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Do PCIe, mini-PCIe, M.2 m-key and e-key use the same protocol but are in a different form factor?

If not, can I have the pinouts and the controller chip to convert PCIE to mini-PCIE and M.2?

Giacomo1968
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user135142
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  • i know the pinout for pcie, but i want to know if it is directly compatible with mini-PCIE and M.2 (M and E keys) – user135142 Jan 07 '22 at 06:09

1 Answers1

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Well "kinda sorta"

PCIe and mini PCIe and M.2 for NVMe use the same protocol. There's passive adaptors that will let you plug a M.2 card into a mini pcie slot) though I've never looked for the opposite. M.2 also has a SATA varient and Sata only M.2 slots exist - which won't be useful here

Since these are designed for wifi or storage use, they don't provide that much power via the interface.

A "full" PCIe slot provides much more power. There do exist adaptors that you plug into a NVMe or Mini PCIe slot that would take in 12V power and let you plug a 'desktop' card externally to a laptop or NUC (the GDC Beast is a fairly common one).

Likewise, there's adaptors that let you plug in a NVMe card into a x4 slot in your desktop to add additional NVMe slots (or ones which take 4 NVMe slots and split up an x16, where supported).

But yes, with a passive adaptor, you can plug in a M.2 PCIe card into a regular PCIe slot, and similar adaptors exist for Mini PCIe and something like the aformentioned GDC beast would let you do the opposite

Journeyman Geek
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  • ok, i've been googling for half an hour but can't find the pinouts for M.2 M-key and E-key, can you help me please? (i have found some results (note the "s" which makes it plural) but are different and i don't know which is the right one) – user135142 Jan 07 '22 at 10:23
  • https://pinoutguide.com/HD/M.2_NGFF_connector_pinout.shtml seems to be a good starting point – Journeyman Geek Jan 07 '22 at 10:45
  • ok, is there a more beginner-friendly image instead of some long text? (for now i am satisfied with the site you gave but just asking if there is something more simple to understand) – user135142 Jan 07 '22 at 11:07
  • Uh, You have a 75 pin interface with 2 varients... I'm not sure if one can simplify it further – Journeyman Geek Jan 07 '22 at 11:09
  • uh, i mean like this one - https://www.google.com/search?q=mini+pcie+slot+pinout&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi797yHzZ_1AhUZxTgGHRVJBugQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1848&bih=948&dpr=1#imgrc=UjK12hhOFm7oyM – user135142 Jan 07 '22 at 12:06