Malaysia based mostly Cytron has a historical past of constructing enjoyable Maker boards. From the Maker HAT, Maker Pi Pico, and the robotics focussed Maker Pi RP2040 we have now reviewed it’s evident that Cytron are catering for the maker market. For its newest board, the $56 CM4 Maker Board, we see its focus shift from the mainstream Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi Pico, to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4.
The CM4 Maker Board is a Swiss Military knife, it affords all of the connections that we have to join HATs, sensors and quick NVMe SSDs in a 110 x 110 mm bundle. However is that this versatility to the detriment of its performance? To know this and study extra concerning the board, we put it on the brand new check bench and began the assessments.
CM4 Maker Board Specs
| Socket | Compute Module 4 |
| GPIO | Full 40 pin Raspberry Pi suitable GPIO |
| 5 x Maker Ports (Grove connectors) | |
| 1 x Stemma QT (Qwiic / QW/ST suitable) | |
| 10 x GPIO LEDs | |
| 3 x Push button inputs | |
| Piezo buzzer (GPIO 19) | |
| Headphone audio out (GPIO18 and 19) | |
| Actual time clock | |
| Ports | 4 x USB 2 |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |
| HDMI (4K60) | |
| USB C (Energy and to flash eMMC with OS) | |
| 1 x Digicam (CSI) Connector | |
| 1 x Show (DSI) Connector | |
| Storage | Micro SD slot for CM4 Lite |
| M.2 NVMe for 2230 and 2242 drives | |
| Energy | 5V by way of USB-C |
| 7-18V by way of DC jack | |
| Onboard energy swap and breakout for exterior energy button | |
| Dimensions | 110 x 110 x 17.3 mm |
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As ever with Cytron boards, we’re greeted with the distinctive purple PCB. The silkscreen is simple to learn, and helpfully reveals which GPIO pins that lots of the ports and LEDs are linked to. Even the M.2 socket has a useful reminder to not use SATA drives with it. The CM4 Maker Board structure is extra like a typical PC motherboard than a single board pc.
The entire foremost ports (USB, Ethernet, Energy and so forth) are positioned on one facet of the board. The 4 USB 2 ports are good to have, however I might’ve cherished to see a USB 3 port, as a result of now the one strategy to get high-speed storage is to make use of the M.2 NVMe connection. On the other facet are the Maker Ports, Cytron’s title for Grove and Stemma QT connectors.
I didn’t obtain any wires within the field, however fortunately I’ve an in depth assortment of each Grove and Stemma QT elements. The Compute Module 4 is positioned within the middle of the board, with the silkscreen indicating the orientation. You’ll be able to, identical to with many different CM4 provider boards, insert it the wrong way up. Simply guarantee that the holes line up earlier than urgent down.
Slightly below the CM4 socket, and to the correct of a CR2032 battery holder for the true time clock, is the place an NVMe 2230 or 2242 SSD may be put in. I put in a 128GB Cytron Makerdisk after which put in Raspberry Pi OS to the eMMC of my Compute Module 4 check unit. Then, utilizing Raspberry Pi OS’ SD Card Copier, I copied the set up to the NVMe drive.
Booting from NVMe will not be as quick as eMMC, surprisingly. Coming in round six seconds slower than eMMC, NVMe actually comes into its personal when used for common computing duties. It has a a lot greater sequential write pace of 367 MBps versus eMMC’s 70MB/s. Lastly I examined a 64GB Class 10 A1 SDXC card and this check confirmed the slowest sequential write pace of simply 29.5 MB.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Boot Time (seconds) | Sequential Write Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| NVMe | 30.63 | 376643 KB/sec |
| eMMC | 24.25 | 72575 KB/sec |
| Micro SD | 26.85 | 30214 KB/sec |
Utilizing Cytron CM4 Maker Board
With the OS put in to the NVMe drive, I began the method of testing the GPIO. Firstly I wished to regulate the LEDs linked to particular GPIO pins. These are a helpful means to verify the standing of a GPIO pin, and can be utilized to check {that a} particular programming language’s GPIO library is working accurately, with out the necessity for wiring something up.
