Make a PC from a Raspberry Pi 4

Want to make a low-power eco-friendly desktop PC replacement?
Wondering what you can do with that old/broken PC in the attic/garage?
Looking to make a Linux server, or computer for the kids?
Always wanted a Retro Gaming PC?
Just fancy tinkering and making something for the "science of it"?

Look no further...
 

Hi, I'm Ross and I am a qualified software and hardware engineer working in the industry for over 20 years. After years of wanting to combine two of my loves: the wealth of available components, peripherals and accessories of the PC world with the flexibility, customisability and community support of the Raspberry Pi, I have designed a mini-ITX carrier board for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. I have designed and made many carrier boards and peripheral PCBs in my professional career, but this is the first based on my own personal wishes.

Introducing...

Carrier board for: Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module*
Form factor: Mini-ITX
Dimensions: 170x170mm

In addition to the standard Raspberry Pi interfaces found on the various standard models and the Compute Module I/O board, the Over:Board offers a full-size PCI-Express slot (but still just the 1x single-lane PCI-E v2.0 bus), a 24-pin ATX power header, Real-Time Clock with backup battery, RS232 (DB9) COM port, USB 2.0 4-port hub with two physical ports, USB Audio IC with Line-out and Mic-in, and a USB SATA controller for HDD/SSD storage. I've kept the PCI-Express lane clear to the slot for full performance expansion cards and offer the additional functionality using the USB 2.0 bus which gives minimal functionality without compromising expandability.

USB Hub IC: Microchip USB2514B
Real-time Clock IC: NXP PCF85063AT/AAZ
Audio Codec: Texas Instruments PCM2912A
USB SATA IC: Texas Instruments TUSB9261PVP

Front Panel Header

 CMIO Header           

  Additional Headers

SATA Port and CPU Fan Header / Controller   

Over:Performance

• Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz
• H.265 (HEVC) (up to 4Kp60 decode), H.264 (up to 1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode) 
• OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics
• Options for 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM (depending on variant)
• Options for 0GB ("Lite"), 8GB, 16GB or 32GB eMMC Flash memory (depending on variant)
• Option for fully certified radio module: 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless; Bluetooth 5.0, BLE;

The design is ready to go and is built up from the Raspberry Pi CMIO 4 board schematic and extended to include more PC-centric components and engineered for maximum compatibility with Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and ATX cases and PC peripherals.

The first thing to do is to prototype the design. My intention is to get 3 manufacturers to make 6 prototype boards each. I will select the highest quality board for the pre-production run. With 2 of the boards from each manufacturer I will use them for testing, marketing and development. One board will be given away in a competition/raffle. The remaining 11 boards will be sent to Early-backers as reward for their support. To cover the cost of this the 11 boards will require a contribution of £199 each.

If any discrepancies are found or tweaks to the design are required this will then be performed prior to pre-production. I will then order 50-100 boards (depending on demand) as a trial run at production, these boards will come in prototype retail packaging with prototype documentation and an I/O backplate. To cover the cost of this stage of development the pre-production boards will need a backing contribution of £149 each. One of these boards will also be given away in a competition/raffle.

Following the successful distribution of the pre-production boards I will then (again demand permitting) order a larger quantity of boards in a full production batch. This is where I hope to get the cost down as low as possible with a target price of £99 (if it's more then backers still get it for £99). Grab it now for this guaranteed price.
 

I've lost count exactly how many, but this will be about my 35th commercial electronics PCB to be manufactured, so I am no stranger to getting these things to market. That said however, this will be the first of my own venture so represents my most exciting project to date and something I feel very passionate about.

If enough other people feel as excited by the idea of this project as I do then I think getting this product to market will be straight-forward enough with their support and with the endless support of the Raspberry Pi community. The design is done, checked and double-checked and is ready for prototyping. After successful testing and (if necessary) tweaking the pre-production stage will then be used to streamline the systems and processes required for mass-production, retail and after-sales support, working closely with the chosen manufacturer on optimal selection of components (substitute for most readily available and alternatives for future runs should it become necessary) and the Raspberry Pi community for support.

With a bit of luck and hard work everyone will love their Over:Board and in-turn their Raspberry Pi PC, the communities can combine and expand even more and a whole new world of educational and enthusiast electronics will begin!
 

Competition: I am giving away one of the prototype boards to the winner of the first competition. The winner will be chosen at random once the Indiegogo campaign ends. To enter the competition either:

A) follow @OverDevices on Twitter and retweet the competition post
B) follow @OverDevices on Instagram and share the competition post to your story

If you do both, you will be entered into the competition twice!

If you'd like to see this project succeed but don't feel ready to support financially and you know someone who might, please spread the word as much as you can. If you or anyone you know can offer any other type of support then I would be more than grateful to hear from you, so please do get in touch!

Thank you for reading my campaign and stay safe.

* Raspberry Pi 4 Compute Module not included with Over:Board as you may already have one and they are (or will be) readily available from online retailers