Sonnet - Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34: SATA Controller for MacBook Pro and PC Notebooks

Key Benefits

Supports sustained data transfer throughput of up to 200 MB/sec—makes uncompressed HD video editing on a notebook a reality

FIS-based port multiplier aware—enables Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 to support the data flow of up to 10 drives⁽¹⁾ in two enclosures through its two eSATA ports

Improved port multiplier support—delivers significant gains in data transfer speeds over other eSATA adapters for notebook computers when used in combination with multi-drive storage systems

Supports Mac OS® X, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Pro RAID features

Drive activity LEDs

Mac Compatibility

MacBook Pro (with ExpressCard/34 slot)

Mac OS X Version 10.4+

Snow Leopard compatible

Windows Compatibility

PC notebook (with ExpressCard slot)

Windows 7

Windows Vista

Windows XP

Technical Specifications

Part No.

TSATAII-PRO-E34

Hardware

Warranty

2-year limited warranty

RoHS Compliant

Yes

Bus Interface

ExpressCard/34, PCI Express interface

External Connectors

Two eSATA

Drives Supported

Up to 10⁽¹⁾.See note.

Data Transfer Rate

Up to 300 MB per second per port

ATAPI Support

Package Contents

Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 SATA host controller, Driver/Documentation CD

Advanced Features
Port multiplier aware FIS-based switching controller Spread Spectrum Clocking for compatibility with all SATA drives and lower EMI emissions Bus Mastering frees CPU from data I/O handling 48-bit LBA support for drives larger than 137 GB

Specifications subject to change without notice.

ExpressCard/34 Logo

Pure Performance to Go

When file transfer speeds in the field can make or break a project, call in the pro—Tempo™ SATA Pro ExpressCard/34. This Sonnet exclusive two-port eSATA adapter delivers the highest available throughput performance from a SATA host controller for notebook computers—40% faster than standard SATA controller cards—and is ideal tool for video capture and editing in the field, studio, or office. Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34's exceptional sustained data throughput capability of up to 200 MB/sec empowers it to support more simultaneous video streams during playback, and enables faster file transfers for content of any kind.

Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 is FIS-based port multiplier-aware—used in high-performance storage systems like Sonnet's Fusion D500P, a port multiplier manages the data flow of up to five drives in an enclosure through a single cable—enabling you to connect up to ten SATA hard drives⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ to your computer. Based on Sonnet's acclaimed Tempo SATA E4P SATA host controller for desktop computers, Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 delivers significant gains in read and write data transfer speeds over earlier-generation eSATA ExpressCard adapters, with remarkably higher throughput than FireWire® and USB adapters, when used in combination with storage systems featuring two or more drives.

Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 controller plugs directly into a MacBook® Pro with an ExpressCard/34 slot or Windows notebook with an ExpressCard slot, and is an essential tool for the professional creative person on the go.

Tested using MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz with 2GB RAM running Mac OS X 10.5.6, 4GB file transfers, Fusion F3 2TB configured as RAID 0.

Tempo SATA Pro Express/34 with Fusion D500P

Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 gives you access to as many as 10 drives wherever you work.

Technical Notes:

(1) Support for 10 drives requires the use of drive enclosures employing port multipliers (like Sonnet's Fusion D500P, Fusion D400Q, or Fusion R400Q). When using an enclosure without a port multiplier, Tempo SATA Pro ExpressCard/34 will support 2 drives.

(2) Western Digital manufactures Desktop edition (WD Caviar, Caviar SE, Caviar SE16, and Raptor X) hard drives and Enterprise (RAID) Edition (WD RE, RE2, and Raptor) hard drives. Each type of hard drive is designed to work specifically in either a desktop computer environment, or connected to a RAID controller (hardware or software-based). If you intend to configure Western Digital drives in a RAID set, Sonnet and WD recommend using only their Enterprise edition hard drives. For more information, see this Western Digital FAQ.

(3) Sonnet Tempo cards are compatible with most external SATA storage. However, external hard drives with USB 2.0/eSATA dual interface based on the Oxford Semiconductor OXU931DS storage controller chip may not be compatible with Mac OS X when connected via SATA. Known issues are kernel panics occurring when the drive is connected, or the drive not being recognized by the operating system.

Summary of external SATA storage

• Storage with eSATA alone		Compatible
• Storage with triple interfaces		Compatible
• Storage with quad interfaces		Compatible
• Storage with eSATA plus Firewire 400 and/or 800		Compatible
• Storage with port multiplier support (multiple drives)		Compatible
• Storage with RAID 0, 1, or 5 (multiple drives)		Compatible
• Storage with eSATA plus USB (based on JMicron 20366)		Compatible
	These compatible drives include, but are not limited to: - OWC Mercury On-the-Go USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5" portable
• Storage with eSATA plus USB (based on Oxford OXU931DS)		Not compatible
	These incompatible drives include, but are not limited to: - Western Digital My Book™ Premium ES Edition™ - Seagate Technology FreeAgent™ Pro