Here I will give a history of the Compute Blade’s changes, starting with the concept.
About the enclosure (BladeRunner) and cooling (fan units), I will write separately.
From the current to the past. let’s go
Compute Blade v1 mk4
It comes to replace the v1 and is available in two different silkscreened versions: a Kickstarter Edition and a version for distribution.
Toolkit:
- Altium Designer
- Fully factory assembled, mass production
- Advanced testing tools. Careful testing of each blade
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- Increased standoff height for CM4 allows you to use compatible modules without worrying about the space under the module
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 30W (normal operation 2-8W)
- PoE module Silvertel AG5405 with one of the best characteristics in class
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 on the front (TX, RX, GND)
- Additional UART0 with 5v out next to RTC port
- Two digital RGB LEDs
- Hardware switchable WiFi, BT, and EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader, access to eMMC/SD card or tests. Or powering
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units), supports UART communication
- Switchable USB (USB-A or USB-C)
- Programmable button on the front panel
- Officially “Powered by Raspberry Pi”
- FCC and CE
- Individual serial number
- The power supply of the Raspberry Pi CM4 is now 5.1V, which has improved stability under overclocking. This is fully within the specifications (4.75V-5.25V)
- IEEE 802.3at detection (on Raspberry Pi with GPIO pin and additional LED on the blade)
- All front LEDs can be turned off (Ethernet one via config), a very handy feature!
- Modified latch mounting holes for easier installation
- More test points added
- Increased power on the 3.3V bus to 16.5W. Which will allow the use of future high-speed modules.
- Added overload and short circuit protection to the 5V and 3.3V outputs on the board.
- The possibility of powering the blade from the 5V pin has been removed
- Power Good LED on the board works even without the Compute Module.
- The low-speed modules connection is turned 180°
Fixes:
- The blue digital LED would light up sometimes on startup due to power interference. Added additional filtering to the diode signal line, and the problem was solved
- A certain number of devices from early v1 batches could experience a voltage surge when starting under certain conditions. In extreme cases, this could potentially destroy the device’s components. In cooperation with the manufacturer of the PoE module, additional stabilization of the PoE module output completely eliminated the problem
Compute Blade v1 (Kickstarter Edition)
Toolkit:
- Altium Designer
- Fully factory assembled, mass production
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- Increased standoffs height for CM4 allows you to use different clones without worrying about the space under the module
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 30W (normal operation 2-8W)
- New PoE module (Silvertel AG5405) with one of the best characteristics in class
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 on the front (TX, RX, GND)
- Additional UART0 with 5v in (or out) next to RTC port
- Two digital RGB LEDs
- Hardware switchable WiFi, BT, and EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader, access to eMMC/SD card or tests
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units), supports UART communication
- Switchable USB input (USB-A or USB-C)
- Programmable button on the front panel
- Officially “Powered by Raspberry Pi”
- FCC and CE
- Individual serial number
- The power supply of the Raspberry Pi CM4 is now 5.1V, which has improved stability under overclocking. This is fully within the specifications (4.75V-5.25V)
- IEEE 802.3at detection (on Raspberry Pi with GPIO pin and additional LED on the blade)
- All front LEDs can be turned off (Ethernet one via config), a very handy feature!
- Modified latch mounting holes for easier installation
- More test points added
Compute Blade Release Candidate Two
Name “Compute Blade v0.9 RC2”
Toolkit:
- Altium Designer
- Fully factory assembled
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 22W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 on the front (TX, RX, GND)
- Additional UART0 with 5v in (or out) next to RTC port
- Two digital RGB LEDs
- Hardware switchable WiFi, BT, and EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader, access to eMMC/SD card or tests
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units), supports UART communication
- Switchable USB input (USB-A or USB-C)
- Programmable button on the front panel
- Officially “Powered by Raspberry Pi”
- FCC and CE ready
- Individual serial number
- The power supply of the Raspberry Pi CM4 is now 5.1V, which has improved stability under overclocking. This is fully within the specifications (4.75V-5.25V)
- IEEE 802.3at detection (on Raspberry Pi with GPIO pin and additional LED on the blade)
- New button for the front panel (to feel the click better)
- All front LEDs can be turned off (except for Ethernet, this needs to be corrected in v.1), a very handy feature!
