Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 convinces on all levels

The Automation Line AL Pi-Tron CM4 is available in a housing, allowing for universal application and making it especially well-suited for industrial applications.

The Pi-Tron CM4 is based on the new fourth-generation Compute Module and features the Broadcom BCM2711 4x Arm Cortex-A72, 64-bit SoC @1.5 GHz, a significantly faster processor than the previous generation. It has more memory with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM, depending on the variant.

There are also options for an eMMC memory with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB available. Additionally, the board offers an optional pre-certified wireless LAN/Bluetooth connection. An M.2 B key slot with PCIe connection enables the use of standard modules with the corresponding interface. For example, individual AI solutions for machine vision and machine/deep learning can be implemented with the very powerful Hailo-8 AI modules or the Google Coral AI Edge TPU. For the integration into IoT solutions, the Pi-Tron has been prepared to use LTE modules with SIM cards and an external antenna connection.

The range of functions of the interfaces has been significantly expanded. Data exchange with other system components is ensured via the Modbus-compliant RS485 interface. The CAN bus interface is FD (Flexible Data Rate) enabled, offering more efficiency and a higher data transfer rate. The Raspberry Pi standard 40-PIN GPIO header provides flexibility for industrial interfaces. The Pi-Tron CM4 offers an HDMI slot to use standard display devices as well as an LVDS display connector via an adapter board.

A big advantage of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer is its large community. In addition to many software examples, it provides a large pool of compiled program packages for easy installation. The Pi-Tron CM4 only uses components that are supported by the community software. The large number of expansion modules based on the GPIO header is a valuable part of the Raspberry Pi ecosystem.