RPIplate User's Guide

Callouts

Assembly

Heat Sinks

The RPIplate ships with a set of heatsinks that should be applied to specific components on the CM4 module. While not entirely necessary, it's good practice to keep your hot components as cool as possible. In this case, we want to apply the heatsinks to the CPU, the RAM, and the Flash memory. Simply peel the release liner off the thermal pad on the bottom of the heatsink and then press firmly onto the chip using the guide below. Note that orientation is not critical. Do NOT put a heatsink on the radio cover.

Mounting Hardware

The RPIplate ships with four 17mm standoffs and four 10mm spacers. These should be fastened to the four holes located in the corners of the board. Insert the threaded end of the 17mm standoff into the top of the board and secure it in place with a 10mm spacer. Repeat for the remaining three holes. If you mount your RPIplate to a CASEplate or DINplate, you can discard the 25mm spacers that these products ship with and simply screw the bottom section directly to the 10mm spacer.

Turn On

Powering up the RPIplate is just like powering up a Raspberry Pi.

Connections and Powerup

Referring to the callout image at the top of the page:

    1. Plug a monitor into the HDMI connector
    2. Plug a keyboard and mouse into the USB connectors
    3. Plug a good quality 5VDC power supply into the USB-C connector

The RPIplate will power up and the Raspberry Pi OS desktop should appear on the monitor:

Note that you will likely see a prompt and icon on the right side of the task bar to update the system software which we recommend you do.

Presets

Credentials

The login credentials are the traditional:

Username: pi
Password: raspberry

To change the above, click the System tab in the Raspberry Pi Configuration Menu

Country Specific

The keyboard and WiFi are preset to the United States.
The time zone is set to Eastern.
To change the above, click the Localization tab in the Raspberry Pi Configuration Menu

Interfaces

The RPIplate ships with the following interfaces enabled:

      1. SSH
      2. VNC
      3. SPI
      4. I²C

To change the above, click the Interfaces tab in the Raspberry Pi Configuration Menu.

Accessories

The RPIplate includes easy to use, 15 pin FFC connectors for the official Raspberry Pi cameras and 7" display.

Cameras

Before connecting your camera, power down your RPIplate and place it on a flat surface with the camera connector on the left. Place your camera with the lens (or sensor) facing up and to the left of the RPIplate. Gently pull the FFC retention tab on the camera connector until it releases and moves about 2mm. The best tool for this is a fingernail! Slide the FFC with the contacts facing down into the slot below the retention tab. Once the FFC is in place, carefully slide the retention tab back into place.

Information about official Raspberry Pi cameras can be found at: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/accessories/camera.html

Displays

Before connecting your display, power down your RPIplate and place it on a flat surface with the displayconnector on the left. Place your display facing down and to the left of the RPIplate. Gently pull the FFC retention tab on the display connector until it releases and moves about 2mm. Again, the best tool for this is a fingernail! Slide the FFC with the contacts facing down into the slot below the retention tab. Once the FFC is in place, carefully slide the retention tab back into place. Then connect the power connectors from the display to the header on the RPIplate: +5 (red) to pin 2 and ground (black) to pin 6.

Information about the official Raspberry Pi 7" touch display can be found here: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/accessories/display.html

Install or Restore OS

In the event your EMMC program memory is corrupted or if you just want to use a different OS, follow these steps:

  1. Remove the power from your RPIplate
  2. Move the jumper on the Boot Select header to the USB position:
  3. Follow the instructions HERE to install your new image. Use the microUSB connector on the right of the board (see image below) to connect your computer
  4. Once your image has been written, remove power from the RPIplate, unplug the microUSB cable, and move the jumper back to eMMC/uSD
  5. Your RPIplate should now boot with your new OS.