The EdgeBerry is an open-source platform that comprises a base board, hardware cartridges, and software for building Raspberry Pi IoT Edge solutions designed by Belgium-based maker, Sanne Santens.
The Edgeberry Base Board is the primary printed circuit board that connects all the other components to the Raspberry Pi. While it is not a HAT (Hardware Attached on Top), it plugs into the GPIO header on the Pi and provides certain interfaces and features that make it easier to use your Raspberry Pi as an IoT Edge device and deploy it in the real world. Unused GPIO pins are exposed on the expansion slot for Edgeberry Hardware Cartridges.
Edgeberry Base Board specifications:
- 40-pin GPIO connector for interfacing with the Raspberry Pi
- Expansion slot for connecting Edgeberry Hardware Cartridges
- Misc – Buzzer, Bi-color LED, Button
- 3A step-down converter
- 12V DC power jack
A unique advantage of the Edgeberry platform is the ability to add modular components to customize your system for diverse IoT Edge applications. Edgeberry Hardware Cartridges are application-specific hardware that expand the Raspberry Pi’s functionality. To power the Cartridges, the Raspberry Pi supplies 3.3V power and the Edgeberry directly supplies 5V power.
There are two cartridges currently available for purchase, the Console & CAN Cartridge and the Sense’n’Drive Cartridge, and the KiCad EDA template is publicly available for custom designs. The Console & CAN Cartridge adds a CAN-bus and a USB interface while the Sense’n’Drive adds 6 digital outputs and an I²C sensor port. They are useful for a wide range of industrial and residential IoT applications.
You must install the Edgeberry Device Software to use the Edgeberry platform to its full potential. It connects to the Edgeberry Dashboard using a pre-programmed ID in the Base Board’s EEPROM. It manages the Edgeberry user interface and enables remote device management and control. The web interface is currently unfinished but you can still access the dashboard directly. The Edgeberry dashboard lets you set up and track connected devices via a centralized database, assign user permissions, and send account activation emails.
The project is completely open-source, with the hardware licensed under the CERN OHL-W and the software released under the GNU GPLv3. The Edgeberry platform’s hardware and associated software are publicly accessible on GitHub. The project is still a work in progress and there is not much documentation or tutorials for complete beginners.
The Edgeberry Base Board is priced at about $47 on Tindie. If you’d rather not print your own case, you can purchase a 3D-printed enclosure for $21 extra. Available hardware cartridges include the Console & CAN cartridge ($30) and the Sense’n’Drive cartridge ($25). Other Raspberry Pi IoT Edge add-ons and solutions include the Pi-oT and Pi-oT2 modules, the RP2040 Connectivity Board, and Waveshare’s BG95-M3 Zero and CM4-IO-POE-4G-Box.
Tomisin is a writer specializing in hardware product reviews, comparisons, and explainers. He is very passionate about small form factor and single-board computers.
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