EDATEC's latest industrial Raspberry Pi 5 cases pack NVMe and super capacitor backed RTC
Embedding the Raspberry Pi 5 in a harsh world.
A few months ago, EDATEC announced the first (to our knowledge) industrial Raspberry Pi 5 product in the form of a 7 / 10 inch based screen enclosure. Fast forward a little and now we have the $238 / $299 ED-HMI3020 and update to the 3010 series that sees the inclusion of NVMe SSD support.
Row 0 - Cell 0 | HMI3020-070C | HMI3020-101C |
Raspberry Pi Compatibility | Raspberry Pi 5 | Raspberry Pi 5 |
Screen Size | 7-inch | 10-inch |
Screen Type | TFT LCD with LED backlight | TFT LCD with LED backlight |
Resolution | 1024 x 600 | 1280 x 800 |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
Color Depth | 24-bit (16.7 million colors) | 24-bit (16.7 million colors) |
Luminance (cd/m2) | 400 | 250 |
Viewing Angle (H/V) | 85°(L)/85°(R)/85°(U)/85°(D) | 80°(L)/80°(R)/80°(U)/80°(D) |
Multi-touch | 10 | 10 |
Surface Hardness | 6H | 6H |
Storage | Micro SD card | Micro SD card |
Row 12 - Cell 0 | 1 x M.2 NVME M port for NVMe SSD (2230 to 2260) | 1 x M.2 NVME M port for NVMe SSD (2230 to 2260) |
I/O | 3.5 mm Audio in and Out, Speaker | 3.5 mm Audio in and Out, Speaker |
Row 14 - Cell 0 | RS485, RS232, 2 x USB 2, 2 x USB 3 | RS485, RS232, 2 x USB 2, 2 x USB 3 |
Row 15 - Cell 0 | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
Row 16 - Cell 0 | 2 x Micro HDMI ports | 2 x Micro HDMI ports |
Row 17 - Cell 0 | Power button | Power button |
Dimensions | 188 x 123 x 40.6mm | 258 x 172 x 39.6mm |
Weight | Approximately 900g | Approximately 1KG |
Case Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Camera | Optional | Optional |
Just like its predecessors, the panels are designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 and come in 7-inch and 10-inch form factors, with the former sporting a 1,024 x 600 resolution, and the latter 1,280 x 800 pixels. Both offer 10-point multi-touch and 16.7 million colors. Moreover, both of the 4K60 micro HDMI ports on the Raspberry Pi are also exposed, which means that a triple-monitor setup is possible, should you require such a build.
Just like the predecessors, there is the option of connecting a front-facing camera. We assume that this is for the official Raspberry Pi Camera. The PDF datasheet doesn't confirm what type of camera can be used.
At the core of the unit is the latest Raspberry Pi flagship, the Raspberry Pi 5. It sits inside the case with breakouts for audio and RS485 / RS232, commonly used in industrial applications. The Pi 5's USB and Ethernet ports are exposed but the GPIO points towards the rear of the LCD panel. Designed for industrial and embedded applications, there isn't a bespoke GPIO access panel, most likely to reduce the changes of particle ingress. There are cooling vents, so perhaps a clever maker could route their projects via these vents? The cooling vents are essential, as the Raspberry Pi 5 can get a little toasty when pushed.
The key improvement over the original units is the inclusion of an M.2 M-key socket for NVMe drives between 2230 and 2260 in size. The previous models lacked this feature, as at the time NVMe and PCIe-based products for the Raspberry Pi were still someway off. In fact, Raspberry Pi has yet to release its own M.2 HAT, but we are expecting that in the very near future.
There are alternative NVMe boards for the Raspberry Pi 5. Pimoroni's NVMe Base and Pineberry Pi HAT Drives are cost-effective and provide fast storage. If you want a nice enclosure then the Argon One V3 M.2 is a great package.
An interesting feature on the datasheet is a built-in RTC (Real Time Clock) which receives power via a CR1220 batter and a "SuperCAP" (Super Capacitor) which can quickly charge, and trickle power to the RTC when the mains power is off.
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Configuration Options
- HMI3020-070C-04320 (7 inch screen, 4GB RAM, 32GB micro SD) $238
- HMI3020-070C-08320 (7 inch screen, 8GB RAM, 32GB micro SD) $280
- HMI3020-101C-04320 (10 inch screen, 4GB RAM, 32GB micro SD) $254
- HMI3020-101C-08320 (10 inch screen, 8GB RAM, 32GB micro SD) $299
Prices start from $238 for a model with 7-inch screen, 4GB of RAM, and a 32GB micro SD card. For $299 there is a 10-inch model with 8GB of RAM, and a 32GB micro SD card. We explain how to decode the Aliexpress product listing in the previous news post.
Les Pounder is an associate editor at Tom's Hardware. He is a creative technologist and for seven years has created projects to educate and inspire minds both young and old. He has worked with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to write and deliver their teacher training program "Picademy".