- Signed by me (let it be a “feature” for RC2)
Bugs:
- Positioning issues for digital LED and PoE mode LED for the first 10 blades in the batch
Compute Blade Release Candidate One
Name “Compute Blade v0.9 RC1”
Complete redesign switched to 4 layers PCB, new logo
Toolkit:
- Altium Designer
- Factory assembled (excluding PoE module and TPM chip)
- Microscope
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 22W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 on the front (TX, RX, GND)
- Additional UART0 with 5v in (or out) next to RTC port
- Two digital RGB LEDs (instead of ID LED)
- Hardware switchable WiFi, BT, and EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader, or tests
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units)
- Switchable USB input (USB-A or USB-C)
- Programmable button on the front panel
- Officially “Powered by Raspberry Pi”
- FCC and CE ready
- Individual serial number
Bugs:
- Activity LED doesn’t work right
- Footprint and positioning issues for digital LEDs
- RPIBOOT button and USB-C issues
- Too low resistor values with LEDs (they are too bright)
Compute Blade v0.7
Name “Uptime Compute Blade v0.7”
Toolkit:
- KiCad
- Microscope
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 22W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 with 5v in (or out) next to RTC port
- ID Led connected to GPIO18
- Hardware switchable WiFi, BT, and EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader, or tests
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units)
- Switchable USB input (USB-A or USB-C)
- Programmable button on the front panel
Bugs:
- All looks fine, except for the fact that I had to solder it by hand
Compute Blade v0.6
Name “Uptime Compute Blade (Dev) v0.6”
The review:
Toolkit:
- KiCad
- Microscope
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 22110 (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) up to 22W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- Optional Zymbit ZYMKEY4i, or custom module for Zymbit Hardware Security(HSM)
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART or YubiKey keys during operation
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 with 5v in (or out) next to RTC port
- ID Led connected to GPIO18
- Solderable jumpers for disabling WiFi, BT, and enabling EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60) (instead of micro HDMI port)
- USB-C port and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader
- TPM 2.0 onboard
- PWM fan connector for the custom backplane (Fan Units)
Bugs:
- USB-C powering with only 4.8V, because of the diode. Not a problem during flashing
Compute Blade v0.5
Name “Uptime Compute Blade (Dev) v0.5”
Toolkit:
- KiCad
- Microscope
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 2280 (2230, 2242, 2260 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3af (PoE) up to 12W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 with 5v in (or out)
- ID Led connected to GPIO18
- Solderable jumpers for disabling WiFi, BT, and enabling EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power, and SSD LEDs
- Micro HDMI port for monitor (up to 4k60)
- USB-C and PRIBOOT button to flash the bootloader
Bugs:
- One wrong SMD footprint (https://twitter.com/Merocle/status/1394393904049496064)
- Micro HDMI is unreliable and inconvenient (adapters are needed, which are always lost somewhere and do not always work)
Compute Blade v0.2
Name “Raspberry Pi CM4 Uptime platform v0.2”
Toolkit:
- KiCad
- Microscope
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD up to 2280 (2230, 2242, 2260 supported)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Power over Ethernet IEEE 802.3af (PoE) up to 12W (normal operation 2-8W)
- Optional real-time clock (RTC) module
- USB-A for a flash drive for copying data during setup with UART
- MicroSD card port
- UART0 with 5v in (or out)
- ID Led connected to GPIO18
- Solderable jumpers for disabling WiFi, BT, and enabling EEPROM write-protection
- Activity, Power LEDs
Bugs:
- No bugs at all
- Except that I later discovered that the PoE IEEE 802.3af is not enough when the CPU is overclocked and running under full load for a long time, fixed from v0.6. Not critical
Compute Blade v0.1, proof of concept
Name “Raspberry Pi CM4 Uptime platform v0.1”
Toolkit:
- EasyEDA
- Magnifying glass
- Soldering station
Features:
- Support all Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD 2280
- Gigabit Ethernet
- PoE (up to 12W)
- External real-time clock (RTC) module
- USB-A (for flash drive or copying data during setup with UART)
- MicroSD card port
- UART0
- ID Led connected to GPIO18
Bugs:
- PCIe bus works with a huge packet loss (the differential pairs were made by eye)
- The network doesn’t work
- GPIO_VREF pin floating
- SD card port issues
- Wrong CM4 footprint (It fit in tight to PoE module)
Compute Blade concept
Name “Raspberry Pi CM4 Blade Server Concept”
Toolkit:
- Autodesk Fusion 360
Features:
- Support Raspberry Pi CM4
- NVMe SSD
- Gigabit Ethernet
- PoE
- Micro HDMI port for monitor
- USB-C for setup
Bugs:
- Obstructed access to interfaces
Initial Tweet:
I’m a systems engineer in JetBrains company. Uptime Lab founder. I’m glad to see you on my website! I hope you find my content useful. Please subscribe to my Instagram and Twitter. I post the newest updates there.
