Use four PCIe FFC connectors on the Raspberry Pi 5 with Waveshare PCIe TO 4-CH HAT

The 4-Ch PCIe FFC Adapter Board expands the PCIe interface of the Raspberry Pi 5 to four PCIe FFC connectors using the ASM1184e PCI Express packet switch chip, which we’ve seen in HATs like the Geekworm X1011 board, adding four NVMe SSDs, and the Waveshare PCIe-Packet-Switch-4P, adding four PCIe x1 slots.

The HAT supports PCIe Gen2 speeds and features onboard power monitoring to track power consumption. There is also an EEPROM for storing configuration data, and the option to stack multiple PCIe HATs. Additionally, users can install a heatsink on the HAT to manage thermal performance, making it well-suited for embedded solutions that require multiple PCIe devices.

Waveshare PCIe TO 4-CH HAT specifications:

• Compatibility – Designed for Raspberry Pi 5
• Storage – Onboard EEPROM for configuration data storage
• PCIe switch – ASMedia ASM1184e PCI express packet switch with 1x PCIe Gen2 x1 upstream port and 4x PCIe Gen2 x1 downstream ports
• Interfaces
  • 16-pin FFC connector (input from Raspberry Pi 5)
  • 4x PCIe FFC connectors (outputs to PCIe HATs)
  • Supports PCIe Gen2 (PCIe 2.0)
  • Allows stacking of up to 4 PCIe HATs for a total of 16 PCIe connectors
• Misc – Supports heatsink installation for the ASM1184e chip
• Power
  • Gets power from the Pi’s 40-pin header
  • Onboard chip for power monitoring
• Dimensions – 65 x 56.5 mm
• Weight – 36 grams with accessories (e.g., standoffs)

The Raspberry Pi 5’s PCIe works with PCIe Gen 2 x1 speeds like the other devices; this will also have limitations. All connected devices share the same limited 5GT/s bandwidth, so you can expect reduced performance, especially for high-speed devices like NVMe SSDs. The board also lacks power delivery, making it less suitable for power-hungry peripherals. Additionally, it does not support PCIe Gen3, hot-plugging, or standard PCIe slots, and compatibility depends on Linux driver support. More information is available on the Wiki.

The package includes the PCIe TO 4-Ch PCIe HAT, two 20-pin headers, a heatsink, a standoff pack, and 10 cables (five 16P-Cable-40mm and five 16P-Cable-70mm), providing everything needed for installation and setup.

The Waveshare PCIe TO 4-CH HAT is available on AliExpress for $22.78, on Amazon for $31.99, and on the Waveshare store for $21.99.

Images used courtesy of Waveshare.