Raspberry Pi enthusiasts searching for a solution to use a M.2 NVMe drive with their Raspberry Pi may be interested in a new solution provided by the TOFU board. TOFU is a carrier printed circuit board for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and has been created
for industrial applications but can also be adopted by enthusiasts looking for a “robust and complete solution on a compact footprint” to expand the functionality of their Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. Check out the video below created by Jeff Geerling for an in-depth overview of what you can expect from the TOFU board and its functionality.
“A flexible carrier board for use with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. All major inputs and outputs in a compact package. Storage, wireless possibilities through NGFF interface. The rest is up to you!”
Features of the TOFU Raspberry Pi native M.2 NVMe inlcude :
– Compute Module 4 socket (CM4 not included)
– Standard Raspberry Pi 40 pin GPIO header
– Gigabit Ethernet port with PoE through the official Raspberry Pi PoE HAT
– M.2 2242 socket (key B) socket with micro-SIM cardholder (M.2 has been successfully tested to interface NVMe SSDs and USB 3G/4G network cards)
– 3x USB-A ports
– Full-size HDMI port
– Camera and display ports (newer 22pin version, flexible adapter cables can be purchased separately)
– Two power inputs for industrial connectors (2.1mm barrel and standard 3.5mm terminal block).
– Input voltage can be set between 7.5 and 28V and is also available on a 3x1 header for sharing to HATs requiring higher voltages (wall plug AC-DC power supply not included, recommended power rating: >24W).
– Micro SD card slot
– USB-C port to use as an OTG device and for programming purposes. It may also be used to power the CM4, but not the M.2 card.
– Circuit protections added for safety reasons (ESD, over-and reverse-current protections)
– Standard Raspbe
Source : Jeff Geerling : TOFU