Wpisy

New features of multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series

Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.

Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device. 

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Wide range of ClusBerry modules

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules and comes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:

  • Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
    • I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
    • Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
    • AI Gateway with 1x Coral Edge TPU via PCIe M.2, introduced in December 2020: https://iiot-shop.com/product/ai-gateway/ or up to 4x Coral Edge TPU via USB3.0
  • NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
  • USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
  • Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
  • SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
  • Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Reason for use of Raspberry Pi CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4

Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards 

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes

With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.

Kubernetes provides:

  • Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
  • Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
  • Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
  • Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4 provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
  • Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
  • Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability

First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here or visit product website: https://clusberry.techbase.eu.

IoT technology solves challenges of predictive maintenance by enabling real-time remote status monitoring. Instead of maintaining hardware monthly or every 11 quarters, companies can use IoT health monitoring for direct maintenance. Simple IoT devices can now monitor critical performance metrics in real time and send alerts when problems start.

Now you can equip a simple internet connected microcontroller with all kinds of sensors and functions. These devices can closely monitor the health of your valuable equipment and issue maintenance alerts when needed.

Industrial IoT on the site

The cost of equipment failure tends to cascade. The failure of a single piece of machinery can bring an entire assembly line to a grinding halt. And for every hour that production has stopped, hundreds of thousands of dollars might be slipping out the door. That hiccup in production can also result in unfulfilled contracts, angry customers, and upheaval in your supply chain.

Traditionally, those types of failures were prevented by routine scheduled maintenance by specialized technicians. But as discussed earlier, scheduled maintenance is imperfect. Fear of equipment failure often drives businesses to set aggressive preventative maintenance schedules, which of course raises costs.

In fact, according to a recent paper from IBM, up to 70% of a company’s investment in preventative maintenance does not affect uptime metrics. This is due largely to the fact that only 11% of machine failures follow an age-degradation pattern. A whopping 89% occur at random.

Source: https://blog.particle.io/the-growing-power-of-iot-in-preventative-maintenance/

New features of Edge TPU brought to ModBerry series

In October 2020, with the release of the latest Compute Module 4 from Rasbperry Pi Foundation, TECHBASE announced an upgraded device from ModBerry 500 series, called ModBerry 500 CM4. Thanks to the high-performance PCI-Express bus introduced in Compute Module 4 and Raspberry Pi community, the device itself presents support for a wide range of new applications, such as use of Google’s Artificial Intelligence modules at ease.

Therefore, TECHBASE designed a new device, called ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, utilizing the vertical format of ModBerry 9500, latest Compute Module 4 and Google’s Coral TPU. Installation-ready AI GATEWAY allows direct application in industrial fields.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with Coral TPU enhancement 

Neuron network capabilities enhance CM4-based devices, not only collecting and sending data, but also allows local data change predictions and allows direct management on-site. This feature gives the possibility for various applications, such as data analysing and establishing trends predictions, smart alarms and smart monitoring, local notification control, etc.

Used Edge TPU coprocessor via PCI-Express bus is capable of performing 4 trillion operations per second (TOPS), using 0.5 watts for each TOPS (2 TOPS per watt). Google Coral easily integrates with Raspberry Pi Compute Module in Linux and optionally in Windows with full support of TensorFlow Lite framework and AutoML Vision Edge solution.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU
TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with available expansion cards 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 can be equipped with serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer, OLED screen and many more features like TPM Security Chip, eSIM and SuperCap backup power support. 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem, interchangeable with Coral TPU)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 availability

First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of AI GATEWAY will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here.

With latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the Raspberry Foundation added NVMe SSD support via M.2 (PCIe 2.0) interface. Jeff Geerling tested 3 piece M.2 SSD RAID array which is another example how Compute Module 4 is a milestone in IoT applications.

SSD/eMMC benchmark scores for Compute Module 4

With the debut of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and ModBerry 500 CM4 from TECHBASE, another addition came to Industrial Controllers and Edge Automation. New module carried the likelihood to associate NVMe SSD module by means of M.2 slot utilizing PCIe 2.0 interface.

We took our ModBerry 500 CM4 device, utililizing latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and carried two test:

  • eMMC built-in standard Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
  • selected NVMe SSD via M.2 slot

Both eMMC and SSD drive perfomed truly well, accomplishing extremely high benchmark score: 5078 for eMMC and unbelivable 13807 for NVM. SSD. For direct correlation, you can check a few tests performed by over 20.000 clients of this benchmark here: https://jamesachambers.com/2020s-fastest-raspberry-pi-4-storage-sd-ssd-benchmarks/?amp

Score of eMMC on ModBerry 500 CM4
Score of NVMe SSD on ModBerry 500 CM4

More benchmark scores can be found here: https://storage.jamesachambers.com/

Order next batch of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 devices

TECHBASE’s ModBerry 500 series has gotten an update to Compute Module 4 and is accessible for pre-orders. TECHBASE is leading producer of Industrial Raspberry Pi and Industrial Compute Module applications. ModBerry 500 series is completely viable with all arrivals of Compute Module from Rasbperry Pi Foundation.

