The Dual M.2 PCIe HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 expands the Raspberry Pi 5 with two M.2 slots, providing a flexible solution for high-speed NVMe storage and AI acceleration.
Built around the ASM1182E PCIe 2.0 switch, the board allows you to use two compatible NVMe SSDs simultaneously, or combine an NVMe SSD with a compatible Hailo AI acceleration module.
Its back-mounted design keeps the Raspberry Pi 5's 40-pin GPIO header accessible, making it possible to combine the board with other HATs and accessories. The design also avoids obstructing compatible Raspberry Pi cooling solutions.
Key Features
- Dual M.2 expansion for Raspberry Pi 5
- PCIe 2.0 dual-channel architecture
- ASM1182E PCIe switch
- Supports simultaneous NVMe storage and Hailo AI acceleration
- Supports dual NVMe SSD configurations
- Compatible with M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 sizes
- Back-mounted design
- Keeps the Raspberry Pi 5 40-pin GPIO accessible
- Designed to avoid obstructing compatible Raspberry Pi heatsinks and fans
- Additional pogo-pin power connection for improved power stability
- S-shaped FPC cable helps maintain access to the microSD card
- Suitable for high-speed storage and edge-AI applications
Dual PCIe Expansion
The HAT uses an ASM1182E PCIe 2.0 switch to expand the Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe interface for two M.2 devices.
This provides flexible configuration options such as:
- 1 × NVMe SSD + 1 × Hailo AI accelerator
- 2 × NVMe SSDs
This makes the board suitable for applications requiring both high-speed local storage and AI acceleration, or for Raspberry Pi systems that need increased SSD storage capacity.
Supported M.2 Sizes
The board accommodates multiple M.2 form factors:
This provides flexibility when selecting compatible NVMe SSDs and supported M.2 AI accelerator modules.
Back-Mounted Design
The expansion board is installed underneath the Raspberry Pi 5, helping keep the top of the board accessible.
Advantages include:
-
Keeps the 40-pin GPIO header available
- Allows compatible HATs and accessories to be used
- Does not unnecessarily block the main Raspberry Pi 5 cooling area
- Helps maintain airflow around the processor
- Creates a compact stacked system
Stable Power & Connection
Additional pogo pins are used to provide supplementary power to the expansion board, helping maintain stable operation when using high-speed M.2 devices.
The included S-shaped FPC connection is designed to route around the Raspberry Pi 5 while maintaining convenient access to the microSD card.
Typical Applications
- Raspberry Pi 5 NVMe storage
- Dual SSD systems
- Edge AI applications
- Hailo AI acceleration
- Computer vision
- Robotics
- AI inference
- Home servers
- Data logging
- Network storage
- Embedded systems
- Industrial Raspberry Pi applications
- High-performance Raspberry Pi projects
Important SSD Compatibility Information
This board is designed for NVMe PCIe SSDs.
SATA M.2 SSDs are not supported.
Due to Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe compatibility, not every NVMe SSD controller or SSD model is guaranteed to work correctly. Compatibility can also depend on the Raspberry Pi OS, firmware, and bootloader versions.
For the best compatibility, especially when using an NVMe SSD as the Raspberry Pi 5 system boot drive, it is recommended to use an SSD known to be compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 and keep the Raspberry Pi firmware and bootloader updated.
Case Compatibility
Due to its M.2 expansion and back-mounted design, this board is not compatible with the standard Raspberry Pi official case.
A suitable custom or 3D-printed enclosure may be required when installing the Raspberry Pi 5 together with this expansion board.
Important Note
- Raspberry Pi 5 is not included unless explicitly stated.
- NVMe SSD is not included unless explicitly stated.
- Hailo AI accelerator is not included unless explicitly stated.
-
Use NVMe PCIe SSDs only; M.2 SATA SSDs are not compatible.
- SSD boot compatibility depends on the SSD controller, Raspberry Pi firmware, and bootloader.
