The ModBerry 500 series from TECHBASE has long been a staple in the industrial IoT automation market, known for its reliability and versatility. The upcoming ModBerry 500 CM5, integrates the powerful Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5), bringing significant enhancements and maintaining compatibility with previous versions.
Compatibility with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5
The ModBerry 500 series is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, ensuring seamless integration and enhanced performance. This compatibility allows users to leverage the advanced features of the CM5, including improved processing power and expanded memory options, while maintaining the robust and flexible platform that ModBerry users have come to rely on.
Advantages of the ModBerry 500 CM5 in IoT Automation
The ModBerry 500 series has established itself as a leading solution in the IoT automation market due to its reliability with proven track record in various industrial applications, ensuring consistent performance in harsh environments.
Huge versatility provided with a wide range of configurable hardware options to meet specific needs, including digital and analog I/Os, serial ports, and various communication interfaces. ModBerry 500 devices are easy to deploy with user-friendly setup and configuration, supported by a strong community and extensive documentation.
New Processor Features
The integration of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 brings several key enhancements:
Enhanced Processing Power: The CM5 features a powerful Cortex-A76 4×2.4GHz processor, providing faster and more efficient data processing capabilities
Increased Memory: Options for up to 16GB of LPDDR4x-4267 SDRAM, allowing for more complex applications and better multitasking
USB 3.0 Support: The addition of USB 3.0 ports significantly improves data transfer speeds, making it ideal for applications requiring high-speed connectivity
Benefits of the upgraded ModBerry 500 CM5
The previous ModBerry 500 CM4 has established its position on the market as a robust IoT platform. New CM5 version offers not only the same but improved capabilities, thanks to compatibility with the new processor unit.
High Performance: Powered by the quad-core Cortex-A76 processor, providing reliable performance for various industrial tasks with support of eMMC storage and M.2 NVMe SSD support
Rich I/O Interfaces: Including Gigabit Ethernet, digital and analog inputs/outputs, RS-232/RS-485 serial ports, and more
Wireless Communication: Built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional 4G/LTE, 5G, Narrow-Band IoT, LoRa, Sigfox and other wireless communication modules
With the update to CM5, the ModBerry 500 series continues to build on these strengths, offering even greater performance and flexibility for industrial IoT applications. The ModBerry 500 CM5 represents a significant upgrade, combining the proven reliability and versatility of the ModBerry platform with the advanced features of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5.
The first pieces of devices are available for order. Contact our sales department via Chat at IIoT-Shop.com to obtain test pieces and receive a commercial offer for a larger order. It is also possible to upgrade previously purchased devices to the CM5 module, due to full compatibility with the earlier version of ModBerry CM4 (however cooling conversion is required). Technical datasheet for ModBerry 500 CM5 will be available on Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 official release.
The latest research report on global IoT-based smart homes evaluates the opportunities and current market landscapes, and provides detailed analysis and updates of relevant sections affecting global IoT-based smart homes. This research provides in-depth insight into key market changes including drivers, constraints, trends and opportunities for IoT-based smart homes. The main purpose of market research is to provide exclusive information on how the market will function in the forecast period from 2020 to 2036.
What are the developmental trends in Smart Home Based on IoT sectors that will impact the market?
Updated ClusBerry device for Smart Home and developers
A new addition to TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem is a variation of recent cluster device, ClusBerry based on multiple Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and custom cluster board allowing free configuration from two up to eight modules. Each module can perform various tasks, from standard I/O gateway, wireless modem, Gigabit LAN router to NAS file server and AI Gateway with up to 4 Google Coral Edge TPU modules.
You can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module. The modules are connected to internal Ethernet Switch and USB OTG to provide such feature and allow quick heal of the cluster.
For home applications and with the nod to software developers, we released ClusBerry device in less industrial casing, to be used in the comfort of own house – on your desk next to PC or wall-mounted in any convenient place. ClusBerry for Home is fully modular as it’s industrial version and offers the same performance and options.
New features of multiple Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series
Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.
Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device.
Reason for use of Raspberry Pi CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4
Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.
This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.
Wide range of ClusBerry modules
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules andcomes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:
Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:
GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
custom wireless interfaces
Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes
With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.
Kubernetes provides:
Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability
First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here or visit product website: https://clusberry.techbase.eu.
With latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the Raspberry Foundation added NVMe SSD support via M.2 (PCIe 2.0) interface. Jeff Geerling tested 3 piece M.2 SSD RAID array which is another example how Compute Module 4 is a milestone in IoT applications.
SSD/eMMC benchmark scores for Compute Module 4
With the debut of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and ModBerry 500 CM4 from TECHBASE, another addition came to Industrial Controllers and Edge Automation. New module carried the likelihood to associate NVMe SSD module by means of M.2 slot utilizing PCIe 2.0 interface.