Hi, great job!! can’t wait for the final version 🙂
Do you think it is possible to add a second NVME drive?
Thank you!
Yes, but that doesn’t make sense to me.
The bus is limited to PCIe 2.0 x1 anyway
It will require an extra PCIe switch on the board
Is this intended to fit into a 400mm depth rack?
depth with fans is 340mm. So, yes
This is everything I am looking for in one package. Outstanding work on this. Any ideas when a finished version will be available?
If all goes well, I will get RC2 soon. After testing and reviews – Kickstarter.
Hopefully Blade will available before the end of the summer
You are the man, do you have a Patreon? I would like to contribute to this.
Sorry, I don’t even check my site often, it’s hard to maintain a bunch of social media and do a project 🙁
I might make a Patreon page. But usually, I’m supposed to share something unique there. But I prefer to do everything on Instagram or Twitter asap …
Awesome work, well done! I cannot wait to kickstarter the shit out of this project. I’ll take 10 !
(insert “take my money” meme)
Thank you!
Where will you post when the Kickstarter is up?
Hi,
I love this project and hope for the kickstarter!
I know this is really late in the development process, but would it be possible to add an UEFI implementation like https://rpi4-uefi.dev/ to an EEPROM connected via SPI or something similar? This would be really useful and allow to deploy so many vanilla ARM64 Distribution images.
Thanks for the link! I don’t see much need at the moment. There are a very large number of restrictions. If you need to do something to debug CM4, you can always use the IO Board. For OS problems, there is a UART on the Blades
Hi Ivan,
thank you very much for your reply. I just wanted to clarify: my question was less about debugging, but more about being able to install OSes without raspberry pi specific u-boot and dtbs. The idea was to have rpi4-uefi on the eeprom and then you would be able to just install whatever vanilla arm64 linux you like: https://arm.fedoraproject.org/ or https://ubuntu.com/download/server/arm or https://ftp.fau.de/almalinux/9.0/isos/aarch64/
You will have full access to the eMMC or SD card.
But the SPI is currently missing from the blade. I will see if anything can be done. But I can’t make any promises at this stage. Thank you for the idea!
Thanks for the reply!
Please don’t invest too much effort looking into it.
It is absolutely possible, that I just misread the documentation over here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html#first-stage-bootloader and booting from an SPI attached EEPROM is not even possible. 🙁
Wow, this is amazing!!
Finally an option for enterprises to start including raspberry pi’s and just offering alternatives for people that want to have their own homely whilst saving a lot on electrics.
Can’t wait for it to be available, because I so want one so badly!
When can I buy some of these blades?
Would you mind releasing maybe 0.1 and 0.2 parts list and schematic? Even just a parts list would help. Just want to experiment with this on my own, thanks. Also naming what new part would be needed to get full PoE+ power would be great. If not, I understand. Thanks.
when are they coming up for sale, have been waiting for more then a year now from when i seen it on youtube Jeff Geerling. even subscript to the update form but never got any mail so far.
Hello I have seen the features of the equipment, I find it very interesting and congratulations for the excellent work.
I have a question is it possible that the configuration supports the following:
2 CPUs, amd64 (x86_64) platform
2GB of RAM
50GB of storage
1 NIC
as I am looking for an alternative for a compact hardware to replace an equipment of Chinese origin that is not available.
I will be attentive to your indications
Thanks
You do realize that this is entirely based on the raspberry pi cm4 SOM, correct? What you are asking for is a completely different beast, completely different power profile, completely different space requirement, and pretty much everything else?
Cannot wait for ordering it on kickstarter
How are the units powered?
Very much likely power over ethernet as per description.