The Raspberry Pi team launches Compute Module 3 (CM3) in two variations for faster Pi boards, with up to 10x more CPU speed and doubled up RAM than the previous versions of Compute Module. Along with this, the company has released an updated version of its renowned “get-you-started” breakout board, the Compute Module IO Board V3 (CMIO3).
Image Source: raspberrypi.org
The new CM3 is based on Raspberry Pi 3 hardware, and offers two versions with few configuration changes. The first version of CM3 is the "standard" CM3 that encapsulates 1 GB RAM and a BCM2837 processor just like the Pi3 board, and it is capable of holding 4 GBs of on-module eMMC flash. On the other hand, the “Compute Module 3 Lite” (CM3L) version comes with the support for SD card interface to the Module pins, keeping the other configuration intact. The CM3L provides users with choice to wire this up to an eMMC or SD card as desired or as required.
If we talk about price, the standard CM3 will be available for $30 while the CM3L is priced at $25. Both the prices exclude tax and shipping, and apply on any size of orders.
The COO and Hardware Lead, James Adams, writes in the
official blog,
“The idea of the Compute Module was to provide an easy and cost-effective route to producing customised products based on the Pi hardware and software platform. The Module takes care of the complexity of routing out the processor pins, the high speed RAM interface, and core power supply, and allows a simple carrier board to provide just what is needed in terms of external interfaces and form factor. The module uses a standard DDR2 SODIMM form factor, sockets for which are made by several manufacturers, are easily available, and are inexpensive.”
Along with CM3, the CMIO3 board is also released with a superb configuration that provides an entire system to boot the OS of your choice but focuses especially on the Raspbian OS.
Image Source: raspberrypi.org
With CMIO3 board, you get the required power to the module, the ability to use an SD card or default flash memory of the module, flexibility in using processor interfaces, and support for USB as well as HDMI connectors so as to work independently, without needing any other system. Users can both experiment with the hardware by building a test system, or simply start designing the Compute Module with the default template. The CMIO3 can accept an original Compute Module, CM3, or CM3L.
Interested users can get all the comprehensive information on Compute Modules from the
documentation section on the Raspberry website.
Adams concludes his blog stating,
“The CM3 is largely backwards-compatible with CM1 designs which have followed our design guidelines. The caveats are that the Module is 1mm taller than the original Module, and the processor core supply (VBAT) can draw significantly more current. Consequently, the processor itself will run much hotter under heavy CPU load, so designers need to consider thermals based on expected use cases. We’re very glad to finally be launching the Compute Module 3, and we’re excited to see what people do with it.”
Well, this is seriously exciting to see now what people do with the new CM3, CM3L, and CMIO3. However, one thing can be said for sure, the happy days of
IoT are arriving soon with such advanced development kits and devices available in the market.