Sonnet - Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34: 2-Port Serial ATA Host Controller

Key to Fast External Storage

Fusion D500P Connected to MacBook Pro Sonnet's Tempo™ SATA ExpressCard/34 provides eSATA connectivity for the mobile Mac® or Windows user who needs access to fast external data storage. When speed matters most, eSATA is the interface of choice—it delivers the best performance from storage systems with multiple interfaces (FireWire, USB, eSATA⁽²⁾). This Sonnet host controller has two external, 3Gb/s, SATA II ports, and offers scalability through its support for drive enclosures with port multipliers or hardware RAID controllers. Imagine connecting up to 10 drives⁽¹⁾ to your notebook—Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 makes it possible.

Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 can sustain read and write speeds to a single SATA drive of up to 125 Mb/sec, about four times as fast as USB 2.0. With two Fusion D500P 5-drive desktop storage systems connected, you can access up to 20TB of files. Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 even supports Mac OS® X, Windows 7 (Professional or Ultimate), Windows Vista® (Enterprise or Ultimate), and Windows XP Pro RAID features, so you can configure your storage the way you want it.

The Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 controller plugs directly into a MacBook® Pro (with ExpressCard/34 slot) or Windows notebook with an ExpressCard slot, and delivers enhanced data transfer speeds for the creative person on the go. Whether you capture and edit video content in the field, the studio, or home, or simply need access to terabytes of files, Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 sets the bar high for mobile storage product performance.

Thunderbolt Compatible with Echo ExpressCard/34 A

Key Features

Fast eSATA interface delivers better performance than FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and USB 2.0—transfer files to and from your drives in less time

FIS-based port multiplier-aware, and works with enclosures with hardware RAID controllers—supports up to 5 disk drives⁽¹⁾

Supports Mac OS X, Windows 7 (Professional or Ultimate), Windows Vista (Enterprise or Ultimate), and Windows XP Pro RAID features

Compatible with Sonnet's Echo ExpressCard Thunderbolt Adapter⁽⁴⁾

See Tech Spec Tabs for footnotes

Part No.
TSATAII-E342P	Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34⁽⁴⁾
Hardware
Warranty	1-year
RoHS Compliant	Yes
Bus Interface	ExpressCard/34
External Connectors	Two eSATA
Drives Supported	Up to 10⁽¹⁾
Data Transfer Rate	Up to 125 MB per second
ATAPI (DVD-ROM) Support	Yes
Port Multiplier Aware	Yes
Package Contents	Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 Documentation & software CD
Specifications subject to change without notice.

Mac Compatibility

MacBook Pro (with ExpressCard slot)

Mac OS X⁽²⁾ Version 10.3+

Mac OS X Lion compatible

Windows Compatibility

PC notebook (with ExpressCard slot)

Windows® 7⁽³⁾

Windows Vista®⁽³⁾

Windows XP

Technical Notes

Support for up to 10 drives requires the use of drive enclosures employing either an FIS-based port multiplier (like Sonnet's Fusion D500P) or a hardware RAID controller (like Sonnet's Fusion D400QR5 or R400QR5).

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

Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 not supported under Windows 7 or Windows Vista when running on unibody MacBook Pro computers. The problem is caused by the MacBook Pro's BIOS emulation, which doesn't allocate enough resources to support certain kinds of Expresscard/34 devices, such as a SATA controller, in these operating systems.
Compatible with only Echo ExpressCard Thunderbolt Adapter (part no. ECHO-E34). Not compatible with Echo ExpressCard Pro Thunderbolt Adapter (part no. ECHOPRO-E34).

Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 Performance

	Number of Drives	RAID Mode	Read (MB/s)	Write (MB/s)
SATA Drive (3TB Hitachi 3.5", 7200rpm)	1	JBOD	115	100
Fusion F2 (1.5TB)	2	SW RAID 0	150	170
Fusion F3 (6TB)	2	HW RAID 0	125	110
Fusion D400QR5 (12TB)	4	HW RAID 5	130	125
Fusion D400QR5 (12TB) via Thunderbolt Adapter	4	HW RAID 5	130	65

Product image	Product Name	Part No.	Description
	Sonnet 2-Meter Locking eSATA Cable	TCB-SATA-2L-2M	eSATA data cable with locking connectors
	Sonnet 1-Meter Locking eSATA Cable	TCB-SATA-2L-1M	eSATA data cable with locking connectors

Reviews
	Register Hardware Review "…Want to take advantage of eSATA and RAID on your MacBook Pro? Sonnet's Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 is an easy way to make it happen." Read more...
	So Happy to Have It "With limited hard drive space on my laptop now I can bring along a portable esata hard drive and start editing right on the shoot then easily continue when I get back to the studio and I want to work from my mac pro instead." Read more...
	Excellent - Low Cost Card! "Low cost card to improve file writing and transfer. A great improvement - The Pro Card must be even better but this one has worked great for us to use an external drive as a Photoshop scratch disc and to work directly from the external on large projects. Works as advertised." Read more...
	Did the Trick! "I have several portable drives with eSATA ports, but no port on my MacBook Pro. I was getting many freezes in FCP when drives were daisy-chained. This solved the problem. It gives two eSATA ports with amazing throughput at a great price." Read more...

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