Cerebro clusterboard supports up to four Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, or Radxa CM5 compute modules (crowdfunding)

What’s better than a Raspberry Pi Compute Module? If you’re working on projects that support parallel processing, the answer might be two Raspberry Pi Compute Modules… or maybe four of them.

The Cerebro clusterboard is designed to let you attach up to four compute modules to a single baseboard. It supports Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM5 compute modules, but it also supports NVIDIA Jetson NX or […]

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Lilbits: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S now comes with up to 8GB RAM, modular laptop maker Framework to expand into new categories

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S is a SODIMM-style version of the Compute Module 4. It has the same processor as the standard model, but the form factor restricts the I/O capabilities, so it’s not quite as versatile. And when it first launched in 2022, the Raspberry PI CM4S was only available with 1GB of RAM.

Now Raspberry Pi has announced that the CM4S can now be purchased with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of LPDDR4-3200 memory onboard. But you’re probably not going to find them in stores anytime soon – they’re positioned as a commercial product and sold in boxes of 200 or more.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

New memory variants for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module family [Raspberry Pi]

Raspberry Pi notes that the goal was to make things easy for “industrial customers who are migrating from Compute Module 3 or Compute Module 3+” solutions by offering a version of the CM4 in the same form factor. But even with the new memory options, there are some downsides to the form factor: it lacks a PCIe interface, Ethernet connections top out at 350Mbit/s, and USB capabilities top out at USB 2.0, among other things. 

Confirmed: Google to Release a Pixel Tablet Without Dock, Sell Pen and Bluetooth Keyboard [ Droid Life]

Retail listings suggest that Google will soon begin offering the ability to buy a Pixel Tablet without the Speaker Charging Dock. New digital pen and Bluetooth keyboard accessories may also be on the way.

Here’s a first look at Bluetooth audio sharing in Android 15 [Android Authority]

First look at an upcoming Android 15 “share audio” feature that could allow phones to broadcast audio using Bluetooth LE’s Auracast feature, which lets you share audio with multiple nearby devices at once.

Framework won’t be just a laptop company anymore [The Verge]

Modular laptop maker Framework plans to expand into “additional product categories,” but isn’t ready to say what they are yet. Desktops? Smartphones? Tablets? Watches? Something else entirely? I guess we’ll find out… eventually.

Keep up on the latest headlines by following @liliputing_liliputing.com on Mastodon (or @bradlinder@fosstodon.org). You can also follow Liliputing on X and Facebook. We’re also on Bluesky now, but just barely.

#android15 #auracast #bluetoothLe #framework #google #leaks #lilbits #pixelTablet #raspberryPi #raspberryPiCm4s #raspberryPiComputeModule #raspberryPiComputerModule4s #shareAudio

It’s Almost a New Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. But Not Quite

We know that readers are familiar with the global chip shortage and its effects on product availability. The Raspberry Pi folks haven't escaped its shadow, for even though they've managed to preserve availability of their RP2040 microcontroller, it's fair to say that some of their flagship Linux-capable boards have been hard to find. All of this has had an unlikely effect in the form of a new Raspberry Pi, but unexpectedly it's one which few end users are likely to get their hands on.

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module has been part of the range since the early days, and in its earlier versions took a SODIMM form factor. The last SODIMM Compute Module had a Pi 3 processor, and this unexpected new model is reported as having a very similar hardware specification but featuring the Pi 4 processor. It seems that the chip shortage has affected supplies of the earlier SoC, and to keep their many industrial customers for the SODIMM Compute Modules in business they've had to produce this upgrade. As yet it's not surfaced for sale on its own and there's a possibility it will stay only in the realm of industrial boards, but as the story develops there's a Raspberry Pi forum topic about it for the latest and you can find the pertinent info in the video below the break.

Of course, the Compute Module of the moment remains the CM4 in its newer form factor, which we see as possibly the most exciting of all the Pi products of the moment. Meanwhile this is not the first custom industrial Raspberry Pi to be seen in the wild.

#raspberrypi #cm4 #raspberrypicomputemodule

Did You Know That The Raspberry Pi 4 Has More SPI, I2C, UART Ports?

We've gotten used to the GPIO-available functions of Raspberry Pi computers remaining largely the same over the years, which is why it might have flown a little bit under the radar: the Raspberry Pi 4 has six SPI controllers, six I2C controllers, and six UARTs - all on its 40-pin header. You can't make use of all of these at once, but with up to four different connections wired to a single pin you can carve out a pretty powerful combination of peripherals for your next robotics, automation or cat herding project.

The datasheet for these peripherals is pleasant to go through, with all the register maps nicely laid out - even if you don't plan to work with the register mappings yourself, the maintainers of your preferred hardware enablement libraries will have an easier time! And, of course, these peripherals are present on the Compute Module 4, too. It might feel like such a deluge of interfaces is excessive, however, it lets you achieve some pretty cool stuff that wouldn't be possible otherwise.

Having multiple I2C interfaces helps deal with various I2C-specific problems, such as address conflicts, throughput issues, and mixing devices that support different maximum speeds, which means you no longer need fancy mux chips to run five low-resolution Melexis thermal camera sensors at once. (Oh, and the I2C clock stretching bug has been fixed!) SPI interfaces are used for devices with high bandwidth, and with a few separate SPI ports, you could run multiple relatively high-resolution displays at once, No-Nixie Nixie clock style.

