KUNBUS new Revolution PI S and SE series based on Raspberry Pi

Silke Fliehmann, Marketing Manager at KUNBUS

Silke has been a Marketing Manager with KUNBUS since 2016. In addition to sales partner marketing, she is responsible for the implementation of advertising and PR materials as well as the realization of new marketing concepts and campaigns. Silke is passionate about the creative work and the variety of tasks combined with the innovative power of the products – all with the aim of making the brand Revolution Pi more popular.

Raspberry Pi is primarily known as a low-cost PC for students, makers and hobbyists. With the introduction of the Compute Module, the single-board computer has also arrived in the industrial environment. The German company KUNBUS developed a modular and low-cost industrial PC, the Revolution Pi, based on the Compute Module and consisting of open hardware and software, which complies with the EN61131-2 standard.

The basic RevPi Core and Connect modules are encased in a slim top-hat rail housing and can be seamlessly expanded with a variety of matching I/O modules and fieldbus gateways depending on the requirements. The modules, which are operated with 24 V, are connected to each other in seconds via a top-mounted connector bridge, the PIBridge, and already have USB, Ethernet and HDMI interfaces as well as an easy-to-use graphical configuration tool. KUNBUS not only discloses the circuit diagrams, but also consistently continues the open-source concept with the software. An adapted version of the Raspbian operating system known from the Raspberry Pi (a Debian variant) with real-time patch including the drivers for the expansion modules is pre-installed. The use of Raspbian ensures that basically any software or application that runs on a Raspberry Pi will also work on the Revolution Pi. The full root access makes it possible to develop and run own programs without any barriers. Users who prefer ready-made software solutions can also benefit, as KUNBUS offers cost-effective and powerful control and SCADA software through cooperations with various software manufacturers. This allows Revolution Pi to be expanded into a genuine small control system suitable for industrial use.

With Revolution Pi, the most diverse IIoT and automation projects can be implemented and new business concepts and solutions, such as cloud services, can be realized. This makes it possible to enter new markets or significantly shift value chains.

An online forum connects developers and users of the Revolution Pi from all over the world. Problems, solutions and suggestions for improvement can thus be exchanged quickly, openly and easily.

With the S and SE series, which are based on the newly released Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4s, KUNBUS presents the latest members of its Revolution Pi family. These include the Core and Connect base modules and are positioned between the RevPi 3+ and RevPi 4 series. The RevPi 4 series is currently still in development.

In recent months, KUNBUS has had to deal with a number of problems regarding the procurement of compute modules. Enquiries and orders from many customers and people interested in Revolution Pi could not be processed because there was simply not enough material to order. In this situation, the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s offer of the CM4 as a special alternative to the CM3+ came just at the right time. It is a compute module in the form factor of the CM3+, on which the more powerful Arm Cortex-A72 processor with 1.5 GHz of the CM4 is installed. The modules have up to 32 GB eMMC flash memory, HDMI 2.0a and Ethernet with up to 350 Mbit/s.

The difference between the S and SE series is that the S series is compatible with all expansion modules including the fieldbus gateways. The SE series, on the other hand, can only be expanded with IO modules and, in the case of the RevPi Connect, with Con modules. Fieldbus gateways are not supported in the SE series. This distinction is completely new. KUNBUS has decided to do this because of the global semiconductor crisis, as this allows to build enough devices for all customer requirements.

Customers switching from devices with the CM3/3+ to RevPis with the CM4S need to be aware of an important modification. The new CPU of the Compute Module 4S is only supported with kernel 5.10. Customers using their own image or KUNBUS image with an older kernel must update the kernel. Find detailed instructions here: Quick guide for migration to CM4S based RevPi devices. (-> How_To-Migration_to_CM4S.pdf)

Highlights RevPi Core S/SE

• Arm Cortex-A72 processor with 1,5 GHz
• 1 GB RAM
• up to 32 GB eMMC flash memory
• 1 x RJ45 Ethernet interface
• 2 x USB 2.0
• 1 x Micro USB
• 1 x Micro HDMI
• already integrated Master and Slave functionality for Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP

Highlights RevPi Connect S/SE

• Arm Cortex-A72 processor with 1,5 GHz
• 1 GB RAM
• up to 32 GB eMMC flash memory
• 2 x RJ45 Ethernet interface, each with its own MAC address
• 4 pole RS485 screw terminal
• 2 x USB 2.0
• 1 x Micro HDMI
• already integrated Master and Slave functionality for Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP

Comparison of Compute Module 3+ and Compute Module 4S

	Compute Module 3+	Compute Module 4S
Size (W x H x D)	68 mm x 31 mm x 4.7 mm	68 mm x 31 mm x 4.7 mm
Processor	Broadcom BCM2837B0, quad-core Cortex A53	Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex A72
Clock Rate	1.2 GHz	1.5 GHz
RAM	1 GB LPDDR2	1 GB LPDDR4
eMMC Flash memory	up to 32 GB	up to 32 GB
Bluetooth/Wifi support	No	No
USB version	2.0	2.0
PCIe interface	No	No
HDMI version	1 x HDMI 1.3a (FHD)	1 x HDMI 2.0a (4K)
Max. Ethernet speed	up to 350 Mbit/s	up to 350 Mbit/s

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