Seeed Studio PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+ Brings ASMedia ASM2806 PCIe Switch to Raspberry Pi 5 for NVMe SSDs and AI Accelerators

Seeed Studio has introduced an entry-level Raspberry Pi 5 expansion board, the PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+, which supports the PCIe 3.0 standard instead of PCIe 2.0. This HAT+ provides dual M.2 slots and features the ASMedia ASM2806 PCIe 3.0 switch, delivering up to 8GT/s shared bandwidth through the Raspberry Pi 5’s PCIe Gen3 x1 interface. Utilizing the ASM2806 switch chip overcomes PCIe 2.0 limitations and ensures optimal performance.

Besides the primary use case of M.2 SSDs, Seeed Studio’s Pi 5 PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 adapter is also designed to support other devices, enabling simultaneous AI acceleration and high-speed SSD storage while maintaining compatibility with the M.2 form factor.

Seeed Studio’s Raspberry Pi PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+ key features and specifications:

• Supported SBCs: Raspberry Pi 5 and potentially other SBCs with a PCIe FFC connector (e.g., Kakip board)
• M.2 Slots: 2x M.2 M-PCIe slots with PCIe Gen3 x1, supporting M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 modules
• PCIe Switch: ASMedia ASM2806 PCIe 3.0 switch with PCIe Gen3 x2 upstream (only x1 used) and four PCIe 3.1 lanes downstream (only two used) for 8GT/s shared bandwidth
• Host Interface: Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe FFC connector with a 50mm S-shaped FPC cable (does not obstruct microSD card slot)
• Cable Type: S-shaped FPC cable
• Assembly Method: Back installation
• Back-mounted Design: 40-pin GPIO remains accessible, compatible with other Raspberry Pi HATs
• Power Supply: 5V/3A input from the Raspberry Pi 5 (max 3A via Pogo pin 2A + PCIe connector 1A)
• Dimensions: 87 x 55 x 10mm, Raspberry Pi HAT+ compliant

Seeed Studio’s PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+ is an expansion board for the Raspberry Pi 5, featuring the ASMedia ASM2806 PCIe 3.0 switch with two M.2 M-PCIe slots supporting M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 modules. It connects via a 50mm S-shaped FPC cable to the Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe FFC connector and maintains access to the 40-pin GPIO header. Power is drawn from the Raspberry Pi through Pogo pins (2A) and the PCIe connector (1A), supporting 5V/3A input.

The board supports NVMe SSDs and AI accelerators, but not all NVMe SSDs are compatible due to Raspberry Pi’s PCIe limitations. Verified SSDs include Foresee 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and Kioxia 1TB, 2TB models. Booting from an SSD requires updating the Raspberry Pi firmware and bootloader.

Since the board is incompatible with the official Raspberry Pi 5 case, Seeed Studio provides a 3D-printable case design. The Seeed Studio Wiki includes setup instructions, SSD boot guides, and performance benchmarks, including SSD read/write tests and AI inference performance using a Hailo-8 AI accelerator over PCIe Gen2 and Gen3.

Seeed Studio sells the PCIe 3.0 to Dual M.2 HAT+ for $45, including a 50mm S-shaped FPC cable and two screw and stud packs. For more information, users can refer to the product page and wiki page.

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