Sort of announced in July 2016, the new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 (CM3) is believed to hit the market very soon. Last October computer equipment manufacturer NEC already announced a new range of professional P and V Series large format displays that seamlessly embed the RPi CM3 module. The new module, available in two flavors — CM3 and CM3L (lite) — will complement the CM1 module introduced a few years ago.

Specifications for the CM1, CM3 and CM3L SODIMM modules can be found in the data sheet available on the RPi website. Where the CM1 was based on a BCM2835 processor (as used on the original RPi and RPi B+ models), the CM3 contains a quad core 1.2 GHz BCM2837 processor, like the RPi 3. It has 1 GB of LPDDR2 RAM and 4 GB eMMC Flash. The ‘L’ version is a CM3 without eMMC Flash, allowing the user to connect his/her own SD/eMMC device. The pinout of the CM1 and CM3 modules are identical but the CM3 module is one millimeter higher (31 mm).

The price of the new modules is not known yet, but since a CM1 retails at around £20, a similar price may be expected for the CM3.

Next wait: Raspberry Pi 4