Production Project CPR - Customizable PCI-E Riser (up to X16)

[kotproger]

I tested the work with different types of external power supplies:

Simple 12v AC-DC (LED Power Supply):

ATX power supply with its auto start through the riser:

As you can see from the photo - everything is quite successful.

Now I'm experiencing difficulties with lack of hardware for testing Gen3 and connecting to a laptop through the M2 slot.

 

[Testifier]

I can’t really see it that well through a phone. In this photo, are you using it in 8x mode? Cause 2/4 fingers are plugged in. And I wonder what it looks like on the side of the motherboard PCIe slot

 

[kotproger]

Here on this photo the reverse part of the riser is clearly visible.
Each of the cables is designed to transfer 4 lines of PCI-E. So yes - in this assembly works in x8 mode. I can not run x16 - only 2 cables on my hands.

 

[Windfall]

could you make one that adapts from Pcie x4 slot?

 

[kotproger]

could you make one that adapts from Pcie x4 slot?

It's very simple!
Now the x8 connector is used. It's enough to cut off the excess (red frame on the photo) and use only one cable - here's the ready connector for the x4 slot!

This is the essence of my idea - the main module is one, but it can be connected to different slots through the appropriate small boards!

 

[Windfall]

so i could just CUT it off and it would work?

 

[kotproger]

so i could just CUT it off and it would work?

exactly!

 

[deeree]

This is indeed great project! I am interested in MXM - PCI-e adapter. I can share some MXM spec sheets if it would help. And I guess some people with mxm-equipped laptops would be also interested. There were some trials to make such adapter in past, but eventually dropped: https://www.techinferno.com/index.p...sion-project-complete-some-kinks-to-iron-out/
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m-connector-an-external-pci-e-x16-box.407071/

 

[kotproger]

This is indeed great project! I am interested in MXM - PCI-e adapter. I can share some MXM spec sheets if it would help. And I guess some people with mxm-equipped laptops would be also interested. There were some trials to make such adapter in past, but eventually dropped: https://www.techinferno.com/index.p...sion-project-complete-some-kinks-to-iron-out/
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m-connector-an-external-pci-e-x16-box.407071/

his is a very interesting topic. I myself looked in the direction of MXM. But I do not have the opportunity to check this option, so I postponed it. But if you are interested, I will be happy to help you.

 

[Waffuls]

Have you tried PCI-E bifurcation with it? Looking at other designs it should work. Plus if it does, this solution seems to be the best one as it offers a lot of flexibility and placement options. Then if it's possible to change the direction of the power connection to be more inline so you can place the risers next to each other.

Either way, I'm really looking forward to this project, so keep up the good work.

 

[kotproger]

Have you tried PCI-E bifurcation with it? Looking at other designs it should work. Plus if it does, this solution seems to be the best one as it offers a lot of flexibility and placement options. Then if it's possible to change the direction of the power connection to be more inline so you can place the risers next to each other.

Either way, I'm really looking forward to this project, so keep up the good work.

No, I did not bifurcate the port. And thanks for the interest!


Also, at last it was possible to test on more saves iron for the support of Gen3:

Just tried to connect to the laptop (MSI GE62 6QD Apache Pro) video card (on hand was only the old radeon hd5450) through the M2 slot (key M + B). The image on the external monitor could not be output, but the device was identified as a video adapter and bus, as expected x2:

 

[AleksandarK]

Home engineering to its finest...

Hats off to you sir!

 

[Windfall]

Agreed.

 

[LjSpike]

Just an idea for a slight improvement. Being able to reattach the parts of the riser. Not sure if it's feasible at all, but it'd be pretty neat.

 

[kotproger]

Just an idea for a slight improvement. Being able to reattach the parts of the riser. Not sure if it's feasible at all, but it'd be pretty neat.

I do not quite understand what you have under the re-connection, but everything that is connected by plumes can be disconnected. You can use a riser for example for a m2, then connect to the pcie x8 slot using an additional loop and another auxiliary board.
And after again return to m2.

 

[HeroXLazer]

I just saw this, this looks really cool. Keep it up!

 

[LjSpike]

It's very simple!
Now the x8 connector is used. It's enough to cut off the excess (red frame on the photo) and use only one cable - here's the ready connector for the x4 slot!

This is the essence of my idea - the main module is one, but it can be connected to different slots through the appropriate small boards!

so i could just CUT it off and it would work?

exactly!

Kotproger, I mean being able to reattach the excess after cutting it off. Simply such that if you've trimmed it down to say an x4 but in the future need the riser as an x8, you don't need to buy a totally new one.

I may well have misunderstood something somewhere though.

 

[kotproger]

Kotproger, I mean being able to reattach the excess after cutting it off. Simply such that if you've trimmed it down to say an x4 but in the future need the riser as an x8, you don't need to buy a totally new one.

I may well have misunderstood something somewhere though.

Then I answered only the possibility of working in the current implementation. The fact is that I did not order boards for the x4 slot separately. For the tests it was much more interesting to make it work with 2 available cables with 8 lines.
And so - instead of cutting it is possible to make a separate board for x4 - it will essentially be in some sense trimmed from the x8 board)
And if you have these two cards on hand - one for x8 and the other for x4, you can freely reinstall them.
Although it is worth considering the low mechanical strength of the connectors and their low switching resources.

 

[kotproger]

Finally, I had the opportunity to take on the testing of the connection to the laptop a modern graphics card - MSI 1060 GTX. (Via M2 slot with 2 PCIE lines)

The first inclusion - the picture immediately displayed on the external monitor! Already progress! The drivers were installed standard from Microsoft. Gen1 X2 bus. Graphics tests do not work:

Then I installed the most recent driver from the NVIDIA site - 391.35 WHQL.
The driver was not installed correctly. The situation is similar to the drivers from MIcrisoft. PCIE only Gen1:

After installed the driver 368.81 - installed successfully!
Here it is! The video card is connected via PCIE X2 Gen3 bus !!!

In addition: the thickness of the data cable (for 4 lines)

 

[BaK]

Here it is! The video card is connected via PCIE X2 Gen3 bus !!!
In addition: the thickness of the data cable (for 4 lines)

A little bit off topic sorry, but does it mean that, in theory, we could have a regular (not using M2 slot) 16x PCIe cable riser with a thickness of 16mm (8x 2mm)?
Using an additionnal power cable that is.

I am trying to find a way to get more flexibility and less airflow restriction compared to the big flat cables we always see on PCIe risers, as mentionned here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...tures-from-li-heat-ltd.1534/page-4#post-88158

Any drawback in using a power cable of its own instead of more beefy cables (such as of 28AWG)?