{DPHacks}

Tinkering and Hacking the World!

CM4 Ether Board: Minimalist Compute Module 4 Carrier Board

The CM4 Ether Board is a compact, no-frills carrier board for the Raspberry Pi CM4 and other compatible compute modules. It has a streamlined form factor that fits vertically in a 1U server rack or can be tucked away inside an enclosure.

It provides a compact platform for tinkerers creating a cluster or setting up their home lab. Since the main application for the CM4 Ether Board is to be used as a server or as a node in a cluster, it includes an M.2 connector for NVMe SSDs. An onboard converter supplies reliable 3.3v (up to 3A) power, which is plenty of juice to power most NVMe SSDs.

An ethernet jack provides a fast and reliable connection to your home or office network. The board is powered through a USB-C port and sports an additional Micro USB port for connecting downstream devices (think: webcam, card reader, or a 3D printer).

The Micro USB port also supports device mode, which can be used to flash an OS to the CM4. This board does not support modules without eMMC as it does not have a card reader (this might change in the future).

Features

  • 1Gbps Ethernet Jack
  • M.2 2230 for NVMe SSD (M key)
  • 1 USB Micro Port
  • 1 USB-C Port for Power
  • Built-in ESD protection

The CM4 Ether Board is available for sale on Tindie.com

I sell on Tindie

Hardware

Handy WiFi and BlueTooth solder jumpers to disable wireless connections without having to change software configuration.

Micro USB connector supports device and host modes. In host mode, the CM4 can control downstream devices like a card reader or webcam. While in host mode, the USB port provides 5v to the connected device.

In device mode, the CM4 becomes a gadget. Device mode is also used to flash the Compute Module.

It is also possible to completely remove the jumper. In this configuration, the CM4 will operate in host mode but it will not provide 5v to the downstream device.

Manually Assembled and Soldered

I’ve been making the CM4 Boards in small batches of 20 units. They are manually assembled and soldered in my workshop. If you are interested in a large quantity of these of 10 or more boards, please send me an email and I might be able to make a special run for you.

Enclosures

Free STL files are available to build a rack-mounted enclosure. A free-standing enclosure will be available soon.

Download STL files from Printables.com:

https://www.printables.com/model/554452-cm4-ether-board-case

Build Your Own CM4 Mini Server

This is the mini server that I have running in my basement. I do all of the development for rpilocator.com on one of the nodes you see below. Wanna build a small NAS for files you need around the house or the office? How about a VPN to access these files?

Here is the Bill of Materials I used in this build: