Raspberry Pi Launches New Open Source Compute Module

Raspberry Pi has debuted a new treat for its business and industrial users in the shape of the pint-sized Raspberry Pi Compute Module and accompanying IO Board.

The company, which creates mini computers designed to teach programming knowledge and fit almost anywhere, is aiming to capture an entirely new side of the market with the new releases that will target a different range of apps and devices.

Raspberry Pi’s Compute Module has been created by the engineering side of the company and contains the “guts” of a Raspberry Pi model in the shape of the BCM2835 processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB eMMC Flash device that is the equivalent of the SD card on the Pi. All this fits onto a small 67.6x30mm board that can plug into a standard DDR2 SODIMM connector, and flash memory can be connected directly to the board’s processor.

In layman’s terms it is a Raspberry Pi that has been slimmed down to fit on a SODIMM with onboard memory that has connectors that can easily be customised. It is specifically geared towards those that want to create a personalised PDB but there is also a Compute Module IO Board to get designers started.

The IO Board is an open-source board that has space for the Compute Module to be plugged in and provides power to the module in order to program the flash memory, access processor interfaces in a simple way, and it lays on the necessary HDMI and USB connectors.

Raspberry Pi will first be offering the two items as a pair in the Raspberry Pi Compute Module Development Kit with the unit cost around $30 [£18] each in a batch of 100 and costing slightly more when bought individually.