I’m currently in the U.K. which makes it difficult to source Pine64 products locally. I was able to order a RockPro64 with the eMMC USB Adapter but no one seems to have eMMC with the right connector so i’m trying to find an aftermarket option. :X
The best info I could find from the RockPro64 wiki is it’s a 34-pin emmc with a “U2” “Schematic
designator”? and their store uses the SKU 32GEMMC.
Nothing seems to show up on Ebay/Amazon. Does anyone know some magic words to get eMMCs with the right interface to show up? I’ve also tried pine64, rockchip, RockPro64, RK3399, ect, next to eMMC with no success either.
Searching “eMMC” in U.S. Amazon I only see two types, ones intended for the Nintendo Switch and the ODROID-XU4 though they both seem? to have the right connector. In U.K. Amazon I see one’s intended for the NanoPi M4 and ROCK PI 4 both with totally different connectors and the same ODROID-XU4 one.
There’s a lot of connector types on a quick image search so i’m a little wary about assuming a standard that expands beyond the eMMC into ways they can be added to removable modules. Even if the connector is the same the pinout might be different too.
AFAIK, the Korean SBC maker Hardkernel, were the first to make eMMC modules for their linux ARM SBCs (currently eMMC v5.1). I think the (currently v0.4) connector for these eMMCs was their own design. Here’s an example. Can anyone explain further? Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Is that connector some kind of open standard? Is it the same connector seen on pine64 products? Not sure… It seems like a Wild West sort of thing.
You might be able to get compatible eMMCs from Hardkernel, if you don’t mind shipping all the way from Korea, or finding a more local distributor. But you better check compatibility with Pine products first, as I can’t vouch for the eMMC modules (complete with connector) conforming to a standard, which would work across brand names.
Given the brand and that they had a RockPro64 it’s likely it came from Pine64 and the only listing I could find was on aliexpress but it’s just the chip, not the module.
The one you linked is a SD to eMMC adapter, which relies on the SD controllers speed regarding data transfer.
The one from Pine64 is a USB2 to eMMC adapter, so it benefits from the USB2 bus speed.
The one from Radxa is USB3, so it is, in my book, the best of the 3, since it can handle higher transfer rates.
Better as in it is recognized and seems to be easier to use. A few people have complained about the Pine64 one, and instead recommended the one I linked.