Raspberry Pi makes first kits with Compute Module available

On Monday, the Raspberry Pi Foundation put the first kits for sale with the new mini computer, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module. The suggested retail price of the kits is $200, which is about $150.

Each kit consists of a Compute Module and the previously announced IO Board, to which a Compute Module can be connected. In addition, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is supplying adapters for the official Pi camera and display, which will be available later this year. The kits also consist of a 5V charger and a micro USB cable.

For now, only the Linux distribution specially adapted for the mini-computer, Raspbian, runs on the Compute Module, says the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Other operating systems such as NOOBS are not working yet, but will be updated for the device shortly.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the Compute Module in early April. The mini-computer, which has a storage capacity of 4GB via flash memory, could perform all the core tasks of a regular Pi with a smaller board. The dimensions are 6.76 by 3.00 centimeters and the board, just like its big brother, has a BCM21553 soc and 512MB memory.

With the Compute Module, the Raspberry Pi Foundation mainly aims at those who want to put together everything themselves. Nevertheless, the organization also came up with the open source IO Board, to which a Compute Module can be connected. The IO Board has USB and HDMI connections and offers, among other things, the possibility to more easily access the flash memory and the processor interfaces.

The Compute Module can also be purchased separately at a later date, the Raspberry Pi Foundation said earlier. For the mini-computer alone, thirty dollars has to be deposited, or about 22 euros.