Clockwork's DevTerm Teases Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Compatibility (Updated)
Twitter account shows off Raspberry Pi adapter
Update 6/21 02:18
The adapter has now gone on sale for $19 direct from Clockwork. The kit includes an ultra-thin heat sink and a Wi-Fi gain antenna. In a series of tweets, @Hal_clockwork has been testing the Compute Module 4 via Blender and Minecraft alternative Minetest. This upgrade could now be the ultimate portable Raspberry Pi 4 setup.
Let's put some stress on the CM4💡 Ray tracing with #blender 2.79 #B3D #DevTerm CM4 #clockworkpi pic.twitter.com/QIJBoK1PLdJune 21, 2022
Original Article:
The DevTerm modular computer from Clockwork has a hint of a significant upgrade, after its creator posted on Twitter to show an adapter to fit a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 board into the slot previously occupied by a Compute Module 3.
With a simple adapter board, we can make the #DevTerm immediately compatible with the #CM4. CM4 is so GREAT, for me it's not much different from a desktop PC already. 💪😃#clockworkpi #RaspberryPi pic.twitter.com/wuezroU1XxJune 20, 2022
As you’ll already know, the Compute Module 3 came in a SO-DIMM form factor, with an edge connector that could click into place if a suitable slot was provided. The Compute Module 4 eschewed this, instead being provided as a PCB the size and shape of a credit card, lacking the all-important edge connector and thus compatibility with earlier modules. This means it wasn’t the drop-in upgrade for Compute Module 3 projects it could have been. Although Raspberry Pi have created the Compute Module 4S. A Compute Module 4 in a Compute Module 3 form factor. A version that is not for general release, sadly.
With a suitable adapter, however, the two rows of connectors on the base of the Compute Module 4 can be wrangled into talking to a host via an edge connector, and that’s precisely what Clockwork Pi’s founder Hal has shown. The adapter has Clockwork branding on it, suggesting it’s a soon-to-be available product rather than a one-off experiment.
The DevTerm is an A5-size notebook PC with a retro aesthetic, including a 6.8in ultrawide screen, full QWERTY keyboard, mini trackball, and 58mm thermal printer attachment. Inside, however, it’s all modern, with a choice of ARM or RISC-V SoC modules depending on the level of power required. The Compute Module 3 was soundly beaten in spec by two six-core options available, but the Compute Module 4 will closely match those, while allowing for 8GB of RAM to be available to the machine, which previously topped out at 4GB.
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The Twitter account gave no further details, at the time of writing, about when the adapter board would be available, or how much it would cost.
Ian Evenden is a UK-based news writer for Tom’s Hardware US. He’ll write about anything, but stories about Raspberry Pi and DIY robots seem to find their way to him.