Primary highlights of refreshed device are:

  • up to 4x quicker eMMC Flash with up to 32GB capacity
  • up to 2x quicker execution than recent CM3 rendition with quad-center Cortex-A72 4×1.5GHz
  • up to 8x more RAM (8GB LPDDR4)
  • 1Gbit Ethernet interface
  • discretionary PCIe card support for NVMe SSD by M.2
  • discretionary second PCIe support for remote modem arrangements, for example 5G modems

First group of ModBerry 500 CM4 devices has just been dispatched, we are gathering orders for next batch. Hustle just a bit to get your devices rapidly!

Updated ClusBerry device for Smart Home and developers

A new addition to TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem is a variation of recent cluster device, ClusBerry based on multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and custom cluster board allowing free configuration from two up to eight modules. Each module can perform various tasks, from standard I/O gateway, wireless modem, Gigabit LAN router to NAS file server and AI Gateway with up to 4 Google Coral Edge TPU modules.

You can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module. The modules are connected to internal Ethernet Switch and USB OTG to provide such feature and allow quick heal of the cluster.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster for Smart Home

For home applications and with the nod to software developers, we released ClusBerry device in less industrial casing, to be used in the comfort of own house – on your desk next to PC or wall-mounted in any convenient place. ClusBerry for Home is fully modular as it’s industrial version and offers the same performance and options.

More information here: https://clusberry.techbase.eu/

New features of multiple Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series

Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.

Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device. 

Reason for use of Raspberry Pi CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4

Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.

Wide range of ClusBerry modules

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules and comes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:

  • Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
    • I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
    • Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
    • AI Gateway with 1x Coral Edge TPU via PCIe M.2, introduced in December 2020: https://iiot-shop.com/product/ai-gateway/ or up to 4x Coral Edge TPU via USB3.0
  • NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
  • USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
  • Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
  • SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
  • Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards 

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster for Smart Home

Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes

With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.

Kubernetes provides:

  • Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
  • Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
  • Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
  • Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4 provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
  • Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
  • Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster for Smart Home

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability

First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here or visit product website: https://clusberry.techbase.eu.

With the debut of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and ModBerry 500 CM4 from TECHBASE, another addition came to Industrial Controllers and Edge Automation. New module carried the likelihood to associate NVMe SSD module by means of M.2 slot utilizing PCIe 2.0 interface.

SSD/eMMC benchmark scores for Compute Module 4

We took our ModBerry 500 CM4 device, utililizing latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and carried two test:

  • eMMC built-in standard Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
  • selected NVMe SSD via M.2 slot

Both eMMC and SSD drive perfomed truly well, accomplishing extremely high benchmark score: 5078 for eMMC and unbelivable 13807 for NVM. SSD. For direct correlation, you can check a few tests performed by over 20.000 clients of this benchmark here: https://jamesachambers.com/2020s-fastest-raspberry-pi-4-storage-sd-ssd-benchmarks/?amp

Score of eMMC on ModBerry 500 CM4
Score of NVMe SSD on ModBerry 500 CM4

More benchmark scores can be found here: https://storage.jamesachambers.com/

Order next batch of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 devices

TECHBASE’s ModBerry 500 series has gotten an update to Compute Module 4 and is accessible for pre-orders. TECHBASE is leading producer of Industrial Raspberry Pi and Industrial Compute Module applications. ModBerry 500 series is completely viable with all arrivals of Compute Module from Rasbperry Pi Foundation.

Primary highlights of refreshed device are:

  • up to 4x quicker eMMC Flash with up to 32GB capacity
  • up to 2x quicker execution than recent CM3 rendition with quad-center Cortex-A72 4×1.5GHz
  • up to 8x more RAM (8GB LPDDR4)
  • 1Gbit Ethernet interface
  • discretionary PCIe card support for NVMe SSD by M.2
  • discretionary second PCIe support for remote modem arrangements, for example 5G modems

First group of ModBerry 500 CM4 devices has just been dispatched, we are gathering orders for next batch. Hustle just a bit to get your devices rapidly!

New features of multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series

Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.

Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device. 

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Reason for use of Raspberry Pi CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4

Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.

Wide range of ClusBerry modules

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules and comes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:

  • Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
    • I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
    • Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
    • AI Gateway with 1x Coral Edge TPU via PCIe M.2, introduced in December 2020: https://iiot-shop.com/product/ai-gateway/ or up to 4x Coral Edge TPU via USB3.0
  • NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
  • USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
  • Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
  • SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
  • Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards 

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes

With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.

