Edge Devices Launches Upgraded Pi-oT 2 Raspberry Pi 4-Powered IoT Module — with Built-In UPS
New IoT module is available in standard, UPS-backed +Plus, and a Precision model with 12-bit ADC, four 24V inputs, and RS485 support.
Edge Devices has officially opened crowdfunding for its second-generation Raspberry Pi-powered Internet of Things (IoT) platform: the Pi-oT 2, now featuring a built-in uninterruptible power supply.
Launched late last year, the original Pi-oT started life as a business-to-business prototype using a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B in a custom housing with five SPDT relays and analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) driven by the board's 40-pin general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header. Now, the company is back with a revised design - available in standard, +Plus, and Precision flavours.
"Similar spec’d devices from traditional manufacturers can easily cost over $1,000 and still lack the computing power of the Raspberry Pi 4," claims Edge Devices' Nate Albright. "The Pi-oT 2 opens up use cases for machine learning at the edge for under $200 price point and gives the most popular single board computers in the world the ability to outperform even the most advanced industrial computing devices available."
"These features define the Pi-oT 2 as the most versatile and all in one package for the Raspberry Pi in IoT and Automation. Whether you control a Smart home, smart garden, smart farm, or a smart factory. The Pi-oT 2 has the hardware to support all of your projects."
The Pi-oT 2 is the new range's entry point, and features an externally-accessible Ethernet port, integrated cooling fan, six digital outputs, eight 5V analog inputs connected to a 10-bit ADC, and supports a 5V power input. The Pi-OT 2 +Plus has all the features of the standard model plus an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) based on a pair of LiFePO4 batteries good for driving the board for up to two hours in the event of power loss.
The Pi-oT 2 Precision, meanwhile, boosts the analog input resolution to 12 bits, adds RS485 connectivity, and comes with four 24-volt digital inputs — though, it has to be noted, these come in the place of four Raspberry Pi GPIO pins accessible on the lower-end models. An additional bonus in the Pi-OT 2 Precision is support for 12-24V power, switchable from the default 5V.
The company is currently crowdfunding the project on Kickstarter, with pricing starting at $89 for an early bird Pi-oT 2.