable to a standard PC plate and connected through a flat cable to the M.2 module. Specifications: Network controller – Marvell AQC107 PCIe Gen3 x4 10Gbps Ethernet controller supporting 10GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, and 100BASE-T (but not 10BASE-T) Aquantias AQrate PHY up to 10GbE using Cat 6a cables, as well as 5 GbE and 2.5 GbE over 100 meters with Cat 5e cables Energy Efficient Ethernet […]

November 16, 2023November 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Raspberry Pi 5 gets an M.2 PCIe HAT – Meet PineBerry Pi HatDrive

The Raspberry Pi 5 SBC comes with a PCIe 2.1 x1 interface that has not been overly useful so far since it’s exposed through a non-standard FPC connector. Raspberry Pi Ltd is working on its own HATs to make use of the PCIe connector, but PineBerry Pi may have beaten them to it with the launch of the HatDrive M.2 HAT for Raspberry Pi 5. The HatDrive comes with an M.2 Key-M socket with a PCIe x1 interface and support for 2230 and 2242 modules, so you can install an SSD, an AI accelerator, or another compatible M.2 module. The HAT is connected through a 40mm long 16-pin FPC cable (that supports up to PCIe Gen3) as well as the 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header for the I2C EEPROM required by compliant HATs, plus power supply monitoring and diagnostics, and to let users add another HAT on top if needed. […]

June 16, 2023June 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

uSDR – A tiny M.2 SDR board controllable from your web browser (Crowdfunding)

uSDR is an embedded software-defined radio (SDR) M.2 board based on an AMD Embedded Artix-7 FPGA and designed to be controlled in the Chrome, Opera, or Edge browser without specific drivers or software thanks to WebUSB technology. The module can be inserted into any compatible host, or through M.2, USB, mini PCIe or PCIe adapters, and used from a web browser with ready-to-use applications such as a spectrum monitor or a signal analyzer, or your own JavaScript, C/C++, Rust, Go, or C# application thanks to WebAssembly and the Emscripten project. uSDR specifications: RFIC – Lime Microsystems LMS6002D programmable RF (FPRF) transceiver IC operates from 300MHz to 3.8GHz FPGA – AMD Embedded XC7A35T (Artix-7) FPGA with 33,280 logic cells Full-duplex TX & RX Frequency range – 300 – 3700 MHz (usable range typically starts from 230 MHz) RX/TX Bandwidth – 0.75 – 28 MHz plus bypass mode Clock generator – SI5332A […]

January 2, 2023January 7, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

$150 Axelera M.2 AI accelerator module claims to deliver up to 214 TOPS

Axelera M.2 AI accelerator module is said to deliver up to 214 TOPS of AI inference and up to 3200 FPS with ResNet -50 in a compact M.2 2280 form factor. Few details are available at this time, but the module is based on the company’s Metis AIPU (AI Processing Unit) using in-memory computing based on arrays of SRAM memory devices used to “store a matrix and perform matrix-vector multiplications “in-place” without intermediate movement of data”. This technology is said to “radically” increase the number of operations per computer cycle with without suffering from issues such as noise or lower accuracy. The Metis AI platform delivers 50+ TOPS per core (RISC-V-controlled dataflow engine), offers FP32 equivalent accuracy, and has a 15 TOPS/W energy efficiency. The last point is impressive, but that means 214 TOPS won’t be reachable with the module shown above, since the M.2 form factor is designed to […]

July 4, 2022February 12, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Mini review of ORICO “USB 4.0” M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure

Orico USB 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure review

ORICO has sent me a sample of a USB 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure for review, which was timely as I did not have a fast USB storage option for testing. In this post, I’ll check out the hardware, show how to install an NVMe SSD, and test performance in UP Xtreme i11 mini PC since it happens to come with a USB4 port. ORICO USB 4.0 M.2 SSD enclosure specs and unboxing The exact model I received is the ORICO M234C3-U4 with a Rose Gold aluminum enclosure (107x50x17mm), supporting M.2 M-Key and B+M Key 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 SSDs (more on that later), and offering up to 40 Gbps through its USB 4.0 port. The device ships with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C/Type-A cable, a thermal pad, a heatsink, two screws, and a multilingual user manual. There’s only one USB Type-C port one the device. M.2 NVMe SSD […]

April 28, 2022September 17, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments

Khadas VIM4 Review – Part 1: Unboxing, kit assembly, and first boot with OOWOW

Khadas VIM4 is a compact Amlogic A311D2 octa-core Cortex-A73/A53 SBC with 8GB RAM, HDMI input and output, WiFI 6 connectivity, and more. You can check our earlier post for the full specifications. The good news is that it will officially launch on May 10. I’ve also just received a Khadas VIM4 review sample today together with accessories. Today, I’ll start by checking out the board, assembling the kit, and trying out OOWOW services to boot OS from the cloud, before testing available operating systems in more detail in the second part of Khadas VIM4 review a little later. Khadas VIM4 kit unboxing I received everything in a blank cardboard package with several small packages inside. Besides Khadas VIM4 SBC, we’ve got a plastic + metal enclosure with screws and screwdriver, two antennas for WiFi and Bluetooth, a USB Type-C power supply, a USB-C cable, an M.2 expansion board, a short […]

March 30, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Flex Logix InferX X1M M.2 AI accelerator module is now in production

When we first wrote about Flex Logix InferX X1 AI inference accelerator in 2020, the InfexX X1M M.2 AI accelerator module for edge servers, PCs, laptops, and embedded systems. was expected in Q2 2021. It took longer than planned but the company has finally announced production availability of the InferX X1M board in M.2 2280 form factor, or about the size of a stick of gum, to fit into power-constrained applications such as robotic vision, industrial, security, and retail analytics. InferX X1M module specifications: InferX X1 Edge Inference Accelerator with 4K MACs with 8 MB of distributed SRAM, and an eFPGA with 4MB DDR3 RAM System Memory – LPDDR4X (capacity undisclosed) Interface – M.2 B+M Key edge connector with x4 PCIe GEN3/4 Dimensions – 22mm x 80mm Power Budget – 6 to 8.2W TDP Flex Logix does not provide a lot of information on the product page, and instead, it’s […]

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

3.5-inch Elkhart Lake SBC offers dual GbE, 4x M.2 sockets, 5G cellular support

AAEON GENE-EHL5 Elkhart Lake 3.5-inch SBC

AAEON GENE-EHL5 is a 3.5-inch Subcompact board based on Intel Atom x6000E Series, Pentium, and Celeron “Elkhart Lake” processors with four M.2 expansion slots for wireless connectivity (5G, WiFi, etc…) and NVMe modules, as well as two Gigabit Ethernet ports. The single board computer comes with one DDR4 SODIMM slot for up to 32GB IBECC memory, supports SATA and NVME storage, offers DisplayPort and HDMI, and eDP/LVDS video interface, as well as wide DC input from 9-36V, although there’s also a cost-down option for 12V DC input only. AAEON GENE-EHL5 specifications: Elkhart Lake SoC (one or the other) with Intel UHD graphics Intel Atom x6425RE quad-core processor @ 1.90 GHz; 12W TDP Intel Atom x6425E quad-core processor @ 2.00 GHz / 3.00 GHz (Turbo); 12W TDP Intel Atom x6211E dual-core processor @ 1.30 GHz / 3.00 GHz; 6W TDP Intel Pentium J6426 quad-core processor @ 2.00 GHz / 3.00 GHz; […]