In this tutorial you will learn how to interface HX711 loadcell amplifier module with ESP8266 NodeMCU board and getting output on i2c OLED display. Also, we will learn how to add zero push button function to adjust scale offset.

Loadcell:

Load cell is a sensor which converts mechanical force into electronic signal. Where the mechanical force can be tension, pressure, compression or torque. There are many types of load cells are available in the market which can be used as per required application. In this example we are going to use strain gauge load cell for converting mechanical force into electrical signal.

Loadcell consist of several resistive strain gauge sensor elements which changes its resistance when the load is applied and gives output in milli volts when input or excitation voltage is applied to it.
This milli volt output is then amplified to voltage signal to make it compatible with controllers to read and convert to load units.

Things You Will Need:

• ESP8266 NodeMCU
• HX711 Amplifier Board
• 10kg Loadcell
• i2c OLED Display
• Connecting Cables

Circuit Diagram:

Code:

Example 1: ln this example we will use Arduino IDE serial monitor window to get output values from the loadcell.

/**
 *
 * Interfacing 10kg loadcell and HX711 amplifier board with ESP8266 NodeMCU
 * Author: Pranay Sawarkar
 * Website: www.eTechPath.com
 * Link: https://blog.etechpath.com/diy-weighing-scale-using-hx711-oled-i2c-display-and-esp8266-nodemcu-with-zero-calibration-function/
 * 
 *
**/

#include <Arduino.h>
#include "HX711.h"

// HX711 circuit wiring
const int Dout_Pin = 14;
const int SCK_Pin = 12;
const int pb1 = 13;            //push button input 
int tarepb = 0;
int newread = 0;
#define CalFactor 235.5    //enter your calibration factor here

HX711 scale;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  scale.begin(Dout_Pin, SCK_Pin);
  pinMode(pb1, INPUT_PULLUP);
  
  Serial.println("Initialization..."); 
  
  scale.set_scale(CalFactor);
  scale.tare();
  delay (200);
  Serial.println("Ready");
  delay (100);
}

void loop() {
  
  tarepb = digitalRead(pb1);
  delay(10);
  if (tarepb == LOW) 
  {
    scale.tare();
    Serial.println("TareDONE");
  }
  else
  { 
  newread = scale.get_units(5);
  Serial.println("Weight: ");
  Serial.println(newread);
  delay(10);
   }
}

Circuit Diagram:

Example 2: In this example we will interface oled display with the existing circuit and print loadcell output values on display.

/**
 *
 * DIY Weighing Scale using HX711, OLED i2c display and ESP8266 NodeMCU with Zero Calibration Function
 * Author: Pranay Sawarkar
 * Website: www.eTechPath.com
 * Link: https://blog.etechpath.com/diy-weighing-scale-using-hx711-oled-i2c-display-and-esp8266-nodemcu-with-zero-calibration-function/
 * 
 *
**/

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <U8g2lib.h>
#include "HX711.h"

#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_SPI
#include <SPI.h>
#endif
#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_I2C
#include <Wire.h>
#endif

//select your oled display size
U8G2_SSD1306_128X32_UNIVISION_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);
//U8G2_SSD1306_128X64_NONAME_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);

// HX711 circuit wiring
const int Dout_Pin = 14;
const int SCK_Pin = 12;
const int pb1 = 13;
//const int pb2 = 5;
int tarepb = 0;
int newread = 0;
#define CalFactor 235.5

//235.5


HX711 scale;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  u8g2.begin();
  scale.begin(Dout_Pin, SCK_Pin);
  pinMode(pb1, INPUT_PULLUP);
  
  u8g2.clearBuffer();
  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tf);
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Initializing...");
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
  
  scale.set_scale(CalFactor);
  scale.tare();
  delay (500);
  u8g2.clearBuffer();
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Ready");
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
  delay (100);
 
}

void loop() {
  
  tarepb = digitalRead(pb1);
  delay(10);
  if (tarepb == LOW) 
  {
    scale.tare();
    u8g2.clearBuffer();
    u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Tare Done");
    Serial.println("TareDONE");
    u8g2.sendBuffer();
  }
  else
  {
  
  newread = scale.get_units(5);
  Serial.println(newread);
  delay(10);

      u8g2.clearBuffer();
      u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tf);
      u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Weight: ");
      u8g2.setCursor(45, 20);
      u8g2.print(newread);
      u8g2.sendBuffer();
      delay(10);
    
   }
}

Prototype:

In this tutorial you will learn how to interface HX711 loadcell amplifier board with Arduino uno and getting output on i2c oled display. Also, we will learn how to add calibration push button to zeroing the scale.

