The new mallow carrier board includes a PCIe M.2 (key B) interface. I understand that this connector type will support a SATA SSD with key B+M, but I am confused about the PCIe lanes and what this particular board will support.
My question is, will this interface on the Mallow board support an SATA SSD with either a (key B) or (key B+M) interface? Is there an example SSD product that has been tested with this board? I am using the Verdin iMX8M Plus module.
Yes, but only mechanically. None of the Verdin family modules does have SATA functionality.
Nothing to be confused about. As per M.2 spec key B may support any/all of the following:
2 of PCIe ×1, SATA, USB 2.0 and 3.0, audio, UIM, HSIC, SSIC, I2C and SMBus (see M.2 - Wikipedia)
Mallow only supports 1 of PCIe x1, USB 2.0 (and optionally 3.0), UIM and optional SMBus (and further GPIOs).
No, it will not.
Yes, any NVMe aka PCIe capable one with Key B or key B+M. We tested the following:
@marcel.tx, thank you for the quick response and the clarity. I had assumed that the NVMe protocol was yet another specification that was not supported on this interface. This is great news. Also, thank you for the example products… this was exactly what I needed.
Hi @marcel.tx, I have a somewhat related question… regarding the Dahlia board. The Mallow are in short supply right now… so I am going to switch my product MVP to use the Dahlia. This board also has a mini-PCIe interface…
Do you know if the above drives (i.e. Western Digital CL SN520 NVMe SSD) will work with that interface as well? The docs do not mention the Key for this interface.
The Dahlia board feature an mini PCIe slot while NVMe SSD use M2 slot.
Most likely that this adapter (Amazon.com) will be compatible with the Dahlia or Verdin development board. However, without access to the schematic of the adapter, I cannot guarantee its functionality.
Please also note that the Verdin module includes a single-lane PCIe interface, so 2x or 4x NVMe drives should work, but the data throughput will be limited due to the single-lane configuration.
I am looking for a M.2 key B to PCIe adaptor. I’m NOT trying to interface to an SSD, rather the IMX8 as a RC to a device USP.
Please avoid hijacking older threads. For your case, kindly create a new thread and provide as many details as possible.
