Edgedevices.io’s second-gen “Pi-oT 2” Raspberry Pi automation add-on offers 8x ADCs, 6x digital outputs, and Ethernet plus options including a 2-hour UPS, RS485, 4x 24V digital inputs, and a 12-24VDC input.

Last year, Cleveland-based Pi-oT, now called Edgedevices.io, launched a Kickstarter campaign for a Pi-oT industrial controller add-on for the Raspberry Pi that is housed within a DIN-rail mountable chassis. Edgedevices.io has now returned to Kickstarter with a Pi-oT 2 model loaded with plenty of new features including DIDO and an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) while losing the 5x relays of the original.

Pi-oT 2, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

The $89 to $149 early bird prices are only good for today, Nov. 23. Tomorrow the prices jump by 20 percent apiece. The Kickstarter campaign, which is over halfway to its 5K goal, runs through Dec. 21, with shipments due in January.

Like the original, the Pi-oT 2 provides a DIN-rail or screw-mountable chassis and an 8-channel Analog to Digital (ADC) converter. The 8x ADCs are designed for reading sensors and data-logging and can be configured as pseudo-differential inputs.

Other standard features missing from the original include 6x Open Collector digital outputs for up to 50V/500mA. “The simplified circuitry is controlled via GPIO, eliminating the need for drivers or auxiliary libraries,” says Edgedevices.io. There is also a 5V input, an integrated fan, and unlike the original, an Ethernet jumper for connecting the Raspberry Pi.

Pi-oT 2 Precision Series detail views
(click images to enlarge)

In addition to this standard $89 model, there is a $109 Pi-oT 2 +Plus package that adds the UPS. The power supply integrates up to two LiFePO4 batteries for up to two hours back up power.

The $149 Pi-oT 2 Precision Series provides the features of the +Plus model and adds a wide-range, 12-24V DC input, an RS485 interface, and 4x IEC-61131-2 compliant 24V digital inputs. The opto-isolated 24V inputs enable input from industrial devices such as PLCs or switches. The standard and +Plus models instead use GPIO for inputs. In addition, the 8x ADCs on the Precision Series are “refined and tuned” to offer up to 12-bit accuracy instead of 10 bits.

In February, Edgedevices.io launched a $35 MKR Module for the Raspberry Pi on Kickstarter. The add-on board routes unused GPIO pins to screw terminals and supplies a fan, a breadboard, and circuit protection.

 
Further information

Early bird pricing for the Pi-oT 2 boards are available only on Nov. 23 for the first 24 hours before increasing by 20 percent apiece. The Kickstarter campaign runs through Dec. 21 and shipments are due in January. Early bird prices are $89 (Pi oT 2), $109 (Pi oT 2 +Plus), and $149 (Pi oT 2 Precision Series). More information may be found on Edgedevices.io’s Pi-oT 2 Kickstarter page.