Loadcell:

Load cell is a sensor which converts mechanical force into electronic signal. Where the mechanical force can be tension, pressure, compression or torque. There are many types of load cells are available in the market which can be used as per required application. In this example we are going to use strain gauge load cell for converting mechanical force into electrical signal.

Loadcell consist of several resistive strain gauge sensor elements which changes its resistance when the load is applied and gives output in milli volts when input or excitation voltage is applied to it.
This milli volt output is then amplified to voltage signal to make it compatible with controllers to read and convert to load units.

Things You Will Need:

• Arduino Uno
• 10kg Loadcell
• HX711 ADC amplifier board
• i2c OLED display

Circuit Diagram:

Code:

Example 1: In this example we will use arduino serial window to get output values from the loadcell.

/**
 *
 * Interfacing 10kg loadcell and HX711 amplifier board with Arduino Uno
 * Author: Pranay Sawarkar
 * Website: www.eTechPath.com
 * Link: https://blog.etechpath.com/diy-oled-weighing-scale-using-10kg-loadcell-with-hx711-and-arduino-uno/
 * 
 *
**/

#include <Arduino.h>
#include "HX711.h"

// HX711 circuit wiring
const int Dout_Pin = 2;
const int SCK_Pin = 3;
const int pb1 = 4;
int tarepb = 0;
int newread = 0;
#define CalFactor 235.5    //enter your calibration factor here

HX711 scale;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  scale.begin(Dout_Pin, SCK_Pin);
  pinMode(pb1, INPUT_PULLUP);
  
  Serial.println("Initialization..."); 
  
  scale.set_scale(CalFactor);
  scale.tare();
  delay (200);
  Serial.println("Ready");
  delay (100);
}

void loop() {
  
  tarepb = digitalRead(pb1);
  delay(10);
  if (tarepb == LOW) 
  {
    scale.tare();
    Serial.println("TareDONE");
  }
  else
  { 
  newread = scale.get_units(5);
  Serial.println("Weight: ");
  Serial.println(newread);
  delay(10);
   }
}

Circuit Diagram:

Example 2: In this example we will interface oled display with the existing circuit and print loadcell output values on it.

/**
 *
 * DIY Weighing scale using 10kg loadcell and HX711 amplifier board with Arduino Uno and OLED display
 * Author: Pranay Sawarkar
 * Website: www.eTechPath.com
 * Link: https://blog.etechpath.com/diy-oled-weighing-scale-using-10kg-loadcell-with-hx711-and-arduino-uno/
 * 
 *
**/

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <U8g2lib.h>
#include "HX711.h"

#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_SPI
#include <SPI.h>
#endif
#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_I2C
#include <Wire.h>
#endif

//select your oled display type and size
U8G2_SSD1306_128X32_UNIVISION_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);
//U8G2_SSD1306_128X64_NONAME_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);

// HX711 circuit wiring
const int Dout_Pin = 2;
const int SCK_Pin = 3;
const int pb1 = 4;
int tarepb = 0;
int newread = 0;
#define CalFactor 235.5   //enter your calibration factor here

HX711 scale;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  u8g2.begin();
  scale.begin(Dout_Pin, SCK_Pin);
  pinMode(pb1, INPUT_PULLUP);
  
  u8g2.clearBuffer();
  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tf);
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Initializing...");
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
  
  scale.set_scale(CalFactor);
  scale.tare();
  delay (500);
  u8g2.clearBuffer();
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Ready");
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
  delay (100);
 
}

void loop() {
  
  tarepb = digitalRead(pb1);
  delay(10);
  if (tarepb == LOW) 
  {
    scale.tare();
    u8g2.clearBuffer();
    u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Tare Done");
    Serial.println("TareDONE");
    u8g2.sendBuffer();
  }
  else
  {
  
  newread = scale.get_units(5);
  Serial.println(newread);
  delay(10);

      u8g2.clearBuffer();
      u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tf);
      u8g2.drawStr(0, 20, "Weight: ");
      u8g2.setCursor(45, 20);
      u8g2.print(newread);
      u8g2.sendBuffer();
      delay(10);
    
   }
}

Prototype:

In this tutorial we will learn how to interface a MPX5010 pressure sensor with Arduino uno using onboard analog input pin A1 and generate output of sensor on serial monitor for testing then in second example we will print the sensor output on i2c OLED display using u8g2 monochrome graphics library.