Kubernetes provides:

  • Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
  • Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
  • Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
  • Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4 provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
  • Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
  • Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Cluster

ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability

First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here or visit product website: https://clusberry.techbase.eu.

TECHBASE’s ModBerry industrial computer series has received an update to Compute Module 4 and is available for pre-orders. TECHBASE is leading manufacturer of Industrial Raspberry Pi and Industrial Compute Module solutions. ModBerry 500 series is fully compatible with all releases of Compute Module from Rasbperry Pi foundation.

ModBerry 500 CM4, First industrial computer based on Raspberry Pi’s Compute Module 4

Main features of updated device are:

  • up to 4x faster eMMC Flash with up to 32GB storage
  • up to 2x faster performance of CPU appllications than previous CM3 version
  • up to 8x more RAM (8GB LPDDR4-3200)
  • 1Gbit Ethernet interface
  • PCI 2.0 card support for NVMe SSD drive (via mPCIe or optionally via M.2)
  • optional second PCIe support for wireless modem solutions, i.e. 5G modems

First orders will be ready with subject to the availability of the CM4 module itself.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 world premiere

Few days ago, Raspberry Foundation announced new member of its family, a Rasbperry Pi Compute Module 4. It’s quite obvious, even from the first look, that the new module is very different from its predecessors. Main difference is a new form factor, leaving DDR2 SODIMM in the past.

The same 64-bit quad-core BCM2711 application processor as in Raspberry Pi 4B, the Compute Module 4 brings higher performance: faster CPU cores, better multimedia, more interfacing capabilities, and, for the first time, a choice of RAM densities and a wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options.

Compute Module 4 comes in 32 variants. Lite, as always, offers no eMMC memory, a and standard versions come with up to 8GB RAM, 32 eMMC Flash and wireless modem.

New Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 in new form factor

New features of Compute Module 4

  • 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU as in Raspberry Pi 4 version B
  • 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM
  • 8GB, 16GB or 32GB eMMC Flash storage for Standard version, Lite version without eMMC
  • Optional 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac wireless LAN and Bluetooth 5.0
  • Single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface
  • Gigabit Ethernet PHY with IEEE 1588 support
  • Dual HDMI interfaces, at resolutions up to 4K
  • 28 GPIO pins, with up to 6 × UART, 6 × I2C and 5 × SPI

Source: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-compute-module-4/

New features of Edge TPU brought to ModBerry series

In October 2020, with the release of the latest Compute Module 4 from Rasbperry Pi Foundation, TECHBASE announced an upgraded device from ModBerry 500 series, called ModBerry 500 CM4. Thanks to the high-performance PCI-Express bus introduced in Compute Module 4 and Raspberry Pi community, the device itself presents support for a wide range of new applications, such as use of Google’s Artificial Intelligence modules at ease.

Therefore, TECHBASE designed a new device, called ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, utilizing the vertical format of ModBerry 9500, latest Compute Module 4 and Google’s Coral TPU. Installation-ready AI GATEWAY allows direct application in industrial fields.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with Coral TPU enhancement 

Neuron network capabilities enhance CM4-based devices, not only collecting and sending data, but also allows local data change predictions and allows direct management on-site. This feature gives the possibility for various applications, such as data analysing and establishing trends predictions, smart alarms and smart monitoring, local notification control, etc.

Used Edge TPU coprocessor via PCI-Express bus is capable of performing 4 trillion operations per second (TOPS), using 0.5 watts for each TOPS (2 TOPS per watt). Google Coral easily integrates with Raspberry Pi Compute Module in Linux and optionally in Windows with full support of TensorFlow Lite framework and AutoML Vision Edge solution.

TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU
TECHBASE’s AI GATEWAY series, world-first industrial gateway utilizing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Coral TPU

AI GATEWAY with available expansion cards 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 can be equipped with serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer, OLED screen and many more features like TPM Security Chip, eSIM and SuperCap backup power support. 

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:

  • GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem, interchangeable with Coral TPU)
  • economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
  • LoRa, ZigBee, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
  • secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
  • custom wireless interfaces

ModBerry AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4 availabilityFirst prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of AI GATEWAY will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here.

SinoVoip has released specifications for the Banana Pi BPI-M5 SBC, which has the same Amlogic S905X3 SoC and many of the same features as Hardkernel’s Odroid-C4. SBC updates the Banana Pi flagship design, including the latest Banana Pi BPI-M4 based on the A53 Realtek RTD1395 quad. The latest Banana Pi was the April BPI-F2P built around the A7 SunPlus SP7021 quad.

