Will Whang’s RPI5-SDexpress-Hat is a small HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5, adding a microSD Express card slot for ultrafast storage, an eject button, and two Qwiic connectors, probably because there was still some spare space on the board…
As a reminder, microSD Express cards can deliver SSD performance thanks to the use of of PCIe interface and NVMe commands. The standard was first introduced in 2019, and even earlier (2018) for full-size SD cards, but manufacturers have not exactly rushed to release compatible hardware. A major change this year is the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 portable game console, one of the first mass market devices with a microSD Express slot, and this was partially why Will created the microSD Express HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5.
RPI5-SDexpress-Hat board specifications:
MCU – WCH CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller for hotplugging and unmount
Host interface – PCIe Gen3 x1 FFC connector
Expansion – 2x Qwiic connectors
Misc – Eject button, Power LEDs, Mounted LED
Power Management 5V supply via 40-pin GPIO header (6-pin header used) 1.8V/3.3V fixed output LP5907 voltage PAM2306 step-down DC convertor for 1.8V voltage
Dimensions – Small
The good news is that it just works:
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