Pi-top announced a “Pi-top [4]” mini-PC based on the new Raspberry Pi 4 with an integrated OLED display, a battery, and a dozen component modules ranging from sensor to potentiometers.

Pi-top has pre-announced its first mini-PC form factor Pi-top and the first Pi accessory to feature the new Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. Like its earlier, laptop style Pi-top models, the Pi-top [4] offers a hacking bay for connecting component modules to the Pi’s GPIO.

Pi-top [4]
(click images to enlarge)

The Pi-top [4] will “eventually” go on sale on Kickstarter, according to the TNW post that alerted us to the product. There are photos and some limited specs, but no price.

The Raspberry Pi 4 SBC is equipped with a new Broadcom BCM2711 SoC with 4x Cortex-A72 cores clocked to 1.5GHz, delivering two to four times the performance of the RPi 3B+. It’s available with up to 4GB LPDDR4, and offers native GbE and dual 4K-ready micro-HDMI ports.

Pi-top [4] projects (left) and earlier Pi-top
(click images to enlarge)

Two of the four USB host ports are USB 3.0, and a USB Type-C port replaces the micro-USB. Other features are the same as the 3B+ including 802.11ac and Bluetooth (now v5.0) and the same starting $35 price with 1GB.

Raspberry Pi 4

With its greater power and new features, the Raspberry Pi 4 is more suitable than ever as a desktop computer. You can easily plug the Pi-top [4] into a screen, computer, and mouse, or another computer, says the company.

The Pi-top [4] will ship with 12 pi-top component modules comprising programmable sensors, buttons and LEDs. You connect the components via a “Foundation Plate” that “fits snuggly underneath” the mini-PC. The modules include LEDs, sensors, and potentiometers “to make circuits, games and electronic systems,” says Pi-top. There appear to be LEDs for each of the Pi’s 40 GPIO pins on the front of the mini-PC.

The Pi-top [4] is equipped with the 4GB RAM version of the RPi 4 and has a battery for applications such as a drone, robot, or portable camera. There’s a small OLED display that can be programmed to display information such as sensor data. Four buttons on either side are fully programmable.

Pi-top [4]

The standard price will include a 16GB microSD card with the Raspbian based Pi-topOS. There’s also a power supply, an Ethernet cable, and a hex key.

Pi-topOS includes a new “social making engine” called “Further” for sharing designs, code and projects. Further lets you set up invitation-only workgroups for collaboration.

 
Further information

The Pi-top [4] will launch on Kickstarter, but there’s no launch date or price. Signups for notification can be found on the Pi-top [4] teaser page.