A few config tweaks and I had a serial prompt running with very little effort. I tested the “front” interface using a CH341A USB to Serial (TTL) and I2C adapter. There are two UART interfaces on the board. I chose to run my (in)famous disco light sequence and it passed the disco test. These two pixels are fully addressable and accessible via many programming languages. Just under the button has to be the smallest WS2812s (NeoPixel) that I have ever seen. Now I just have to work out what to do when I press the button. I ran a test using Python and can report that it works perfectly. This button is connected to the GPIO and fully accessible via your favorite programming language. Moving to the “front” of the Blade and I spotted a push button with a neat 3D printed push mechanism. Connecting a BME688 temperature / humidity and air quality sensor was a piece of cake and within a few minutes I had data streaming across the screen. I chose to test the I2C interface using CircuitPython, an easy install thanks to Adafruit. Thankfully these pins also include I2C, which means I could test a series of I2C enabled devices using Stemma QT interfaces. Just underneath the NVMe SSD slot is a 2 x 5 header which breaks out a select few pins, specifically for use with an optional RTC module. While not Compute Blade’s “raison d’etre”, there is a GPIO that we can use. Toggling these switches enables / disables these features, providing a level of security. These switches control write protection, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The keen eyed amongst you will have noticed a DIP switch between HDMI and Ethernet. No extra configuration was needed, just plug and play. This Ethernet port also provides PoE (Power over Ethernet) and using my Netgear GS308P, a PoE capable Switch, I was able to power and connect to my home network, all from one cable. If you need to connect your Compute Blade to a screen then the onboard HDMI port is located between the red anodized aluminum heatsink and a Gigabit Ethernet port on the “front” of the Blade. From the Linux terminal I was able to prepare the drive for use, including setting the drive to mount on boot. With the Compute Blade powered off I just needed to remove a screw, drop a test drive in and then secure it in place. It is nothing that a quick config change can’t solve, and after a quick reboot I’ve got a working USB A 2.0 port.Īdding an NVMe drive, from 2230 to 22110 is easy thanks to a dedicated area near the “rear” of the blade. This issue lies at the feet of the Compute Module itself. The onboard USB A port is not accessible on boot, but that’s not the fault of Compute Blade. If you plan to use a Compute Module Lite, then the onboard micro SD card slot can be used to boot the OS. It has been used with the Compute Module since its inception (I remember learning how to use it with the first Compute Module) and used with Raspberry Pi Imager, I can flash the OS in no time. This tool, rpiboot, is an official means from Raspberry Pi to mount the eMMC flash storage as a USB drive. There is a new bootloader for the Raspberry Pi that enables you to boot and install an OS on your board without needing to prep a micro SD card before hand.L.
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