Zane Chua's Custom TPM 2.0 Boards Stand In for Hard-to-Find Windows 11 Must-Have Components

Software engineer Zane Chua has come up with a solution for those looking to upgrade to Windows 11 but finding it difficult to source a suitable Trusted Platform Module (TPM): building a DIY equivalent.

Launched in October last year, Windows 11 — the latest entry in Microsoft's long-running Windows New Technology (NT) family of operating systems — is designed for improved security compared to previous releases. As a result, it goes considerably further than most to ensure said security: mandating the use of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 device before it can be officially installed. A spike in demand for those modules at launch, however, combined with ongoing parts shortages mean that finding a suitable device can be a challenge.

"My three most recent builds were using ASRock Rack server boards," Chau explains. "The two boards X470D4U and the ROMED8-2T use the TPM2-S/INFINEON module. The one that is different is the X570D4I-2T, which uses the TPM2-SLI module. I looked around and couldn't find a place to buy the TPM2-SLI module, so I decided to make my own. Since I was making one, I figured I would make the modules for the other boards too even though they were available for purchase."

Building on earlier work by Jeff Chen, Chua was able to put together designs for 14- and 18-pin variants of the TPM 2.0 module — both based on an Infineon SLB9665TT20 TMP chip and a handful of passive components, fitted to a compact PCB designed for vertical or horizontal installation in order to avoid fouling any other components on the host motherboard.

Both variants have been tested as fully-functional — though Chua warns that the pin-out for the 18-pin version turns out to have been flipped in ASRock's documentation, meaning the board needs its header installing on the reverse side — with full details available on Chua's blog. Design files, meanwhile, are available on GitHub under the permissive MIT license.