The Raspberry Pi 5 introduces a single-lane PCI Express (PCIe Gen 2.0x1) bus on-board with FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) connector. To use this connector with compatible devices, you will need an adapter board.
This add-on board allows you to use an M.2 NVMe SSD with your Pi 5. It sits on top of the Pi and gives enough clearance for most heatsink/fan combo under it and also allowing access to the 40-pin GPIO connector. There are 2 indicator LEDs for Power (5V) and SSD activity (ACT) on board. This add-on board and the Pi is linked using the included FPC cable. When attaching the cable, make sure that it is properly and tightly inserted to the connector. Please pay attention to the direction of the cable by reviewing picture in the gallery.
This add-on board is only suitable for M.2 NVMe SSD Key-M (M.2 NGFF SATA SSD Key-B/Key B+M type is not supported). This version of the board is only designed for 2280 size SSD. However, it possible to mount other sizes of SSD such as 2230, 2242 or 22110 with DIY mounting solution. Alternatively, for 2230 or 2242 SSD, you might consider the official Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ board.
