NAB Show: Sonnet Exhibits Thunderbolt and PCIe Expansion Solutions

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. will be at NAB Show 2024 to showcasing some new products and solutions.

Thunderbolt 5 Technology sneak peak

The company will provide a glimpse of its next-gen eGPU Breakaway Box. Featuring a Thunderbolt 5 controller, this product will offer double the PCIe bandwidth of any currently shipping external GPU chassis to deliver PC workstation level graphics performance with laptop and small form factor computers with Thunderbolt 5 ports.

20-Port Thunderbolt 4 docking station

Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock

At the 2024 NAB Show, the company will feature the Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock, its top of the line model in Echo family of docking stations. Echo 20 offers users a record number of connectivity options, comprised of 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1 internal M.2 NVMe SSD socket, 8 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) ports, 1 HDMI 2.1 port, 1x2.5Gb Ethernet (RJ45) port, 1x3.5 mm combo audio port, 2 analog line level output jacks, 1x3.5 mm microphone jack, and 1xSD 4.0 card slot.

The Echo SuperDock enables users to connect their computer peripherals – such as storage devices, input devices, headphones, an HDMI monitor, etc. – to a convenient central point instead of directly to their computer. Echo 20 connects all those peripheral devices through a single Thunderbolt cable (which can also charge laptop computers with up to 100W of power). The firm’s dock is compatible with all Apple M series Mac computers; Thunderbolt 3 Intel Mac computers; Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Windows computers; late-model Thunderbolt 3 Windows computers; Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Chromebook computers; and M series iPad Pro tablets.

25GbE networking products with macOS compatibility

Twin25G dual-port 25GbE Thunderbolt adapter

At the 2024 NAB Show, the company will feature its high-performance 25GbE networking solutions: the Twin25G dual-port 25GbE Thunderbolt adapter for computers with Thunderbolt ports, plus the Twin25G PCIe card dual-port 25GbE PCIe 3.0 adapter card.

Twin25G PCIe card dual-port 25GbE PCIe 3.0 adapter card

The firm’s 25GbE solutions set an affordability benchmark and enable users to connect their computers easily via optical cables to fast network infrastructure and storage systems using the 25GbE standard. Both products include SFP28 transceivers and are Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible.

Two-Slot, Dual Thunderbolt interface to PCIe card expansion systems for computers with Thunderbolt ports designed for pro digital video market

Echo II DV Desktop Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system

Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems enable users to connect professional specialty cards critical to their workflows that add needed video and audio inputs, transcode data, and connect to fast shared storage and networks. At this year’s NAB Show, the company will showcase its Echo II DV Desktop and Echo II DV Rackmount systems, solutions that enable the use of 2 high-performance, bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards – such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and 10Gb and 25GbE adapters – at maximum performance at the same time (up to 2,880MB/s PCIe bandwidth for each card).

Echo II DV Rackmount Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system

By employing a separate Thunderbolt interface for each card slot, Echo II DV systems are designed to provide full PCIe bandwidth to each slot when connected to 2 computer Thunderbolt ports that also have independent PCIe bandwidth. Computers with independent PCIe bandwidth to 2 or more Thunderbolt ports include all Apple silicon (M series) Mac computers, and Intel Mac computers or PCs with 3 or 4 Thunderbolt ports.

Echo II DV Desktop is a full-size desktop chassis, while Echo II DV Rackmount features a rack-mountable 2U enclosure with space for additional expansion.

Pro 3U rackmount plus 2-slot, dual Thunderbolt interface to PCIe card expansion system for Mac Studio computers

Mac Studio/Echo II DV Pro 3U Rackmount and Thunderbolt expansion system
for Mac Studio computers (PCIe Cards and Mac Studio sold separately)

At the 2024 NAB Show, Sonnet will showcase its xMac Studio/Echo II DV professional rackmount and Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system for Apple Mac Studio computers. The company’s system fits in standard 19-inch equipment racks and provides open access to the computers’ SD card slots and front and back ports. xMac Studio includes adjustable extension rails to support its installation into racks 16 to 24 inches deep and provides space beneath the computer to house SSDs (sold separately) behind an access panel and secure them with supplied adhesive-backed magnets.

Designed for professional workflow expansion, xMac Studio/Echo II DV consists of a 16.5-inch-deep rackmount enclosure which securely holds a Mac Studio plus an Echo II DV Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion module that adds 2 card slots to the computer, connecting them via 2 Thunderbolt cables. Echo II DV Module enables the use of 2 high-performance, bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards – such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and 10Gb and 25Gb Ethernet adapters – at maximum performance at the same time (up to 2,880MB/s PCIe bandwidth for each card). By employing a separate Thunderbolt interface for each card slot, the module is designed to provide full PCIe bandwidth to each slot when connected to two Thunderbolt ports on the computer, which also has independent PCIe bandwidth to each Thunderbolt port.

Recent and coming additions to product lines
The company will also showcase recently released products at the 2024 NAB Show, including a PCIe 4.0 adapter card featuring 8xNVMe SSD slots and silent operation, plus 2 new USB host adapter cards.