Is something like this SSD compatible with Jetson PCIe hardware:
Electrically, the mini-PCIe slot is correct…physically, the one shown is full length, but the slot is half-length. I believe you could plug this board into this slot, but half would be sticking out over the edge of the board. The mount points on the Jetson would require some form of insulated mounting straight to the bottom layer of the card…traditional metal standoffs would not work.
You’d also have to verify this card’s chipset works with this kernel…I have no idea if the kernel has drivers.
Personally, if I knew this card works at the software side, and if I were willing to accept that it might end up a failure that I couldn’t use, I’d be tempted to try with something like dabs of silicone sealer in place of the standoffs. Should it pop loose during use, it could destroy both it and the Jetson. Should you insulate the mini-PCIe card in the wrong place via something like silicone sealer, you could possibly fry the mini-PCIe card. Find out if drivers are expected to work, then think closely about mounting this card which will stick out over the edge of the Jetson with no real mounting.
Have half-length SSDs been made to fit that slot size? Or is this slot primarily intended for WiFi?
The Jetson TK1 slot will fit any standard mini-PCIe card, as long as it is either PCI express and/or USB signaling. Any cards that are SATA signaling WILL NOT WORK so double check before you buy.
I also want to mention that it should be possible to also access the extra USB 2.0 port on the slot separately. In some cases you can even use a Wi-Fi card and still use the USB for a separate device.
I haven’t tried this yet though. There are adapters for this on ebay, etc.
There is nothing on the board to stop you connecting a longer than half-height card. So if you want to use a long card then you can go for it. Just be careful that you don’t break your card or rip the connector off of the Jetson board with some sort of shearing force. that would be one of the easiest ways to both completely break the board and void the warranty.
So if you screw the Jetson board down and you plug in a long card, you should screw it down as well.
So as far as Mini PCIe SSDs I should be looking out for the PATA connection?