2020 hasn't been all bad - a new Raspberry Pi Compute Module is here
- Reference: 1603116072
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/10/19/pi_compute_module_4/
- Source link:
[2]
Industrial and commercial customers are important to the company: more than half of the seven million Pis sold each year are snapped up by them. The market has been served over the years by a Pi packaged into the SODIMM form factor (for example, the [3]Compute Module 3 of 2019 .)
But times change and citing a need to bring out extra features (such as the second HDMI port) the team has instead opted for a new, significantly smaller, form factor with two high-density perpendicular connectors (one for power and low-speed interfaces and one for high-speed interfaces.
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High-density connector on board underside
While the change may cause a rethink for industrial integrators, the new form factor should make for smaller devices. Where the original Pi is aimed at hobbyists, education and those who fancy an inexpensive Linux-powered computer, the Compute Module continues to target industrial applications (including the likes of digital signage or those oh-so-trendy edge devices.)
Those building such kit have a wider variety of specifications to choose from this time around – from 1GB to 8GB of SDRAM and optional onboard eMMC Flash storage of up to 32GB.
The dual HDMI interfaces on offer also afford some intriguing options, as does the gigabit Ethernet (joining the optional wireless LAN and Bluetooth 5 connectivity.) A PCI Express interface and hardware video decoding and encoding should keep those displays ticking over nicely.
Performance comes from a 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU and prices range from $25 for the most basic 1GB incarnation to $90 for an 8GB variant with 32GB of storage and wireless goodness. Most integrators are likely to jump somewhere in the middle.
Other than the connector, the Compute Module relies on the integrator to configure whatever is needed, and a $35 example I/O board is also available as a development platform. While CAD for the board is available in KiCad format, purchasers of an actual unit will receive a device with ports familiar to a Pi 4 owner.
An external antenna kit is also available for those wireless users needing more than the capabilities of what is lurking on the PCB. ®
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[1] https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-compute-module-4/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/19/raspberr_pi_compute_model_four.png
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/28/compute_module_3_plus/
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/19/cm4.jpg
[5] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Still not pleasing some
I'm not too sure what business USB has on a compute unit, but what is the power draw of this? They just keep adding things to it and pretty soon it's going to just be an ITX board. Their competition from ST, Espressif, etc. (which I imagine sell way more units) are being bought for their power consumption and particular strengths, not because they are AIO devices. I mean do you really want semi-fast calculations and 2 monitors at the cost of higher power consumption?
I'm not knocking it, please the more options the better. However, from a hobbyist point of view this device kind of has no place in IoT, its only strength seems to be signage. As someone using ESP32, I'm not seeing the allure (unless I want to run a couple 4k banners).
Re: Still not pleasing some
> I mean do you really want semi-fast calculations and 2 monitors at the cost of higher power consumption?
For some applications yes.
For mass market embedded, you will be spinning up your own board with a carefully chosen SOC and your own software support.
This is targeted at smaller markets and places where you would otherwise use a PC. Kiosks + signage for example. Places where you need an existing OS and apps ready to run.
Forgotten memories
> onboard eMMC Flash storage of up to 32GB.
A feature that is sorely lacking in the "play" version of the Pi.
It is something that other fruity-pi's have had for years. Boards that if they had any half-decent software, support, or user forums - would have eaten the Raspberry flavoured version for lunch, years ago.
Re: Forgotten memories
The point of the Pi was NOT to have onboard installed os.
If you have an installed system in a classroom you have to manage it. You can't give students root so you can't have them install or modify anything, you need security, anti-virus, backup, maintenance, updates, rules and punishments for breaking them. Deterring students from doing anything not explicitly specified in the lesson.
The whole point of the Pi is to be like the 8bit micros of old. You screw up you just pop in a new image card and start again.
Re: Forgotten memories
I've been running Pi's long enough that I've had several MicroSD cards fail after several years. This is not a big deal, just replace the card. Soldered on storage would make this a much bigger issue.
I'm not a flash expert - I'll concede it could be the MicroSD format itself that's causing the issue. But my impression is Flash has a fixed number of write cycles, regardless of the form factor.
Re: Forgotten memories
Whilst I could see the benefit of an optional eMMC on board previously... they *do* have pxe capability.
With the additional memory on newer boards you can just network boot and run from ram/nfs.
Still not pleasing some
All morning I've seen people complain about the lack of USB3... totally ignoring that on the PI4B the USB3 is actually hogging the sole PCIe channel - some have hacked their pi's removing the controller to get at the PCIe.
Unlike the earlier dev boards, the new one allows existing hat's with it (one of my gripes with the old ones) but again some complaining about that.
It'll be interesting to see how one of these compares with the 4B & earlier CM models, I've just got to wait now until early/mid November for mine to arrive