Is anyone working on an M.2 to USB-C expansion card?
From my searching, I haven’t been able to find any data sheets for reliable USB-C → Nvme bridges… Figures, as I would assume they’d be behind NDA forms and such.
I’ve been rocking the 1TB expansion card as my portable windows install, but it’s been frustratingly slow at certain tasks. eg: Moving large files, launching games, etc.
The 1TB card is perfect as a storage device, but not as an OS drive (especially for Windows).
It would be nice to rock an M.2 storage as an expansion card, maybe an M.2 2230, or M.2 2242.
The bridge chips exist, just search for USB-C to M.2 NVMe enclosures. I have one, it’s unusual in that it supports PCIe x4 NVMe, PCIe x4 AHCI and SATA, it uses a Realtek RTL9210.
Such an expansion card would stick out though. The expansion card isn’t deep enough to accommodate an M.2 2230.
I tried looking for data sheets for chips like the RTL9210, and ASM2362, but I haven’t had much luck.
I also have an enclosure with the Realtek chip, but it’s made to accommodate SSD’s from sizes 2242 onwards. Fitting it into an expansion card slot would also make it awkwardly extruded out from the laptop. If possible, I’d like to see if someone else is also looking for the same solution as I am.
Apologies for being late to the discussion, but poking thru the forums after a bit of a break and noticed this thread. Think it’s worth mentioning a few points:
NVMe to USB works to provide functional USB storage, but “that’s it.” I put it in quotes because there are a couple limitations due to NVMe’s lack of support for USB, such as…
Mounting an NVMe disk via USB will always essentially expose the disk as “external.” That’s fine for general storage, but for booting Windows will get mad about it. You can use Windows to Go, Rufus, or manually set it up to be bootable still, but it’s no different than a storage expansion card from Framework in that regard. It would give you more selection, easier “swapping”, etc., though.
NVMe via USB means NVMe commands don’t work. As an example, using a more traditional NVMe to USB adapter device to plug into, say, Ubuntu to perform secure erase commands on the SSD? Nope. nvme-cli can’t detect it because it’s not currently an NVMe device, it’s a USB device.
2 and 3 are the more obvious issues you’ll face. Effectively, due to NVMe being the standard it is, and explicitly not USB compliant, what you’re looking to do (specifically by-pass a normal storage expansion card) is a wash. You end up with the same problems.
A completely different attack vector for this problem I’ve thought out loud about once or twice: Get another keyboard piece (the full panel, keyboard, touchpad, etc.) and modify it so an NVMe SSD can be mounted to it in a way that “hot plugs” it. Some sort of bracket under the keyboard to hold the SSD right where the M.2 holder is, a brace to keep it securely attached, and some lever so it can slot in and out of the M.2 holder without needing to modify it. Should definitely shutdown the laptop when switching since you’re essentially hotplugging a PCIe device and the power associated with it, but beyond that no real reason it shouldn’t work to provide full NVMe compatibility. It’s a stretch though, hence why it hasn’t been more than an idle train of thought once or twice for me.
Ideally, it would be great to have a small form factor M.2/NVMe to Thunderbolt/USB4 expansion card, but I wasn’t able to find anything in regard to thunderbolt 3 / USB-4 chips; more specifically, the datasheets for those chips. On the other end of alternatives, are the NVMe to USB-C chips that have been out for some time; which I’ve also been unable to find info for. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In the end, I just want a fast storage option compared to the ones available right now.
not to be a buzzkill, but since expansion cards are supposed to be things you don’t really swap out all the time, wouldn’t an enclosure with a cable be much better? do you guys really want an m2 drive sticking out of the side of your laptop?
I could see this as being very useful. Think of it like a thumb drive. No wires, not much space being taken up like an enclosure. Say your at a restaurant or coffee shop to work on a large project. Just insert your m.2 card rather than digging out your enclosure and cable. Most usb thumb drives don’t have very much space on them and if they do their very expensive. And I’ve got about 4 to 6 m.2 cards just laying around that I can’t use without popping open an enclosure. And when your done just pull the card out.
These guys have made some cool tech over the years, this was their most recent kickstarter and successful campaign. My advice if you go down their route:
Hardware is great, just be wary of the software support…
This thread is about fitting an M.2 drive inside a Framework expansion card. The linked product offers nothing to help in that. And small 2230 enclosures already exist, at better prices.
Nope, not a bot, to prove it, here is a picture of a puppy.
I saw the talk of the enclosure above and have been eyeing this solution as a potential fix for my issues. Its got some features I haven’t seen in other products and figured the folks here may like it.
Now that the expansion Bay Dual M.2 is out this is a little redundant now but it could still be useful. Like I said earlier you can treat it like a SD card or Thumb drive. Pop it in when you sit down and pop it out when your ready to pack up. The actual card could be flush with the PC like the other Cards and just have a slot in it to insert the m.2 card in. Very similar to the Sd expansion card.
Hey guys, I’ve been working on creating my own expansion card to convert M.2 NVMe to USB-C. While searching, I came across something that might interest you:
I made it using Tinkercad, and while it’s functional, it’s still pretty rough. It’s also missing a top cover. The second piece is meant to fit into the two holes to secure the adapter and ensure it doesn’t pop out.
only problem with the two pins is that they break easily.
Let me know if you have any design improvements / ideas.
If plastic pins are shearing off, use screws instead? You could still have the top piece, except bringing it down so it presses right against the pcb & there is room for the screw head.
Note that the JMS583 based board you have and a similar RTL910B based board that doesn’t require desoldering are also available on aliexpress. Having bought both, they have about the same performance and power draw, but the JMS583 board has a better LED indicator IMO (and idles at fewer watts). They both run fairly hot during a huge transfer, using just under 3 watts.
I saw both of them, but I chose the one with the USB because it was designed for JUST an M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD, which has a smaller footprint than the other board.
And yes, they do run hot, but my idea is that the NAND chips press against the housing of the Framework laptop, dissipating the heat better.
I am by no means someone who does anything with electronics, PCBs, and so on, and the project is kind of a MacGyver.
