{"id":2450,"date":"2022-06-27T11:35:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T11:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/?p=2450"},"modified":"2023-08-23T10:52:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T10:52:45","slug":"what-is-the-raspberry-pi-compute-module-4-cm4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picockpit.com\/raspberry-pi\/what-is-the-raspberry-pi-compute-module-4-cm4\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re new to the Raspberry Pi series of microcomputers, you might be wondering if the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) will suit your use case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Raspberry Pi CM4?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 is very much like the Raspberry Pi 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the Pi 4, the CM4 is really meant as a basis for building embedded applications. You can think of it as the guts of the Raspberry Pi 4 without any unnecessary features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to build a prototype quickly, you can use the Raspberry Pi CM4 IO board, which exposes all the interfaces available on the Raspberry Pi CM4, including a PCI Express Gen 2 slot which you won\u2019t get on the Raspberry Pi 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the whole purpose of a CM4 is for you to embed it into projects as simple as digital signage to remote desktops (thin clients), automation and robots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industrial users are one of the biggest target markets for the CM4, however, even small businesses and home users can benefit from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raspberry Pi 4 vs Compute Module 4<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Raspberry Pi 4, Compute Module 4 and official IO Board (from top to bottom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The key to this is customization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know how some people like Macs because they just work? You can’t customize it much, but you will have the confidence that it will work. On the other hand, others like to build their own PC with parts from different manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The analogy explains the difference between the Pi 4 vs CM4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you buy a Raspberry Pi 4, you are stuck with having 4x USB 3.0, ethernet ports, CSI connectors and USB-C for power among many other aspects that are preset by the Pi 4. However, this combination works seamlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Compute Module 4, you can buy a carrier board that enables you to power it using different methods, such as a barrel connector or a USB-C connector, depending on what you buy. In some situations, USB-C on the Pi 4 might not cut it — for example, if you have a high-amperage setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One big difference with the Raspberry Pi 4 is the ability to buy a carrier board that exposes the PCIe slot which opens up much more customizability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage-wise, while the CM4 already has eMMC on most of the boards, which is much more reliable than the microSD card on the Pi 4, you can take this further by adding a SSD with the help of a suitable carrier board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does industry love the Pi CM4 so much?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the end, it comes down to customizability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s go back to the argument that the CM4 and the Pi 4 are both very similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why does the CM4 triumph over the regular Pi 4?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one, it’s package of ports and features are really meant for home use. For example, if you use the Pi 4 to run a plant watering system at home, and the microSD card fails… well, that’s just one plant down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, industrial customers could be running a critical component in a power plant. You can’t just run a power plant off a microSD. In fact, this is where the CM4 comes in stronger because of its ability for industrial users to build their own board with storage redundancies, a higher heat tolerance, standard industrial mounting options while benefiting from the low power and small size of the CM4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certifications are generally one of the biggest expense of getting a system approved for use, and that’s one reason why the CM4’s customizability makes things very attractive for industrial users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps another small reason is the community that the CM4 has over its competitors. The Raspberry Pi community works together to keep different software aspects of the kernel working so that everyone in the industrial community can benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrast that to its single-board competitors, where it took much more effort to get something to work on that specific single-board computer. With the Raspberry Pi CM4, there is community support and continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raspberry Pi CM4 specifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Highlights from Raspberry Pi:<\/p>\n\n\n\n