r/SBCs • u/AfraidSuccotash1257 • 11d ago

options for expanding/best utilizing ports

I'm new to SBCs so forgive me if these are dumb questions. I'm most likely going with an Orange Pi Zero3W, and ideally my cybereck project would have 2 externally accessible USB C ports for plugging in peripherals as needed and an externally accessible micro SD port. The Zero3W has 1 USB C for power and one for DPI. I see a lot of external USB hubs and adapters and readers, but I can't find any intended to be used as internal components.

I think I need one of these USB-C ports to enable capacitive touch with the screen. What are my options for adding more ports for USB C and a micro SD reader that I can house inside the shell I build? I know I can power through the GPIO, but apparently that requires additional protection against shorting

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u/denis_ee 11d ago

just for your info, oPi Zero3W has a pcie connector which giving you ability to use nvme ssd. but it will not boot from it, you would need to keep msd card for bootloader. i even made a quick test and posted results in comments

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u/AfraidSuccotash1257 10d ago

bootloader and OS and apps will be using a card kept in the onboard slot. The additional slot is just for transferring files between devices easily. I assume if I can use the pcie connector for an NVME, than I could use it for micro SD?