Order next batch of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 devices
TECHBASE’s ModBerry industrial computer series has received an update to Compute Module 4 and is available for pre-orders. TECHBASE is leading manufacturer of Industrial Raspberry Pi and Industrial Compute Module solutions. ModBerry 500 series is fully compatible with all releases of Compute Module from Rasbperry Pi foundation.
Main features of updated device are:
up to 4x faster eMMC Flash with up to 32GB storage
up to 2x faster performance than previous CM3 version with quad-core Cortex-A72 4×1.5GHz
up to 8x more RAM (8GB LPDDR4)
1Gbit Ethernet interface
optional PCIe card support for NVMe SSD drive (via M.2)
optional second PCIe support for wireless modem solutions, e.g. 5G modems
First batch of ModBerry 500 CM4 devices has already been shipped, we are gathering orders for next batch. Hurry up to get your devices quickly!
New features of multiple Compute Modules 4 brought to new ClusBerry series
Accompanying the release of ModBerry 500-CM4 and AI GATEWAY 9500-CM4, we present to you a cluster version of the device, called ClusBerry 9500-CM4. Main difference between standard Gateway and ClusBerry is the possibility to include multiple Compute Module 4 in one device, as well as the intended suitable amount of wired and wireless interfaces, suited for the project.
Fully configurable devices are something desirable in the IoT market, where high performance and low cost is a key factor to success of implementation. TECHBASE’s Industrial IoT Ecosystem gives the opportunity to adjust ordered devices with certain resources and cut unnecessary I/Os, lowering the total cost of the device.
Reason for use of CM4 cluster in ClusBerry 9500-CM4
Various implementations must have guaranteed high hardware performance to react fast enough in real time. For this purpose, the arrays of processor blocks are constructed to be assigned to individual tasks. For several years now, attempts have been made to use various types of SBC for this purpose, including, of course, Raspberry Pi.. However, the practical effectiveness of such solutions so far has not been of interest for several reasons. First of all, these solutions were most often associated with many mechanical limitations and the structure of the matrix itself required excessive wiring, preventing failure-free operation and the cost of the entire maintenance of the structure.
This is where Raspberry Pi Compute Module can shine, but due to the hardware speed limitations of the buses in this module, it was not completely effective and was rather a development platform. Altho the introduction of new Compute Module 4 has opened the possibility to construct and maintain effective hardware matrix solutions with the use of both PCI-Express buses and 1GBps Ethernet. Therefore, the ClusBerry 9500-CM4 opens up completely new capabilities of utilizing cluster solutions for Industrial Automation and server applications.
Wide range of ClusBerry modules
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 supports up to 8 cluster modules andcomes with a variety of interchangeable modules to choose from, including:
Standard 9500-CM4 cluster module with Compute Module 4 and chosen configuration:
I/O Controller with range of DI, DO, AI, 1-Wire, RS-232/485 and CAN interfaces
Communication Gateway with wired (1/2x Ethernet, Serial Ports) and wireless interfaces (LTE-cat.M1, 4G, 5G, LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wireless M-Bus)
NAS File Server with 2x SSD SATA III and RAID support, managed with Nextcloud or ownCloud software
USB3.0 Hub for 5G communication, Modems, AI Cluster and peripherals
Gigabit LAN/WAN Router with additional 2.5GbE network card as an independent switch/router shielded from the mainboard cluster network
SuperCap / Power management module for backup power supply (supercapacitors / Li-Ion battery) and sleep mode management aided with ESP32-module
Additional expansion cards, with resources suited for the installation (DIO, AIO, Serial Ports and dedicated sensor cards, detailed below)
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 with available expansion cards
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 can be equipped with multiple expansion cards, e.g. serial RS-232/485 ports, range of digital and analog I/Os, USB, HDMI and Ethernet. Interfaces can be expanded with additional I/Os and opto-isolation, relays, Ethernet, 1-Wire, CAN, M-Bus Master and Slave, accelerometer and many more features like TPM Security Chip & eSIM. The device can also be equipped with additional SuperCap backup power source for continuous work and safe boot/shutdown in case of emergency.
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 series also offers a standard PCI module support for various wireless communication protocols, such as:
GSM modem (4G/LTE and fast 5G modem)
economic NarrowBand-IoT technology
LoRa, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Wireless M-Bus
secondary Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi Hi-Power
custom wireless interfaces
Software cluster management with Docker and K3s Lightweight Kubernetes
With use of Docker-based and Kubernetes solutions, installation and management of ClusBerry 9500-CM4 is easy and backed with a large community for further support and development. Kubernetes is a portable, extensible open-source software platform for managing containerized tasks and sites that enables declarative configuration and automation. The Kubernetes ecosystem is large and dynamically developing. Kubernetes services, support and tools are widely available.
Kubernetes provides:
Detection of new services and traffic. Kubernetes can balance the load and redirect the network traffic to ensure the stability of the entire installation.