Banana Pi BPI-M5

Characteristics of BPI-M5

  • Processor — Amlogic S905X3 (4x Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz); 12nm fab; Mali-G31 GPU @ up to 650MHz
  • Memory/storage:
    • 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
    • 16GB eMMC with optional up to 64GB
    • MicroSD slot
  • Networking — Gigabit Ethernet port
  • Media I/O:
    • HDMI 2.0 port for up to 4K@60Hz with HDR, CEC, EDID
    • 3.5mm audio jack
  • Other I/O:
    • 4x USB 3.0 host ports
    • USB Type-C port for power
    • Serial debug header
    • 40-pin GPIO header (UART, I2C, SPI or PWM, 5V, 3.3V, GND, 28x GPIO)
  • Other features — IR receiver; 2x LEDs
  • Power — 5V DC via Type-C; power, reset, and boot switches
  • Dimensions — 92 x 60mm
  • Weight — 48 g
  • Operating system — Android, Linux

Source: http://linuxgizmos.com/fifth-gen-banana-pi-goes-amlogic/

Industrial use of market Banana Pi-like SBCs

A year ago, TECHBASE released an updated version of the ModBerry M500 industrial IoT computer, replacing the aging Raspberry Pi 3 with a 3B+, giving it better performance. With the recent launch of the Raspberry Pi 4, TECHBASE has yet again, announced another upgrade to the M500, which now packs the latest single-board computer.

ModBerry M500 with Raspberry Pi’s 4

ModBerry M500 also utilizes many more SBC platforms, such as Orange Pi, NanoPi and Intel-based UpBoard. Find more information here: https://iiot-shop.com/product/modberry-m-series/

Arduino or Raspberry Pi? Pros and cons in IoT use.

Some people consider the Arduino platform to be the best for beginners, however, the novice will handle both Arduino and Raspberry Pi board. The choice between platforms should mainly depend on the characteristics of the project.

The origin of both platfoms

The founder of Arduino is Massimo Banzi, a lecturer at the now-defunct Italian Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, who developed a microcontroller in cooperation with students from this university. The Arduino programming language, based on the Wiring environment and basically on the C/C++ language, was designed by Hernando Barragán, a student of Banzi. The site prepared by Hernando Barragán presents exactly all the work on the project, which clearly shows that this success has more than one father.

In the case of Rasberry Pi, the project also had its source at the university. More specifically, at the University of Cambridge. Three lecturers: Jack Lang, Alan Mycroft and Robert Mullins came up with the idea of ​​developing a simple and above all cheap computer for learning programming. The first prototypes were created between 2006 and 2008. In the next step, seeing the potential of their solution, the men established cooperation with Pete Lamas, an integrated circuit designer at BroadCom, and David Braben, one of the developers of the Elite game, and together they founded the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

As a result, both platforms, which were originally intended to be used for learning by students, due to their low price and simplicity of use, became extremely popular among amateur users of consumer electronics and control, and appeared in mass sales.

So what should you choose – Arduino or Raspberry Pi?

The answer is basically simple – Arduino is ideal for simpler projects. Raspberry Pi will be useful for solutions that require more computing power. Arduino has only 2 kilobytes of RAM. Raspberry Pi has a RAM size of 1 GB. So Arduino is a simple microcontroller, meanwhile Raspberry is actually a small computer. Not without significance is the fact that the Arduino IDE is easier to use than Linux. So if you need a simple control of watering your garden, Arduino will work perfectly. Several sensors and a few lines of code will do the trick. For Raspberry Pi, to achieve the same effect, you will first need to install the system and the necessary libraries. There will be a lot more work and the effect will be the same – watering the garden at a specific time.

So choose Arduino when you need to use a simple solution for frequently repeated activities, e.g. controlling the watering of the garden, switching on and off the external lighting at a specific time, opening the gate, etc. However, because Raspberry can run many tasks at the same time, it is a computer, work simultaneously as a home printer server and operate the monitoring system. Home weather stations are popular and Raspberry will be perfect for this application because of the need to collect information from several sensors (temperature, wind strength, humidity). Raspberry Pi will therefore be a good choice for anyone interested in IoT, i.e. the Internet of Things at home. Examples of ready projects can be found here: https://modberry.techbase.eu/

Why not both?

Nothing prevents you from starting with Arduino and continuing with Raspberry Pi. By using Arduino or ESP32-based solutions you will learn the basics and you will get the effect quickly and relatively easily. But only Rasbperry Pi will allow you to make much more difficult projects. And both platforms can be combined with each other. Arduino/ESP32 can be used to read information from sensors and control e.g. motors (for example a garage door). Raspberry Pi will control all devices and send the collected data, e.g. to a mobile phone. You can do more together.