Most Raspberry Pi cases are for home users and concentrate on the popular single-board computer's (SBC's) original form factor. These are fine for mostly clean environments, but industrial use requires a tougher solution.

Comfile's line of rugged panel computers just got an upgrade in the form of ComfilePi, which now supports the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ (CM3+).

Designed for the Real World

Comfile's rugged Raspberry Pi panel computers are typically used in environmental, industrial, and traffic control scenarios. The new designs, which are available in various sizes and configurations, all feature the same IP65 rated water-resistant hard plastic case as previous models. Touchscreen sizes vary from 7-inch 800 x 480 to 15-inch 1024 x 768, and every model uses a tough resistive surface rather than capacitive touch, making them usable while wearing gloves.

There are a few notable modifications to ComfilePi enclosures that make them especially well suited to industrial environments. It can take 12-24v power and exposes two serial communication ports, a single I2C1 port, and a pin header socket for adding 40 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins. The cases also feature three full-size USB 2.0 ports and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port for connectivity.

The main upgrade to the range is the Compute Module 3+, which supports a broader range of eMMC flash storage. Alongside the 4GB and Lite models previously available, now you can specify 8, 16, and 32 GB variants.

In a recent post on the Comfile Technology Blog, the company announced the flagship model of the new range, a 7-inch model with an exposed heatsink for superior cooling and an option of 8 or 32GB storage onboard. Another advantage of the Compute Module 3+ is a wider operating temperature range, which theoretically can operate between -20 and 80 C.

ComfilePi computers are available directly from Comfile, via its website.

The New ComfilePi Range Specifications

The ComfilePi's specs mostly stem from the CM3+ module inside it, but it adds a few notable features:

  • Broadcom BCM2837B0, Cortex-A53 (ARMv8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.2GHz (Compute Module 3+)
  • 15" LCD (1024 × 768)
  • Pressure-sensitive Touch Screen (Resistive Film Type)
  • 1GB RAM
  • Built-in RTC
  • GPIO x 22 (includes ESD protection circuit), 40-pin header socket
  • Power: DC12 ~ 24V input
  • USB ports x 3 (USB2.0)
  • Ethernet port (10/100 Mbps)
  • RS-232C x 1
  • RS-485 x 1
  • I2C x 1
  • Piezo Buzzer
  • Stereo Audio Output
  • Water-Resistant Front Panel (IP65)
  • WiFi: USB dongle required
  • Operating temperature: 0°C ~ 70°C
  • Storage temperature: -20°C ~ 80°C

These specs are the same across the whole line, with variations in price according to screen size and onboard eMMC flash memory options.

What About the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4?

Given the recent announcement of the Compute Module 4, you might wonder why Comfile is only upgrading to the CM3+ now. While consumer markets tend to want the newest thing as soon as it becomes available, industrial users are a little more cautious.

The Compute Module 3+ has had plenty of time to prove its dependability in long-term use situations. At this stage, anything that could have gone wrong likely has, and fixes will be well documented. Industrial use generally doesn't require quite as much power as home use too, which makes upgrading less urgent in many cases.

Home users looking for something similar would likely be far better off getting the Pi 400, Raspberry Pi's new all-in-one keyboard computer than an industrially housed panel PC.

There's no doubt that Comfile and other rugged computer manufacturers will upgrade to the Compute Module 4 in time. They are just waiting for us to find all the potential pitfalls the newer hardware might have first.