Kubernetes data storage management enables you to automatically mount any type of storage system – on-premises, from cloud providers and others.
Automatic deployment and rollback. You can describe the expected state of your installation with Kubernetes, which will take care of bringing the actual state to the expected state in a controlled manner. For example, with Kubernetes, you can manage your cluster modules at ease, boot modules from one to another, upgrade firmware crosswise and provide safe operation of each module
Automatic management of available resources. ClusBerry 9500-CM4 provides a cluster of modules that Kubernetes can use to run tasks in containers. You determine the CPU power and RAM requirements for each container. Kubernetes arranges containers on machines in such a way as to make the best use of provided resources.
Self-healing Kubernetes reboots containers that have stopped working, replaces them with new ones, forces disabling containers that are not responding to certain status queries, and does not announce their availability until they are ready to run.
Managing confidential information and Kubernetes configuration with TPM Security Chip allows you to store and manage confidential information such as passwords, OAuth tokens and SSH keys. Secured data and configuration information can be provided and changed without having to rebuild the container image and without exposing sensitive data in the overall software configuration.
ClusBerry 9500-CM4 availability
First prototypes are being developed, since Compute Module 4 is already available for the purchase. Delivery time for various configurations of ClusBerry will be approximately 2 months, depending on the CM4 supply on the market and chosen expansion cards. For more information contact TECHBASE’s Sales Department via email or Live Chat here.
In 2017, TECHBASE Group introduced an industrial-grade automation controller, based on popular Raspberry Pi 3 board. The device called ModBerry M500 incorporated latest Raspberry Pi SBC and TECHBASE’s standard industrial board to enhance the capabilities of market RPi3.
ModBerry M500 added wide range of I/Os to the board, including RS232/485 serial ports, digital and analog I/Os, 10/100Mbps Ethernet port, USB, 1-Wire and optional CAN. ModBerry series also offers additional wired interfaces and wireless communication modules with their proprietary modules called ExCard. The range of wireless modules include 3G/LTE, NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT), Wireless M-Bus, ZigBee, LoRa, Sigfox, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and many more.
Rasbperry Pi 4 upgrade of ModBerry M500
In 2019, with the premiere of Raspberry Pi 4, TECHBASE upgraded their ModBerry M500 device with the latest revision of this popular SBC, further enhancing the performance of their device. New 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 processor (approximately 3 times better performance than previous Cortex-A53 powering Raspberry Pi 3+ Model B and Compute Module 3 and 3+). ModBerry M500 can now be configured from 2GB / 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM options.
Revised ModBerry M500 features Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.0, two microHDMI ports supporting OpenGL ES 3.x and 4Kp60 hardware decode of HEVC video. The device is fully compatible with previous versions of Rasbperry Pi based Industrial IoT devices and accessories from TECHBASE.
M.2 SSD support for ModBerry M500
Latest software update for Raspberrry Pi 4, now available in beta, makes it possible to boot directly from USB 3.0 connected drive, without the need for an SD card. With a possibility to run the OS directly from SSD is a massive breakthrough, allowing users to improve the performance of the system and data access speed.
ModBerry M500 offers now a feature to include M.2 SSD drive in industrial-grade device. The merge of industrial interfaces and SSD-boosted Raspberry Pi 4 is a perfect solution for on-site data management and gateway application.
ModBerry M500 roadmap for 2020+
Difficult times of coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 changed the expectations for new Industrial IoT devices. Slowed market needed some adjustments to overly expanded devices with reserve of not quite necessary features for different applications – often raising the price of the device.
New addition to ModBerry M series and Industrial IoT Ecosystem offered by TECHBASE Group is the revised ModBerry M500 Lite device, to ensure the full configurability of device’s resources.
ModBerry M500 Lite features:
Quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 1.5GHz processor
2/4GB and new 8GB LPDDR4 RAM option
SSD M.2 support for mass storage boot
Industrial-grade enclosure with DIN-rail mount
RTC
ModBerry M500 Lite optional resources:
Serial RS232/422/485 ports
Digital and Analog I/Os
Relays
10/100Mbps Ethernet
CAN, 1-Wire
M-Bus Master / Slave
TPM Security chip
OLED 0.96” screen
SuperCap UPS
New ModBerry M500 Lite not only is a versatile device with wide array of available optional resources, but also incredible fast with quad 1.5GHz processor, up to 8GB RAM and last but not least, M.2 SSD bootable drive for system, applications and rapid data availability, without the need to bootstrap an SD card. RTC with watchdog option and additional TPM Security chip ensures data safety and breach protection.
Pricing and availability of ModBerry M500 Lite
Price of the device is yet to be specified, but it will be significantly lower than standard ModBerry M500, which can be configured here. Preliminary devices are available to order – please contact our sales department via contact form or Live Chat at https://iiot-shop.com/ to receive a quotation for the configuration needed.
