External PCI through the Thunderbolt 3

[Standeraas]

Hi all, 

 

This seemed to be a simple topic nevertheless I had trouble finding any reliable information on this matter. 

 

So I have this crazy idea to create an external chassis with a PCI slot. Note that it isn't a misspelling but exactly the old PCI or PCI-X preferably, not the PCI Express. Though it might sound obsolete nowadays, let's leave it as an entirely hypothetical question. 

 

My thinking is that since it is possible to create an external PCI Express chassis with an expansion card that you can then plug to your laptop or PC with the Thunderbolt interface, would this have been possible with the older PCI standard? 

Once I've read somewhere that PCI and PCI Express are in general not compatible not only because of the physical differences within the slots, but more because of different protocols and highly complicated stuff on which sadly I'm no expert.
So I suppose that creating a direct PCI / PCI-X external box with Thunderbolt connection might be an issue hard to resolve.
However I did some research and found such adapter: https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/pex1pci1 

 

Given that I have a notion that this might somehow work? Let's imagine creating or simply buying an external PCI-E chassis with Thunderbolt interface and then plugging this adapter inside. 
Now, performance-wise it is a madness as PCI would hardly cover capabilities of modern interface standards. 
Since for now it is just hypothetical would anyone with experience concerning older hardware determine whether this could work or not? 

Thanks a lot :)

[AbydosOne]

35 minutes ago, Standeraas said:

So I have this crazy idea to create an external chassis with a PCI slot

Why? I haven't used a PCI card in probably five years (if not longer), and I'm willing to bet that most PCI cards (that don't have PCIe versions) haven't had driver updates for current OSes.

 

Do you have any experience with product design? PCB design isn't a trivial process, especially for high-speed parallel signalling.

 

35 minutes ago, Standeraas said:

However I did some research and found such adapter: https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/pex1pci1 

35 minutes ago, Standeraas said:

Since for now it is just hypothetical would anyone with experience concerning older hardware determine whether this could work or not?

Anything is possible (more or less) with enough R&D. Obviously, the protocol conversion silicon exists in one form or another for the Startech adapter to exist. The problem is (for reasons stated before) there isn't a broad enough market/demand for it. Normal PCIe Thunderbolt enclosures are barely a thing as it is; now find me the subset of those people who want to use PCI cards exclusively. It's essentially zero.