As for UARTs, the Raspberry Pi's one-and-a-half UART interface has long been an issue in robotics and home automation applications. With a slew of devices like radio receivers/transmitters, LIDARs and resilient RS485 multi-drop interfaces available in UART form, it's nice that you no longer have to sacrifice Bluetooth or a debug console to get some fancy sensors wired up to your robot's brain. You can enable up to six UARTs.

How To Use These Interfaces?

Enabling these interfaces seems to be straightforward, and people on Raspberry Pi forums and other places have been test-driving them for their own endeavors. All three kinds of interfaces can be enabled using dtoverlay lines in config.txt. For SPI, the [MaSt] blog helpfully provides some examples:

# enabling SPI6 with two CS pins - one on GPIO16 and other on GPIO26 dtoverlay=spi6-2cs,cs0_pin=16,cs1_pin=26

For I2C and UART, Raspberry Pi forum threads provided a few examples. I2C example:

# Enabling I2C3, with SDA on GPIO4 and SCL on GPIO5 dtoverlay=i2c3,pins_4_5

UART example:

# Enabling UART, with RTS and CTS pins (omit the 'ctsrts' part to disable them) dtoverlay=uart3,ctsrts

From here, these interfaces will appear as you'd expect them, as /dev/spi6, /dev/i2c-3 and /dev/ttyAMA* respectively. (The serial ports don't have aliases yet, so you'll get one more /dev/ttyAMA port added to existing ones.)

We were surprised to learn about these new peripherals, and maybe you were too? We can't wait to see what you'll do with them.

Main image remixed from Raspberry Pi 4 GPIO pinout diagram by [Les Pounder].

#hackadaycolumns #raspberrypi #computemodule #computemodule4 #i2c #raspberrypi4 #raspberrypicomputemodule #spi #uart

How Do You Make a Raspberry Pi on a Stick?

We agree with [magic-blue-smoke] that one of the only things more fun than a standard Raspberry Pi 4 is the Compute Module form factor. If they are not destined to be embedded in a system, these need a breakout board to be useful. Each can be customized with a myriad board shapes and ports, and that's where the real fun starts. We've already seen projects that include custom carrier boards in everything from a 3D Printer to a NAS and one that shows we can build a single-sided board at home complete with high-speed ports.

[magic blue smoke] used this ability to customize the breakout board as an opportunity to create a hackable media player "stick" with the Raspberry Pi built-in. We love that this Raspberry Pi CM4 TV Stick eliminates all the adapters and cables usually required to connect a Pi's fiddly micro HDMI ports to a display and has heat sinks and an IR receiver to boot. Like a consumer media player HDMI stick, all you need to add is power.

This seems like a super-clean way to get a media player or retro gaming on a TV or start developing your own custom smart TV without all the security concerns that come with an off-the-shelf device. But wait, there's more! [magic-blue-smoke] has already broken out 14 GPIO pins on the board for hardware hacks and plans to add connections for "Ambilight" LEDs in a future version. We'd like to see some IR LEDs to control older AV gear added too.

14 GPIO Pins, 3.3v and 5v solder pads broken out

#news #raspberrypi #ambilight #cm4 #computemodule4 #computestick #hdvideo #hdmi #mediaplayer #raspberrypicomputemodule #smarttv

Raspberry Pi Cameras Stand in for Stereo Microscope

Handling tiny surface mount components and inspecting PCBs is a lot easier with a nice stereo microscope, but because of their cost and bulk, most hobbyists have to do without. At best they might have a basic digital microscope, but with only one camera, they can only show a 2D image that's not ideal for detail work.

The team behind [Stereo Ninja] hopes to improve on the situation by developing a stereoscopic vision system that puts tiny objects up on the big screen in three dimensions. Utilizing the Raspberry Pi Compute Module, a custom carrier board that enables the use of both MIPI CSI camera interfaces, and a 3D gaming monitor, their creation combines the capabilities of a traditional stereo microscope with the flexibility of a digital solution.

With two Raspberry Pi cameras suspended over the work area, and the addition of plenty of LED light, Stereo Ninja is able to generate the 3D image required by the monitor. While the camera's don't have the same magnification you'd get from a microscope, they're good enough for enlarging SMD parts, and looking at a big screen monitor certainly beats hunching over the eyepiece of a traditional microscope. Especially if you're trying to show something to a group of people, like at a hackerspace.

Of course, not everyone has a large 3D gaming monitor on their workbench. In fact, given how poorly the tech went over with consumers the last time it was pushed on us, we'd wager more hackers have stereo microscopes than 3D displays. Which is why the team's next step is to have the Raspberry Pi generate the signals required by the shutter glasses, allowing Stereo Ninja to show a three dimensional image on 2D monitors; bringing this valuable capability to far larger audience than has previously been possible.

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#raspberrypi #thehackadayprize #toolhacks #2021hackadayprize #raspberrypicamera #raspberrypicomputemodule #stereomicroscope #stereoscopic