The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched an updated version of its Compute Module, which is a computing powerhouse. It is designed to provide a more flexible form factor, cost-effective and easy route to produce customized products for use in their industry. And it has been given a major boost in terms of internal specifications.
The very first Compute Module was released in 2014. The original Raspberry Pi was used as the basis to develop this module. This CM packed the internals of the same embedded board, which was first developed by the Foundation. But the new CM 3 is a striking upgrade considering the difference in internal specifications.
For Compute Module 3, the Foundation has increased the clock speed of the same processor used in the first module. It has also doubled the RAM on this variant. Thus, it makes CM3 run roughly ten times faster than the original CM1. It has also been designed to be pin-compatible with the CM1. The new board will pull more current from the VBAT power supply and include a microSD card slot through a Lite variant.
Talking about the internal specs of this module, Foundation COO James Adams, says,
It’s got the same BCM2837 processor which can run at up to 1.2HGz and 1GB of RAM.
Further, the Compute Module 3 is also said to support the Windows 10 IoT Core platform. This will make it easier for developers to make use of the computing board in their IoT projects. They can directly plug-in the board to a Windows PC and start development of their ecosystem of connected products. Commenting on the same, Adams adds,
An IoT project can be ported from a Pi 3 onto a custom CM3-based system very easily.
In addition, as aforementioned, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is releasing two variants of the Compute Module 3. The updated module will sport 4GB of eMMC onboard storage whereas the Lite variant requires the user to add their own storage options. They can either add an SD card or eMMC flash device to extend storage.
As for the pricing, the original Compute Module 3 will retail at $30 whereas the Lite variant will cost users $25. The Foundation expects this new Lite variant to become extremely popular among developers. It has also launched an IO breakout board to support all three boards.
