RPi RISC OS and mSATA

As a potentially useful piece of hardware, does this have any implications for Raspberry Pi with RISC OS? Ideal small size factor, I guess? And would it work with other RISC OS versions?

I guess it’s likely to be a USB/Driver issue?

It depends on the USB-SATA-bridge they use if it will work out-of-the-box with RISC OS. Many work, some will not work.

As it connects to the Pi via USB there will be no speed changes. It is physically a neat design though until we can see how they have designed the USB cable we won’t know how neat.

It’s a PL2571 USB to SATA bridge. Anyone have any experiences?

It’s a PL2571 USB to SATA bridge. Anyone have any experiences?

I have not look at. I forget.
But my bridges are working with my Zero Lapdock.

Edit: First is Sunplus 1bcf/0c31, Second (mSATA) is Hitachi/Renesas uPD720231A

It’s a PL2571 USB to SATA bridge. Anyone have any experiences?

I do, seeing as mine arrived today!

It doesn’t work with RISC OS. I tried it with a Raspberry Pi and also with an ARMx6 (because it’s powered by USB – the header is there for stability and as a passthrough). It shows up on USBInfo as a Prolific controller, but no drive icon appears on the icon bar.

Have you try it on a hub or on the Lapdock? I have a external Prolific USBtoSATA adapter. Is only working with a hub or with my Lapdock.

Have you try it on a hub or on the Lapdock?

Tried it with two different hubs without luck.

Will try the Lapdock later, too.

In USBInfo, in the topology window click menu→file→view text and post the details for the usb number of your device. It should tell us if it should work.

On mine, it states:

Bus: 1
Device: 4
DeviceFS : USB10
USB spec : 2.00
Class : 0 (Defined at Interface level)
Subclass : 0
Protocol : 0
MaxPacket : 64
Vendor : 067b Prolific Technology, Inc.
Product : 2571
Release : 1.00
Speed : Hi-speed (480 Mb/s)
NumConfigs: 1

MaxPower : 100 mA
Attributes: (Self-powered)
Interfaces: 1

Interface: 0
Alternate: 0
Class : 8 Mass Storage
Subclass : 6 SCSI
Protocol : 80 Bulk (Zip)
Endpoints : 2

Endpoint: 1
Direction : OUT
Transfer : Bulk
MaxPacket : 512
Interval : -

Endpoint: 2
Direction : IN
Transfer : Bulk
MaxPacket : 512
Interval : -

Unfortunately there’s nothing there to suggest that it shouldn’t just work. The vendor is irrelevant for mass storage. risc os recognises the device from the interface class/subclass/Protocol which is just a standard mass storage interface so something else must be failing in the drivers soon after it is recognised as a mass storage device.

I have an MP3 player that is apparently a legitimate mass storage device, but only shows in USBInfo and disappears from there also if using the USBInfo Reset. Replugging gets it back again. So yes, it is possible to find one that doesn’t work in RISC OS occasionally.
I had no better luck with the Pi either, so it wasn’t just the Iyonix hardware.

I think all the USB to SATA interfaces we’ve used (all work) use a ‘J Micron’ chip.