OnLogic Announces First Raspberry Pi-Based Industrial-Grade PC

March 15, 2021 by Dave Haynes

The Vermont industrial computer maker OnLogic has taken the interesting step of announcing its first Raspberry Pi-based industrial-grade PC, timing it in celebration of Pi Day.

The little unit uses the latest CM4 Compute Module and is aimed at applications like factories, warehouses, and a range of IoT applications. The Pi 4 is also being used by several digital signage CMS firms as its media playback device.

The OnLogic device integrates visible aluminum heat sinks, “which not only provide efficient fanless cooling, but also make up the majority of the external surface of the system – protecting internal components while creating a distinct footprint and silhouette.”

It’s interesting to see an industrial PC company (the company rebranded from Logic Supply) adapting Pis as options, and just as interesting to see a single board PC first intended as a teaching tool for schoolkids and a gadget for makers evolve to also being an industrial automation device.

“This isn’t going to be just another off-the-shelf Raspberry Pi enclosed in an inexpensive case,” says OnLogic Solution Architect, Johnny Chen. “Our system will offer a unique opportunity to prototype solutions on Raspberry Pi architecture and then rapidly deploy to the factory floor or within a stacked solution. The established Raspberry Pi maker community has built an incredible foundation on which new innovations in the Industry 4.0, SCADA, and IoT spaces are now possible. With many engineers looking to apply their experience building passion projects on Raspberry Pi to solve challenges they’re faced with professionally, we wanted to provide a piece of true professional grade hardware.”

The unit is being announced but is not ready to ship, with that expected to happen later in the year. There is a landing page up that will provide updates and eventually get into price. The barebones Raspberry Pi modules are sub-$50, but once add things like memory and a case it can start to add up. A custom aluminum case will obviously add more cost than a plastic one.