After enjoying with the LEDs I then examined the three buttons linked to GPIO17, 22, 27 utilizing GPIO Zero. I then determined to check my musical prowess with the onboard piezo buzzer. Linked to GPIO19, I used to be in a position to “compose” a brief tune, which I anticipate is not going to be picked up by any publishers.
There are two extra buttons close to the USB-C port. These buttons are for safely powering off the board. Utilizing Cytron’s set up script, I used to be in a position to set the board to react when each buttons are pressed. It will set off a protected shutdown of the Compute Module 4. Simply above are two pins which replicate the button’s perform. These pins may be linked to a button on the skin of a case. So if you wish to embed your Pi in an outdated PC case, that may assist.
With the board powered off, I then linked a HAT, particularly Pimoroni’s Explorer HAT Professional, a HAT that options in our listing of Finest Raspberry Pi HATs and in addition a board that I used to show programming with. After enabling I2C and operating just a few assessments I can say that you just’ll don’t have any points with the GPIO. I simply want that there have been some M2.5 spacers within the field, urgent the Explorer HAT Professional’s buttons left it perilously near the SoC of the CM4.
Of curiosity are the Maker ports that line up alongside one fringe of the board. Right here we will join Grove suitable elements to digital GPIO pins, PWM, UART and I2C. To simply check the Maker ports, I turned to Adafruit’s CircuitPython libraries as they make brief work of connecting sensors and elements.
The primary element to check was a 128×64 OLED show that used the I2C protocol. After finding the library and writing a check script, I quickly had a randomized starfield dancing throughout the display screen. Subsequent up, Stemma QT. The truth is this port is so small, and tucked away, that I initially missed it. I plugged in an Adafruit MPU 6050 6 DOF accelerometer and gyro sensor, put in the library after which wrote just a few strains of code to stream the info to the Python REPL.
A fast check of the digital camera is the place I encountered my first “gotcha”. I actually ought to’ve learn the handbook. The Compute Module 4 must be configured to make use of a digital camera. After operating the mandatory script, I retried and captured a gloriously clear shot of myself testing the digital camera. I used the most recent huge angle Digicam Module 3 with autofocus and every little thing simply labored from then onwards. I didn’t have the chance to check the show port, owing to the truth that I can not discover my official show since I moved my workplace area.
What Tasks is Cytron’s CM4 Maker Board Good For?
The Cytron CM4 Maker Board is nice for all tasks, particularly people who would possibly in any other case work with a Raspberry Pi Mannequin B. Sadly, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 is usually the toughest board to search out in inventory, so in case you have one, you bought it for a selected purpose.
Cytron’s CM4 Maker Board is extra of a Swiss Military knife than a scalpel. It does lots of issues nicely, as an alternative of 1 factor excellently. The GPIO and Maker ports are nice to have, however we will get the identical performance with HATs on the Raspberry Pi. The onboard NVMe slot is most welcome and gives an excessive amount of pace to Raspberry Pi OS.
Our preliminary thought for the CM4 Maker Board was to make use of it as the bottom for an arcade cupboard construct. The aligned ports would work like a motherboard in a PC case, providing entry to the ports, whereas holding every little thing tidy. The NVMe drive would supply quick entry to the emulators and ROMs, and the HAT compatibility would allow using Pimoroni’s Picade HAT for simple wiring. One other undertaking may very well be a sensor station, amassing information from sensors linked to the Maker ports and GPIO.
Backside Line
I cherished my time with this board. Aside from the digital camera challenge, one thing that required me to learn the handbook, this board simply labored and it did a terrific job. If you wish to use HATs along with your Compute Module 4, boot from NVMe or use Stemma QT / Grove elements then that is the board for you. Its adaptable nature lends itself to many tasks; simply just be sure you have a undertaking in thoughts earlier than shopping for.
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