Very well then: later I will execute this version!
Thanks
(could I maybe modify the same statement in the appropriate place of your script, in order to be able to reuse it if required, or it is safer to run your script as it is and then execute the added command?)
Hi @riban,
I have launched the firmware configuration command, that operated as expected updating the bootloader, but still Oram refuses to start from nvme (blank screen, no Zynthian reaction whatever the waiting time).
At this point, I am guessing that the problem could really be in the SSD unit (that I might replace with another model) or - which I fear most, since it would entail re-separating the mainboard from the control/screen and detaching again the thermal block from the bottom case - in a faulty 16 pin PCI ribbon cable.
Best regards
I wanted to use @riban zynthian_sd2nvme.sh to reflash from a zynthian SD image onto a previously flashed zynthian nvme, but couldn’t boot the fresh SD with both plugged.
If anyone is looking for graphical procedure to get zynthian-os running on nvme, i had succes with this approach:
Probably not the straightest and fastet procedure, but one that can be followed also by those not knowing or not comfortable with using the command line.
Hope this helps and thanks everyone for their input to this topic.
It is useful to get feedback on this. We want to provide a mechanism to migrate to NVMe from SD within zynthian itself but it must be robust.
Thank you for the hints @ReCremisi89.
For a bit of contextual background, does your suggested sequence of operations refer to:
or
or
Regards
@Aethermind, right, the procedure I describe is applicable for users who need:
To set the boot order on Raspi5 I have a good source of documentation from another NVME hat I own (Geekworm X1002):
https://wiki.geekworm.com/NVMe_SSD_boot_with_the_Raspberry_Pi_5#Set_NVMe_early_in_the_boot_order
They also talk about incompatible SSDs with a Phison controller, while I’m not sure how much this info also is valid for the S2Pi N10 Tiny hat we use in the Zynthian, it could be a hint for selecting compatible NVMEs.
This is my working eeprom-config:
[all]
BOOT_UART=1
POWER_OFF_ON_HALT=0
BOOT_ORDER=0xf461
(Boot Order: 1=SD CARD, 6=NVME, 4=USB-MSD)
Boot Order documentation:
https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html#BOOT_ORDER
From what I’ve read sometimes incompatible SSDs are recognised but do not boot, so maybe you can try with another NVME if you get better results.
Hi everybody in this thread 
I am posting an update on my attempts at booting Oram from nvme, as per the @riban’s script procedure.
I have hooked an HDMI screen, mouse and keyboard to the internal Raspi5 of the Zynth 5.1, and slided in a Raspberry OS SD card, in order to check if any active mounted SSD partitions were visible from the desktop documents folder. It turned out that both in the desktop app and on Terminal the result returned by lsbls was absolutely the same as in webconf Terrninal with Oram loaded, that is two SD card partitions only:
├─mmcblk0p1
└─mmcblk0p2
Thanks @Tithrion, I have read your attached forum thread, and indeed it seems that finding a properly working nvme with the Geekpi Hat on Raspi5 is not as straightforward as it may seem. They also report in the discussion that sometimes you can write to a problematic SSD but you aren’t able to boot from it, just like in my case. What still leaves me perplexed is that the copying script appeared to have performed its operations nicely, thus necessarily accessing the nvme drive, but is nowhere to be found as an existing mass storage unit and partition on the Raspi.
@riban and @Tithrion: could you maybe post (or possibly re-post) names, sizes and models of your functioning SSDs?
It appears that I have quite overlooked the nvme choice, because my previous attempt with a (costly) Crucial Gen 3 1 Tb 2280 worked perfectly straight away inside the Argon Neo case of my custom Pi5 Oram.
Best regards
On the Zynthian I have a “Crucial P310 SSD 1TB M.2 2230 PCIe Gen4 NVMe”:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0D61Z8R1W
nvme list shows mine as: 256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD. It is sandwiched between the RPi5 and the NVME Base and I don’t want to take it apart today to look at it. I bought it second hand from a UK highstreet store called CEX (computer exchange) on a Sunday because I wanted it NOW and they had this available for less than £20. It worked fine first time and is still going a few months later. Hopefully it continues to work…
Thank you guys for the info on your nvme!
@Tithrion, of course, Crucial never disappoints and it is in general my go-to choice for SSD (works flawlessly in my other custom Z build), except this time I wanted to spare a bit of money, and like @riban went for an affordable and easy solution.
