The upgraded Thunderbolt 3 expansion system comes with the auxiliary power connector required by certain PCIe cards to operate.
Sonnet Technologies has announced the launch of the Echo Express SE IIIe, the newest member of the company’s award-winning Echo Express family of Thunderbolt 3 to PCI Express (PCIe) card expansion systems.
The Echo Express SE IIIe is a compact desktop chassis that enables the use of up to three high-performance PCIe cards with computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Replacing the popular Echo Express SE III, the SE IIIe supports AJA’s complete family of KONA audio and video I/O solutions, including KONA 5. It has been upgraded with the addition of an auxiliary power connector to support cards that require more power to operate, and a new cooling fan for quieter operation.
The Echo Express SE IIIe enables users to connect three PCIe cards to computers lacking PCIe card slots. The SE IIIe features three x8 PCIe 3.0 slots, accommodates full-height, half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long) PCIe cards, and connects them to a computer’s Thunderbolt 3 port via the included 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable.
With the addition of the auxiliary power connector, the SE IIIe now supports popular pro video I/O cards that were previously incompatible due to their extra power requirements. The SE IIIe provides two Thunderbolt 3 ports, with one reserved for connection to the computer, while the second supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices plus two 4K monitors or one 5K display, or a single USB device. The system provides up to 15W of power to any connected peripheral or host.
Commenting on the upgrade, Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems, said: “A portable video capture and playback setup is a necessity today for most video pros, and the Echo Express SE IIIe, with support for AJA KONA PCIe cards, provides great flexibility. The new auxiliary power connector is an exciting addition, allowing professionals to harness the power of Thunderbolt 3 connectivity with AJA KONA 5 with a smaller form factor PCIe card enclosure.”
