Raspberry Pi 500 Enhanced with M.2 SSD Slot for Improved Performance
unknown, Sunday, 15 December 2024.
A DIY modder successfully integrated an M.2 SSD slot into the Raspberry Pi 500, enabling the use of NVMe drives for expanded storage and enhanced system performance.
Technical Achievement Details
The modification involves soldering four small capacitors onto the PCIe lines leading to the NVMe slot, requiring precision SMD soldering skills and microscope usage [1]. The breakthrough came through utilizing the empty header on the Pi 500, with the addition of a 3.3V power supply connected to specific pads on the board’s bottom [1]. This implementation allows for both NVMe SSDs and other PCIe devices to function properly [1].
Required Components and Implementation
The key components for this modification include an M.2 socket (specifically the Attend Technology 123A-30M00 model) [1] and potentially an AP3441SHE-7B voltage regulator for power management [1]. The modification requires careful attention to power delivery, as the system needs to properly disable power to the SSD during Pi 500 shutdown [1]. This development comes at an interesting time, as Raspberry Pi has recently made significant strides in performance optimization, with their latest firmware updates showing improvements of 10-20% in general system performance [4].
Commercial Solutions and Alternatives
For those less inclined to perform such detailed modifications, commercial solutions are beginning to emerge. For instance, expansion boards like the Argon Neo 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe board [5] offer similar functionality for the Raspberry Pi 5, supporting M.2 NVMe drives up to size 2280 and including built-in cooling solutions [5]. The timing of this modification is particularly relevant given the recent release of the Compute Module 5 on December 14, 2024, which demonstrates Raspberry Pi’s continued focus on performance improvements [6].
Future Implications
This modification addresses what many users consider a missed opportunity in the Pi 500’s original design [1]. The success of this mod suggests that future Raspberry Pi models might consider incorporating M.2 slots as standard features [GPT]. With the recent launch of the CM5 showing 2-3x performance improvements over its predecessor [6], the addition of NVMe storage capabilities could further enhance the platform’s capabilities for more demanding applications.