With the Orico 256 2242 I opted for the largest form factor compatible with the Tiny hat, because I was concerned that a smaller nvme entailed lesser heat dissipation, a potential issue not to be underestimated in a DIY mod inside a metal box.
As for the SSD memory size, I think that anything bigger than 256/512 Gb is probably overkill for the operational requirements of the Zynth, unless the user aims at recording hours of hi-res audio, which is not my use scenario. I mostly want to provide my V 5.1 with an SSD drive because it makes the handling of soundfont libraries so much more fluent and stable, besides making recording audio more reliable and system operation just a tad quicker.
I will maybe see if I find a smaller/more affordable Crucial, but I’m not completely sure that it would overcome my current OS boot issue in the end.
Regards
Well, it was a leftover from another system, so it was ok for me…
Otherwise I (also) learned the hard way, that trying to be cost efficient when it comes to hardware like memory or storage is basically a bad idea as it often results in higher costs in the end. Not to mention, that the outcome of problems regarded to cheap hardware often is tricky to track down the root cause.
Try to buy high quality hardware, but size it a little bit smaller if you want to save bucks.
A good friend of mine once came around with the following saying: “I’m too poor to buy cheap, because if you buy cheap, you buy twice.” 
BTW: THX @riban for the hint with nvme-cli (you never stop learning). While playing with this command I did a nvme smart-log /dev/nvme0n1 which showed me a temperature of 31°C in the Zynthian. I think this is rather good compared that my other RPi5 with only a heat sink as a “case” has a NVME (2280) temperature of 36°C…
Hi
I’m following this thread with great interest as i want to run OS on NVMe as well. I’m unsure about which hat exactly is the GeekPi Hat (or is it spelled GeeekPi)? Also i wonder; whould you use the NVMe drive for capturing audio as well? Or would a SD in the slot be used for that. I do not much want to have a pendrive sticking out from tha back of my Z and do not like the swapping to another PC for file transfer…
Also i’ve (briefly) tried to find smaller Crucial drives but no succes so far!
Just scroll up to @jofemodo entry with the N10 Tiny hat:
If you want the small board that can fit into the Z5 then do as @Tithrion suggests and heed @jofemodo’s advice. If you want a neat, sandwiched package then you might want to use the NVME Base. I have a RPi5 bolted to a NVME Base bolted to a 5" screen with the NVMe between the NVME Base and the RPi5. Things run a little warmer than @Tithrion’s but it works fine (in free air at the moment) at 40ºC NVMe and 47.2ºC RPi.
I have ordered the small board and an SSD. Now is the waiting game 
THX for pointers and advice!
Hi @core.east,
I have mounted too the S2Pi Tiny Hat, as per @jofemodo’s advice, according to his own V5 nvme mod. It is about 25 mm wide, and it just fits almost perfectly (lying face-down) in the bottom case, in front of the Raspi PCIe port, between the mainboard and the raised edge of the metal box.
My other custom Zynth Pi5 has a completely different hardware setup, consisting of an Argon Neo 5 M.2 aluminium case with nvme slot, a Waveshare 15.6" capacitive touch screen, a CUIA-configured keypad with pressure encoders and a Hifiberry DAC8X audio card on GPIO.
In this build I have embedded a super-fast Crucial 2280 M.2 1 Tb Gen 3 SSD. Fluidsynth, Sfizz and Linux Sampler operation is almost no-latency, and auditioning sampler patches is nearly in real-time. Also, RAM/system management for samples loading is significantly more stable. These are no neglectable advantages, if you are building (and driving via MIDI) an orchestral template.
All kindest regards
Sounds like a nice custom build. I would maybe some day build something custom. But for now i’m sticking with the form factor of the 5.1 (which i am quite happy with), and i must admit that i do not really know why i want to upgrade to SSD NVMe instead of continue to use the MicroSD. Except that it is sort of in my backbone that everything is a little bit better that way.
But Aethermind - have you solved your problem with the unrecognized SSD?
Unfortunately not, and I am uncertain as wether to look for a mid-size 2230 Crucial SSD, which seems to be unavailable at the moment even on their brand website, or to persist in figuring out how to make to work my current one. Plus, I am in the final stages of a score revision for publishing and performance, and just manage to devote scraps of time to trying and providing my V 5.1 with an nvme drive (which I fancy very much BTW!).
Regards! 