Sfera Labs Strato Pi Max DIN rail industrial controllers now support the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5) was launched at the end of last month, and we are starting to see companies slowly announce upgraded CM4 designs. Yesterday, we wrote about EDATEC ED-IPC3100 DIN-Rail mountable industrial computers, and today, we’ll cover Sfera Labs’ addition of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 to their Strato Pi Max DIN rail industrial controllers.

The controllers still feature a gigabit Ethernet port, a 10/100M Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller for power management and boot sequence control, and support expansion modules for up to sixteen RS-485 or RS-422 ports, four CAN V2.0B ports, digital and analog I/O, and more.

Strato Pi Max specifications (as of December 2024):

• Base Module
  • Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5
  • Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
  • Zymbit SCM options.
• Microcontroller – Raspberry RP2040 dual ARM Cortex-M0+ at 133 MHz.
• Storage – eMMC, microSD (dual for XL), M.2 PCIe SSD.
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi, BLE, dual Ethernet ports (GbE and 100MbE).
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports with power control and fault detection.
• Sensors – 3-axis accelerometer.
• Cooling – Internal fan with configurable activation.
• Clock – Real-time clock with TCXO and backup battery.
• Security – Microchip ATECC608 chip.
• UI – Configurable LEDs, push-button, piezoelectric buzzer.
• Expansion Capability
  • Pi Max XS – 1x internal expansion slot for optional expansion boards.
  • Pi Max XL – 4x internal expansion slots for more extensive expansion capabilities.
• Watchdog and Power Management – Hardware watchdog capable of performing a full power cycle and managing the boot sequence for reliability.
• Power – 10-50 V DC supply with protection and 3.3 A fuse.
• Mounting – Compact DIN rail case for easy integration into industrial setups. The XS model comes in a 6-module case size, while the XL is housed in a 9-module case.

The Strato Pi Max XS is a compact model with one expansion slot for edge-server applications, and the Strato Pi Max XL offers a scalable option with four expansion slots and advanced storage, including dual SD architecture for enhanced redundancy. Both industrial controllers benefit from the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 ‘s faster 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 CPU delivering 2.5x the performance of its predecessor, the enhanced VideoCore VII GPU for 3D graphics, and support for up to 16GB LPDDR4 memory.

Expansion options include the following:

• Up to 16x RS-485/RS-422, 4x RS-232, or 4x CAN interfaces
• Galvanically isolated analog inputs supporting Pt100, Pt1000, 0-10V, and 4-20mA
• Up to 28 IEC 61131-2 compliant industrial digital inputs with diagnostics and 28 digital outputs
• 2x UPS options, using external batteries or SuperCaps, for reliable power backup.
• X2 LTE Carrier Board supports several LTE Cellular M.2 Modules

Software-wise, the Strato Pi Max relies on Raspberry Pi OS with kernel modules, a DTS file, and a driver for the RTC available on GitHub.

So basically, nothing has changed, except users can now select “CM5 Wireless” options from the list of modules while ordering. I don’t see any 16GB RAM options, but only a Compute Module 5 Wireless offered in either 2GB/16GB (RAM/Flash) or 8GB/32GB configurations.

The price starts at 425 Euros for a Strato Pi Max XS with CM4 Wireless (2GB/16GB eMMC), and switching to the equivalent CM5 module adds 10 Euros for a total of 435 Euros. You’ll find documentation and purchase links on the product page. A few more details may also be found in the announcement.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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