Orange Pi CM4 and Banana Pi BPI-CM2

Three years ago, the Raspberry Pi Foundation introduced the Compute Module 4. The new module was a step up from previous models. It is faster, it has more features, including network functions. For example, the module has the option of Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0.

There are now two great alternatives not to be missed. One of them is already on sale, the second will soon go on sale. We’ll talk about them today.

Recall Compute Module 4 from Raspberry Pi

The main feature of the board was the developers’ refusal from SO-DIMM in favor of two 100-pin Hirose DF40C-100DS-0.4V mezzanine connectors. According to the authors of the project, this makes it possible to increase the speed of data exchange between the boards and at the same time reduce the dimensions of the module.

Two connectors made it possible to separate low-speed and high-speed peripheral connections. On one side are the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO, power, SD slot, and Ethernet. On the other hand, PCIe, USB, HDMI, MIPI CSI and two DSI lines at once. So the board will suit both developers who need the ability to quickly I / O, and those who do not have this urgent need.

In addition, the good news was the ability to work with two types of connectors at once – MIPI CSI MIPI DSI, which means connecting to a project based on a stereoscopic 3D “vision” board. Roughly the same can be done with the CM3 +, but the previous model is not as productive, so its capabilities are not so extensive.

Well, and more – WiFi, Bluetooth and gigabit Ethernet out of the box. Here are the board’s specs:

SoC: BCM2711 4-core Cortex-A72 (Arm v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz

GPU: Broadcom VideoCore VI

RAM: 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 GB

Memory: 8-32GB eMMC

Display connections: 2 x 4K screens (via carrier board)

WiFi: WiFi 5

Ethernet: Gigabit ethernet (via carrier board)

PCIe: Yes, implemented via a carrier board.

Well, now let’s see what other companies offer us.

Orange Pi Compute Module 4

There is also a system-on-module that is compatible with the Raspberry Pi CM4. But it is based on the Rockchip RK3566 AI processor with four Arm Cortex-A55 cores.

Here are the technical characteristics:

– SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.8GHz, Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU, 0.8 TOPS AI accelerator, 4Kp60 H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding, video 1080p100f H.265/ H.264 encoding
– System Memory – 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4X
– Storage
8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB eMMC Flash
128 Mbit or 256 Mbit SPI Flash (default empty)
– Net
YT8531C Gigabit Ethernet PHY
Wireless – Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE module
– two 100-pin high-density connectors plus one additional 24-pin high-density connector:
– Storage – SATA III (multiplexed with PCIe)
Display interfaces
– HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60
2-lane MIPI DSI display interface
4-lane MIPI DSI display interface
Built-in display port (eDP)
– Camera interfaces
2-lane MIPI CSI camera interface
4 lane MIPI CSI camera interface
– Audio – audio input and output
– Network – Gigabit Ethernet
– USB – 1x USB 3.0 + 3x USB 2.0
– PCIe – PCIe 2.1 1×1 interface (multiplexed with SATA III)
– Miscellaneous – signal to reset and restore
– Power supply
DC 5V input
Output 1.8V and 3.3V
PMU-Rockchip RK809-5
– Dimensions – 55 x 40 mm.

The board is compatible with many operating systems, including Android 11, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 11, Debian 12, OpenHarmony 4.0 Beta1, Orange Pi OS (Arch), Orange Pi OS (OH), and more.

The module can work with carrier boards that are designed for the Raspberry Pi CM4, but Orange Pi manufacturers have released their own version of such a board.

Its form factor is the same as the Raspberry, but there are some differences. In particular, this option has one less HDMI port, and also does not support PoE. But there is an M.2 Key-M connector for NVMe SSDs, a 30-pin eDP interface, a second camera connector, a 4-pin fan header, and a 3-pin debug header.

The company has released several variants of the module, and all of them are equipped with a WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless module.

The cost of the device is also known:

$22.9 for a device with 1GB RAM and 8GB eMMC flash.

$28.9 for a device with 2GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash.

$33.9 for a device with 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash.

$46.9 for a device with 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC flash.

Soon the board can be bought on Aliexpress, the manufacturer promised not to delay the opening of sales on the resource.

Banana Pi BPI-CM2

Very similar to the previous two boards, with its own features. Its SoC is Rockchip RK3568 Cortex-A55. The advantage of the board is not only the presence of 100-pin high-density connectors, but also two 70-pin high-density connectors for PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0, eDP, MIPI DSI and optional Gigabit Ethernet.

Here are the specifications module:

– SoC – Rockchip RK3568
– CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 up to 2.0 GHz
– GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1
– AI Accelerator – 0.8 TOPS NPU
– VPU – 4Kp60 H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding and 1080p60 H.265/H.264 video encoding
– System Memory – 2 GB to 8 GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4x
– Storage – 8GB to 128GB eMMC flash
– Net
Realtek RTL8211F Gigabit Ethernet PHY
Ampak AP6256 WiFI 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 add-on module
– Host interfaces
2x 100-pin header for Raspberry Pi CM4 interfaces (mostly, for example, only on the HDMI port)
2x 70-pin headers for PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0, eDP, MIPI DSI, RGMII0
– Power supply – input 5 V DC; Rockchip R809-5 PMIC
– Dimensions – 55 x 40 mm

The board supports Android, Ubuntu and Debian. There is no more detailed information yet, since it is not yet on sale, and the manufacturer decided not to announce other details.

In addition, the price of the device is also unknown, although it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the device will cost about the same as the module described above. As always, it should appear on Aliexpress as well.

Both boards, since the manufacturers promise to start selling on Ali, can also be bought in the Russian Federation.

In general, now there are even more opportunities for projects – you can not be limited to just “raspberries”, but try something new.