It’s been a few weeks since we dropped anything new for you all, well, other than teasers on social media but we've got something rather special to share! Today we're introducing the Pineboards Modulo4, and the Modulo5 Basic and Modulo5 IO PoE+ carrier boards - designed to transform your Compute Modules into full Raspberry Pi 5 form-factor boards with complete PCIe HAT compatibility, or in the case of the PoE IO Board, match the official carrier board for functionality but build on that with full PoE+ support.
What's All This About Then?
With the launch of the Compute Module 5 last week, we knew we had to get in on the action. We decided that maintaining compatibility with the official Raspberry Pi CM5 IO Board would be crucial for users wanting to use the enclosure and other accessories, though with the same high quality PoE+ module as our Pi 5 HatDrive! PoE, we enable PoE+ support as a power option.
The Modulo4 and Modulo5 are carrier boards that take your Compute Module (CM4 or CM5 respectively) and give them the exact same layout as a Raspberry Pi 5. This means full compatibility with the growing ecosystem of PCIe HATs, cases, and cooling solutions that have been flooding the market since the Pi 5's release.
Let's Talk Features
Modulo5 IO PoE+
With full compatibility in the official CM5 Enclosure, you can make use of the official accessories.
Modulo4 & 5
Full Pi 5 Compatibility
Both Modulo boards are designed to work seamlessly with official Raspberry Pi 5 accessories. Want to use the Active Cooler? No problem - we've included the same PWM fan header. Fancy trying out some NVMe HATs? The PCIe connector is identical to the Pi 5's, so everything just works.
Complete I/O Suite
We've packed in everything you'd expect from a Pi 5, including dual micro HDMI ports, 1Gbit Ethernet, USB ports, and even the new power button. The 40-pin GPIO header is exactly where you'd expect it, making HAT compatibility a breeze.
Premium Build Quality
As with all our products, we're using high-quality components throughout. The PCIe connector comes with the same impedance-controlled cable we use in our HATs, ensuring reliable connections for your storage and AI acceleration needs.
A Few Things to Note
Being realistic here, there are a couple of things to point out. Due to space constraints on the Modulo 4 & 5 boards, we couldn't include a PoE header - something had to give! Some connectors are also in slightly different positions compared to the Pi 5, though they remain compatible with official accessories on a technical level.
PCIe speeds will also depend on what your compute module provides - the Raspberry Pi CM4 will be limited to PCIe Gen 2 speeds as that’s all it has onboard, though this is still plenty fast enough for most current HATs.
Looking Ahead
The Modulo4 and Modulo5 are available from our store and will be appearing at our usual resellers (The Pi Hut, Welectron, Botland, and others, check out our distributors page for a full list) as soon as possible, but we do need to temper expectations as we’re coming into a very busy time of the year. Whilst we do aim to have these available before Christmas, it’s not a promise we’re willing to make.
Pineboards Modulo4 - 35 EUR MSRP
Pineboards Modulo5 Basic - 35 EUR MSRP
Pineboards Modulo5 IO PoE+ - 47 EUR MSRP
These are a new set of products for us, building on the PCIe HATs and NVMe SSDs, and we’re super excited to see what everyone does with them, especially as you can combine them together!