this one doesn't look too bad

I think the smaller one is for 5v cards only does iram need 3.3v? I think so..

all the required voltages are listed on the first link you posted.

What's the ultimate aim? The PCI bus is going to be a huge bottleneck compared to a modern SATA port or even a single lane pcie.

megatron-uk wrote on 2021-02-20, 00:16:

What's the ultimate aim? The PCI bus is going to be a huge bottleneck compared to a modern SATA port or even a single lane pcie.

it uses sata for data
aim is to install page file on it to avoid wearing out ssd

weedeewee wrote on 2021-02-19, 23:54:

all the required voltages are listed on the first link you posted.

yep 3.3 and 5

Okay, new project time.

I'm gonna put together a pcb that allows you to plug the pci slot of the gigabyte iRam int a sata power connector.

Basically turning the whole thing int a Legit sata drive.

Sata power has 3.3v, 5v, gnd, and 12v. everything a growing iRam needs.

Though not all sata power plugs have the 3.3v line so look for that. It'll be critical.

Gonna make it based on these items.

Adding 3.3v to pci adapter(Released)

Gigabyte iRam pci power adapter beta 3.14

I actually routed all power lines. (except -12v but the pin is there if you need it.) So, if you are needing this for another card for some reason, it may work?

I designed it to mate with a male sata power connector. (solder the wires, and then be shrink wrapped at the end.)

I optimized the amperage also as much as I could. It's surprising actually how small it turned out.

one particularly fancy feature I put on it is the distinction between the 3.3v pins and the pins that are sometimes either 5v or 3.3v

There are 5 groups of pins tied together. 3.3v, 5v,12v (one pin), gnd, and the pins listed as 5v/3.3v are all separate but tied to themselves. the user has the option of tying the 5v/3.3v pins to 5v or 3.3v when building.

I based this on the pci pdf included in the zip and the pci pinout webpage also included in the zip

As always, at your own risk, if you see any errors let me know and I'll try and correct them.

It just occurred to me that I could redesign the pcb its self with a edge connector for the sata power plug to slide onto. I have a pcb actually that has that that I could reference. It won’t have a lock though which is annoying. It can just slide off. Maybe I could make hooked areas so you could put a rubber band there?

But talk about being easier for the end user… brings BOM down to two parts and some soldering.

Re: AGP to PCI adapters - any PCB designers here willing to make one?

Need to investigate pin for 66mhz

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-10, 23:04:

Re: AGP to PCI adapters - any PCB designers here willing to make one?

Need to investigate pin for 66mhz

Why? The i-RAM only uses the PCI slot for power.

I'm wanting a ram drive to run in the SSD slot with say DDR2 to 4 memory that i won't care about power loss to cache temporary files that'll speed up caching games and web browsers simply that it outlasts SSD modules anyhow and of such would probably need its own logic and bios to manage it. Intel came out with a cache only module to complimet SSD but I think evveryone knows what i'm getting at here. It'd extend SSD life also as well as mechanical effiency.
Most modern motherboards have 2 SSD slots.

cyclone3d wrote on 2022-07-11, 03:02:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-10, 23:04:

Re: AGP to PCI adapters - any PCB designers here willing to make one?

Need to investigate pin for 66mhz

Why? The i-RAM only uses the PCI slot for power.

I posted that note on all of my projects based on this.

As to why, some mobos/cards pull that pin to 3.3v instead of gnd.

Need to make sure a issue isn’t possible there. Also since this adapter can be used with any card I can’t for see what uses someone may have with another card and this. So I will see if there is a way I can make that pin configurable through resistor

hmm I have a boxed one, never got it working on my supersocket 7 board using many many different sata<>ide adapters (differetn chipsets on all of them). I gave up getting it working...

zapbuzz wrote on 2022-07-11, 05:10:

simply that it outlasts SSD modules

128GB SATA SSDs are $20 now, that is two medium pizzas

rasz_pl wrote on 2022-07-11, 20:38:

zapbuzz wrote on 2022-07-11, 05:10:

simply that it outlasts SSD modules

128GB SATA SSDs are $20 now, that is two medium pizzas

That and using only 4GB (max capacity of that ramdrive?) on a 128GB SSD is essentially giving it huge overprovisionning and, additionally most if not all of that data will likely be stored in pSLC cache even on a cheap TLC SSD . Finally, that I-RAM is limited to SATA 1 speed (note that it matters much for the use cases for a 4GB drive). Granted, the RAM drive might get perceptibly better random transfer rates.

Unless you need the drive to outlive the heat death of the universe, I would think that an SSD would be durable enough . 😉

Ssd isn’t as cool as iRam. It’s basically for the cool factor these days. Good place to put page file also.

BloodyCactus wrote on 2022-07-11, 17:54:

hmm I have a boxed one, never got it working on my supersocket 7 board using many many different sata<>ide adapters (differetn chipsets on all of them). I gave up getting it working...

3.3v is probably why.

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-11, 23:55:

3.3v is probably why.

your probably right, mine is a rev 1.3 card with double keying and my SS& board only has 5v keying... so yeah I never thought much about it, it probably has no 3.3aux on the mobo side of the PCI.

but 1.3 was supposed to support 5v or 3.3v being double keyed, that is universal.

BloodyCactus wrote on 2022-07-12, 01:18:

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-11, 23:55:

3.3v is probably why.

your probably right, mine is a rev 1.3 card with double keying and my SS& board only has 5v keying... so yeah I never thought much about it, it probably has no 3.3aux on the mobo side of the PCI.

but 1.3 was supposed to support 5v or 3.3v being double keyed, that is universal.

Mine is double keyed but won’t work in most socket 7

Sphere478 wrote on 2022-07-11, 23:55:

Ssd isn’t as cool as iRam. It’s basically for the cool factor these days. Good place to put page file also.

I can't argue with that .

Also, if somebody could design something similar (around an FPGA?) that works with older buffered server RAM modules, it would be more practical/useful, in addition to the coolness factor . It could allow for greater disk sizes (as such modules are relatively high capacity), ECC, low cost (prices for those modules tend to go down the drain once compatible servers that use them become old and unwanted enough).

No idea how feasible and/or expensive that would be .

FPGAs fast and dense enough are couple hundred dollars those days.