The Raspberry Pi has long held a privileged position in the DIY world, but its hardware isn't limited to personal projects. The Raspberry Pi Foundation gave developers a simpler way to integrate the platform into their final products through the Compute Module. The original version, based on the first Raspberry Pi, had fallen far behind. Over the weekend, Raspberry Pi announced the launch of the Compute Module 3, which is ten times more powerful than its predecessor.
No one denies that the Raspberry Pi's hardware can be limiting in some projects, but there's always a role for this small computer. The “retro console” concept became popular not only because it taps into nostalgia, but also because it's very easy to pull off. The Raspberry Pi Zero significantly expanded the portability of certain initiatives, and personally, I think it's the best choice for experimenting and making mistakes (as long as you can find one).
The Compute Module in the commercial world
There's another side to the Raspberry Pi: its commercial implementation. Not many products are available, but interest among manufacturers is growing, as is the case with NEC, which revealed a new line of displays compatible with Raspberry Pi. The difference is that these products don't use the traditional Raspberry Pi; instead, they adopt the Compute Module, a version similar in format to a memory stick.
Updating the Compute Module should be a matter of swapping one module for another, but it hadn't received a hardware upgrade in almost three years. The Raspberry Pi Foundation decided to change that with the launch of the Compute Module 3. There will be a new “breakout” board for it, but with slight modifications, it should be possible to use the previous one.
Hardware and models
The new unit is inspired by the Raspberry Pi 3 hardware, meaning it packs a Broadcom BCM2837 quad-core SoC running at 1.2 GHz, and 1 GB of RAM shared with the GPU. The most interesting part is that technically we're looking at two models rather than one. The standard Compute Module 3 comes with 4 GB of eMMC storage, while the Lite edition drops that memory in favor of an interface for SD cards on its pins, giving developers and manufacturers a bit more flexibility.
In summary, the Compute Module 3 is ten times more powerful than its predecessor in CPU processing, but that comes with a higher power draw of 3.5 W (the original Compute Module required 1 W). That difference might not matter much to the end user, but the Compute Module isn't aimed at everyday use. Alongside the new module, they also announced a new “breakout board” that can accommodate all generations of the Compute Module, and they confirmed the original Compute Module will stay in production while there's demand.
Prices? $30 for the CM3 and $25 for the CM3L, respectively.
For the official announcement, see: Anuncio oficial:
