Compute Module 5 : 16Go RAM - Lite - WiFi - SC1604

Compute Module 5 : even more powerful than its predecessor

More than 4 years after the release of the CM4, the foundation presents the Compute Module 5. It inherited from the Raspberry-Pi 5 the CM5  is designed for industrial/pro projects (see an exhaustive list produced by Jeff Geerling pour le CM4).

What can I say about the compute module 5:

• It is a lot more powerful than CM4
• It have a RTC clock (missing on the CM4)
• It have a Gen 3 PCIe (CM4 is limited to Gen 2)
• It have a Secure boot + CoSigning
• 4 Canaux MiPi (2 camera or 2 display or one of each)
• It is also warmer (than the CM4)

The idea behind the compute module (called CM) is to have a credit card size board grouping the essential elements of a computer (SoC, RAM, WiFi, Disk) and all the peripherals are reported on two standardized connectors. It then remains to develop the I/O card specific to your pro project -OR- use one of the many IO cards available on the market.

The great new about the CM5 is that it is compatible with 99.8% of CM4 extension thank to the very few changes between the CM4 and the CM5:

• 2 of the MiPi channels are now used for the USB3 (reason of the limitation to 2 cameras/displays instead of 3).
  The USB3 will be degraded to USB2 for the IO boards designed for the CM4.
• TV_OUT signal has been removed (rarely used)
• RUN_PG signal has been removed (Power Good = Run Soc, also rarely used).

Compute modules are ideal for building embedded systems and are designed to offer a 10-year lifespan. The compute module comes in many variants of RAM, eMMC storage, WiFi or not. The version offered here with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of Internal Storage will meet most needs.
Note that there is also a so-called Lite version without eMMC storage on the CM, the operating system must therefore be booted from an SD card (present on the I/O interface card).

The compute module finds applications in many areas such as Audio, Retro-gaming, POS (point of sale), industrial automation & sensors, Thin Client, IP Video, etc..

If you are not yet familiar with this platform, we recommend the CM5 development kit which gives you an overview of the possibilities offered by the compute module.

Compute Module nomenclature

Lets take tge following Compute Module identification "CM5104032".
It is a Compute Module 5 (CM5) with WiFi (1), 4Go RAM (04) and 32Go eMMC onboard storage (032).
Please note:

• The CM without eMMC storage is named "Lite" and MUST have an SD Card on the IO board to boot the OS from SD Card.
• The CM with eMMC storage must start the OS from the eMMC (starting the OS from a SD card is not possible in such case).
• The CM with WiFi/Bt do have an onboard antenna (onto the CM PCB) and a µFL connector (to connect an external antenna).

CM5 specifications

Content

For each order you will receive a Compute Module as described in the CM nomenclature used in the product code (see the summary at the top of the product sheet)..

This product cannot be used alone. You will need an interface board (of your choice) compatible with CM5 or CM4.