MPX5010 Pressure Sensor:

• Working voltage: 4.75v – 5.25v
• Working pressure: 0 – 10 kPa
• Current: 10mA max
• Working Temperature: -40°C-125°C (0-85°C).
• Output: 0.2vdc to 4.7vdc

MPX5010 Sensor Output Calculation and Chart:

Things you will need:

• Arduino Uno or any Arduino board with a spare analog input.
• MPX5010 pressure sensor.
• SSD1306 i2c OLED display.

Circuit Diagram:

Example Code 1:

/*
 Project: Interfacing MPX5010DP with Arduino Uno.
 Project Link: 
 Website: www.etechpath.com
 Author: Pranay Sawarkar
*/

#include <Arduino.h>


void setup() {
  // initialize serial communication at 9600 bps
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  // read the sensor input on analog pin 1
  int sensorValue = analogRead(A1);
  // Convert the analog reading of A1 from 0-1023 to a voltage 0-5V
  float voltage = sensorValue * (5.0 / 1023.0);
  float outputkPa = fmap(voltage, 0.2, 4.7, 0, 10);
  float outputmmH2O = fmap(voltage, 0.2, 4.7, 0, 1019.78);
  // print out the values on serial monitor
  Serial.print("Volt: ");
  Serial.println(voltage);
  Serial.print("kPa: ");
  Serial.println(outputkPa);
  Serial.print("mmH2O: ");
  Serial.println(outputmmH2O);
  Serial.println();
  delay(200);
}

float fmap(float x, float in_min, float in_max, float out_min, float out_max)
{
  return (x - in_min) * (out_max - out_min) / (in_max - in_min) + out_min;
}

Example Code 1 Output:

Installing Required Library:

• Goto Sketch -> Include Library -> Manage Libraries (or Shortcut Cntl+Shift+I)
• Search u8g2 in search bar
• Select library U8g2 by Oliver
• Select latest version from dropdown menu and install. (For this project we are using version 2.31.2)

Example Code 2:

/*
 Project: Interfacing MPX5010DP with Arduino Uno and OLED i2c display.
 Project Link: 
 Website: www.etechpath.com
 Author: Pranay Sawarkar
*/

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <U8g2lib.h>

#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_SPI
#include <SPI.h>
#endif
#ifdef U8X8_HAVE_HW_I2C
#include <Wire.h>
#endif

//select your oled display size
//U8G2_SSD1306_128X32_UNIVISION_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);
U8G2_SSD1306_128X64_NONAME_F_HW_I2C u8g2(U8G2_R0, /* reset=*/ U8X8_PIN_NONE);

void setup() {
  // initialize serial communication at 9600 bits per second
  Serial.begin(9600);
  u8g2.begin();
}

void loop() {
  // read the sensor input on analog pin 1
  u8g2.clearBuffer();
  int sensorValue = analogRead(A1);
  // Convert the analog reading of A1 from 0-1023 to a voltage 0-5V
  float voltage = sensorValue * (5.0 / 1023.0);
  float outputkPa = fmap(voltage, 0.2, 4.7, 0, 10);
  //float outputmmH2O = fmap(voltage, 0.2, 4.7, 0, 1019.78);
  delay(50);
  u8g2.setFont(u8g2_font_6x10_tf);
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 10, "volt:");
  u8g2.setCursor(35, 10);
  u8g2.print(voltage);
  Serial.print("Volt: ");
  Serial.println(voltage);
  u8g2.drawStr(0, 22, "kPa:");
  u8g2.setCursor(35, 22);
  u8g2.print(outputkPa);
  Serial.print("kPa: ");
  Serial.println(outputkPa);
  u8g2.sendBuffer();
  delay(50);
  
}

float fmap(float x, float in_min, float in_max, float out_min, float out_max)
{
  return (x - in_min) * (out_max - out_min) / (in_max - in_min) + out_min;
}

Example Code 2 Output:

In this tutorial, I will explain how to interface SHARP 2Y0A21 infrared distance sensor with Arduino board and display the output in serial monitor.

SHARP 2Y0A21

SHARP 2Y0A21 sensor works on infrared technology, it consists of a transmitter and a receiver diode which calculates the distance between the sensor and the target by measuring time interval between transmitted and received wave.

