Family of compact Raspberry Pi-based CM servers

Sfera Labs has boosted the computing power of its Strato Pi CM family of compact Raspberry Pi-based CM servers and Iono Pi Max Industrial PLC, delivering support for the new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S (CM4S) with 4GB and 8GB RAM.

The company introduced Strato Pi CM, a powerful, compact, 2 DIN-Rail module edge-computing server in 2018. In 2019, Strato Pi CM Duo – the first Raspberry Pi-based device supporting dual SD cards – was added to the Strato Pi CM product line. In 2023, it introduced the enhanced v3 version, adding support for the CM4S and a much more accurate onboard real-time clock. These products play a crucial role where reliability and fault tolerance are essential; for example, distributed edge computing solutions, where servers are often installed in remote locations and expected to have a long service life yet where physical access to the devices is limited and expensive. In these conditions, it is essential to allow safe in-field software and firmware upgrades and to implement specific features to recover from hardware and software issues.

The Iono Pi Max integrates the CM4S core with all the digital and analog input and output lines, power relays, and support for standard interfaces expected of modern PLCs. Backward compatibility with the Raspberry Pi CM3+ core protects the investment in existing designs while enabling designers to enhance performance and extend system functionality. Iono Pi Max includes digital and analog I/O, NO/NC relays, UPS support, RS-232, RS-485, CAN interfaces, dual µSD cards, highly accurate onboard real-time clock, a hardware watchdog, and a secure element chip. Target applications include data acquisition, energy management, building automation, access control, and environmental monitoring.

The Strato Pi CM/CM Duo v3 and the Iono Pi Max v2 are fully compatible with the toolsets, programming languages, and development frameworks available for Raspberry Pi so that developers can make use of a huge array of third-party software resources to quickly develop advanced and robust automation solutions.

"Sfera Labs's support of the new Raspberry Pi CM4S versions, with a fast, quad-core 1.5GHz ARM CPU and up to 8GB of RAM, combined with the renewed commitment by Raspberry to support the CM4S product line at least until 2034, delivers an incredibly robust, high-performance and ultra-compact long term solution to the most demanding needs of our industrial customers looking for no-compromise edge computing products based on the Raspberry Pi platform," says Ulderico Arcidiaco, Sfera Labs CEO.