SHARP 2Y0A21 Sensor Specifications:

1. Working voltage: 4.5 – 5.5 Vdc
2. Distance measuring range: 10cm – 80cm (10cm dead band)
3. Output type: Analog (voltage)
4. Output: 0 to 3.1v (3.1v at 10cm to 0.3v at 80cm)
5. Operating Temperature: -10 to +60 °C (Storage: -40 to +70 °C)

Circuit Diagram:

Code:

//SHARP 2Y0A21 IR Distance Sensor Test (10-80cm) 
// Author: Pranay Sawarkar
// www.eTechPath.com

#define sensor A2 

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() 
{
  float volts = analogRead(sensor)*0.0048828125;
  int distance = 30*pow(volts, -1.173);
  delay(1000); 
  
  if ((distance >=10)&&(distance <=80))
  {
    Serial.print("Distance:");
    Serial.println(distance);
    Serial.print("Volts:");
    Serial.println(volts);   
  }
  else
  Serial.println("Out of range");
}

I usually get tired of having some kind of food every other day hence though of trying this version of Chicken Curry! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

• 500 gm Chicken (small cuts)
• 2 soaked Cashew
• 1 Tbps Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 medium size Tomato (finely chopped)
• 1 medium size Onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 Dark Green Chilly
• Fresh Corriender
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Big Cardamom
• 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Tsp Cumin powder
• 1 Tbps Coriander Powder
• 2 Tbps Chilly Powder (as per you taste)
• Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste
• Pinch of Sugar

Recipe:

• Take a Kadhai / Pan and add oil, roughly chopped tomato, soaked cashew and green chilly and let it cook till the tomato turns soft and starts to leave oil.
• Let it cool and then grind it in a paste.

• Take earthen pot, Kadhai or a Pan (whatever is available with you) and add oil
• Add ginger garlic paste and spices and let it cook
• Add finely chopped onion and salt and cook till the onion is half cooked
• Add Turmeric powder, Cumin powder, Coriander Powder, Chilly Powder and Sugar
• Add Tomato, Cashew paste and let it cook till it leaves oil
• Add fresh Coriander
• Add chicken and cook on medium flame for 15 minutes
• Reduce the flame to medium to low and let it cook till the chicken is done.
• Relish the yummy chicken with Jeera Rice or homemade Phulka!

Chicken Marination:

• 500 gm Chicken (Small to medium pieces)
• 200 gm curd
• 3 dark green chilly paste
• 2 tbps ginger garlic paste
• 2 tsp Suhana Biryani Masala
• 1 packet ready mix Suhana Biryani Masala
• 3 medium fried onion
• 1/8 cup Mustard oil
• 3-4 tsp ghee
• Turmeric Powder
• Red Chilly powder if needed
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh mint leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 and 1/2 lemon juice
• 1-2 drop of Kewda essence

Biryani Rice:

• 400 gm Biryani rice
• 2 tbps cooking oil
• 2 tsp ghee
• 1 clove
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 green cardamom
• 2 tsp shah jeera
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 7-8 black pepper
• 1 Mace
• 2 inch ginger
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Salt to taste

For Biryani layering:

• Soak few kesar strands in 1/2 cup milk
• Fried onion
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh mint
• 1tsp Suhana biryani masala
• 2 tbps orange food color
• 2 tbps ghee
• oil as needed

Recipe:

• For Chicken marination: Mix all the ingredients as mentioned above and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours minimum. Keep a little of the fried onions, fresh coriander and fresh mint aside for layering.

• For Parboiled Rice (70% cooked): Add oil and ghee and add all the spices and ginger. Add water till the brim of the pot (the water should be three times the rice). Once the rice is 70% done, drain the water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool a little.

Layering the Biryani and cooking it.

• Take a pot big enough for the biryani. The pot should have at least 1/4 space empty at the top post layering.
• Add oil in the pot and add the marinated chicken.

• Add rice loosely with a spoon on the top of the marinated Chicken.
• Spread kesar soaked milk, ghee, oil, food color (optional) and some biryani masala with a tea spoon on top of the rice.
• Lastly add on the fried onion, fresh coriander and fresh mint.

• Cover the pot with the lid by packing it with some wheat dough and put some weight on the lid.
• Cook the Biryani on mid flame for 15 mins and on low flame for 30 mins.
• Switch off the gas after 45 mins and open the Biryani after 15 minutes.

• 750 gm Mutton
• 2 tsp shah jeera
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 5-6 black pepper
• 1 big cardamom (Black)
• 2 tbps desiccated coconut
• 2 Clove
• 5-6 leaves of spinach
• Fresh coriander
• 2 medium size onions
• 2-3 dark green chilly
• 5-6 garlic glove
• 2 tbps ginger garlic paste
• Turmeric Powder
• 1 tbps Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tbps Cumin Powder
• 2 -3 tbps Chilly Powder (as per your taste)
• Salt as per taste
• 1/4 tsp Sugar
• Oil

Recipe:

Curry Paste:

• Add 1 tbps oil in a pan / kadhai (preferably Iron Kadhai) and cook the onion on medium flame till it turns light brown in colour.
• Once the onion turns light brown in colour, add shah jeera, black pepper, black cardamom, clove, coconut, cinnamon and dark green chilly in the pan and cook for 2-3 mins on low flame. You should be able to smell the aroma of spices.
• Grind the above along with spinach and fresh coriander leaves to get a nice smooth paste. Add little water in case needed. (Tip: adding fresh spinach leaves adds on to the taste of the curry. It can be used in any kind of veg or non veg curry)

Cooking the Mutton:

• Take a cooker and add the cleaned mutton, 1tbps oil, garlic clove, salt, Turmeric powder, half glass of water and 1 bay leave. Cook the mutton in the cooker till it is almost cooked (preferable till 2-3 whistles of the cooker)
• In case the Mutton is tender, you can cook the mutton directly in the earthen pot / kadhai along with the cooked curry paste.

Cooking the Mutton with Curry paste:

• Take an earthen pot / Kadhai / Pot.
• Add enough oil for the curry
• Add ginger garlic paste and let it cook on low flame
• Add the onion curry paste which we prepared earlier along with red chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar (sugar will help balancing and binding all the flavours together).
• Keep on stirring the paste and let it cook till it turns brown and leaves the oil.

• Once the masala is completely cooked, add in the half cooked mutton in the earthen pot/ kadhai /pot and cover the earthen pot with lid.
• Let the above cook together on medium flame till the mutton is completely cooked.
• Once the Mutton is cooked, add fresh coriander and relish it with fresh Bhakar and Rice!

Time taken: 30 mins

• 1 cup fresh coriander
• 1/4 cup fresh mint
• 2 dark green chilly
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 cm of ginger
• Juice of 1/4th lemon
• 3-4 soaked cashew (You can add more
• 1/2 cup curd
• Bread of your choice
• 1/4 cup chopped capsicum
• 1/4 cup boiled sweet corn
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• small cubes of paneer
• Grated cheese
• 1/2 tsp hot and sweet tomato ketchup

Sandwich Chutney:

Grind coriander, mint, green chilly, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, cashew, curd, salt and half tsp spoon sugar to balance the taste. The consistency should be a little thick. You can always add more green chillies depending upon your taste.

Sandwich:

1. Mix chopped capsicum, onion, paneer, corn, onion, tomato, grated cheese, sandwich chutney, tomato ketchup salt and pepper.
2. Apply butter (generously!) on the bread and add the above sandwich dressing on the bread.

Introduction:

In this tutorial we will learn how to get access to your kingview project if you have missed or forget your project password.

Disclaimer: This tutorial is for educational purpose only, please do not use if the project is locked by the third person.

Instructions:

• Step 1: Take backup of your project and make changes to copied files and not to the original program.

• Step 2: Download any hex file editor. (In this tutorial we are using WinHex editor).

• Step 3: Open tagname.db file from program folder with hex editor.

• Step 4: As shown in picture bellow, change these hex values to zero.

• Step 5: Save the tagname.db file in hex editor and close it.

• Step 6: Now you can open the project in kingview software without password.

Note: With this trick, you can get access to project tags and communication data. But you will still need password to get access to the pages. Also you will not be able to change the password without knowing the original password.

If you want to fully unlock the project, you can take paid help from any expert freelancers or you can simply reach out to us with the project files. email

Introduction:

Solid state drive is a type of storage device that uses integrated circuit assembly to store digital data in it. Unlike conventional hard disk drives, SSD’s does not consist of mechanical moving parts which makes it more reliable and long lasting than conventional hard disk drives.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SSDs over HDDs:

Advantages:

• Solid state drives are way faster than the hard disk drives. HDDs can copy data at maximum 150MB/s, while common SSDs can copy the same data at 500MB/s. Also, some latest PCIe SSD’s can go more than 5500MB/sec transfer speed.
• Lifespan of solid state drive is longer than HDDs. Hard disc drives tend to last for around 5years, while SSD’s can last more than 10years.
• HDD’s has moving parts inside so they make little noise at the time of working. SSD’s are super quiet.
• SSD’s are very light in weight as compared to HDD’s.
• Power consumption of a solid state drive is very less as compared to a hard disk drive.

Disadvantages:

• The measure disadvantage of a solid-state drive is the cost. An SSD can cost more than double the cost of an HDD.
• Inability to recover old lost data. Which is possible in conventional hard disk drives.

Types of Solid-State Drives:

Solid state drives are available in two interfaces, one is SATA SSD and another is PCIe SSD.

SATA Solid State Drive:

SATA is one the most widely used interface in the industry. Latest SATA III 3rd generation standard provides 6Gb/s bandwidth with up to 550Mbps of read write speed. SATA SSDs are available in different sizes, shapes and slots, details are described below.

2.5inch SATA SSD: 2.5inch SATA SSD is a one-to-one replacement of conventional SATA HDD drive. It can give you up to 500mbps transfer speed. With SATA SSD you can upgrade any HDD laptop or desktop computer to SSD without any modification. (Desktop computers may require some reduction brackets)

mSATA SSD: A mSATA SSD is smaller in shape as compared to 2.5inch standered SSD’s. Also, the power consumption of mSATA SSD is comparatively less. These drives are designed to use in battery operated devices like laptops, notebooks and tablets, because of its small shape and power consumption advantage. mSATA SSD can provide data transfer rate up to 550mbps. mSATA SSDs are available in two sizes, standered size mSATA and half mSATA.

M.2 SATA SSD: M.2 is a next generation standard which provides both SATA or PCIe interface, one at a time. M.2 SATA SSD come in different sizes like 2280, 2260, 2242, where 22 represents the width in mm and next two numbers represent the length. M.2 SATA SSDs are generally comes in B+M key interface.

PCIe Solid State Drive:

PCIe interface SSDs provides many advantages than a SATA interface SSDs. The biggest advantage is speed. A latest 3rd generation SATA SSD can reach maximum 550Mbps read write speed, however a PCIe interface SSD can reach up to 3500Mbps speed.

NVMe SSD: NVMe (Non-volatile Memory Express) provides high bandwidth and very high data transfer speed in very low power consumption. NVMe SSD can reach up to 3000Mbps of read write speed. NVMe SSD comes in M.2 interface with different sizes like 2280, 2260, 2242, 2230, where number 22 represents the width in mm and next two numbers represent the length. NVMe SSD comes with M-key interface, which is only compatible with M key slotted system.

AHCI SSD: AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) was widely used in mid period of SATA and NVMe, it was originally designed for use in conventional hard disk drives. The working structure of AHCI SSD layers between SATA and PCIe interface. AHCI was popular because, unlike common memory structure, AHCI allows SSDs to support native command queuing (NCQ) command set.

AIC SSD: AIC (Add in Card) SSD is compatible with your desktop computer PCIe port. So, if you don’t have dedicated M.2 SSD socket in your motherboard but you still want to use high speed NVMe SSD, then go for AIC SSDs. These SSDs will slide in directly in standard PCIe port. AIC SSD functions same as M.2 NVMe and provides same lightning-fast speed without having M.2 port on your system.

M.2 Kays and Slots

All M.2 modules are keyed in specific way to prevent incorrect insertion of module cards into female slot on the host. M.2 SSDs generally uses three common keys i.e., B-key, M-key & B+M-key. You can find key type printed on the edge of module card near golden connector pins.

In above picture, module card on the left shows NVMe SSD with M-key slot, which is compatible with only M-key female sockets on the host. Module card on the right shows M.2 SATA SSD with B+M-key slot, which is compatible with both M-key and B-key female sockets on the host.

Choose between M.2 M key or M.2 M+B key SSD

Considering the performance, you should choose M.2 M key SSD for the best results. But before getting your SSD make sure what type of slot is available in your computer.

In a computer, there is only a M.2 M key socket, or a M.2 B key socket will be available and not M.2 M+B key socket.

Let’s come to the compatibility of slots. M.2 M key slot is compatible with both M key SSD and M+B key SSD, But M.2 B key slot is only compatible with M+B key SSD.