Raspberry Pi IoT shield offers 1-wire, Grove, PMOD, and more

Apr 1, 2016 — by Eric Brown 2,213 views

Pi 2 Design’s 502IoT Shield for the RPi Pi B+ 2 and 3 offers sensor expansion via 1-Wire, Grove, and PMOD I/O connectors, plus WiFi, Ethernet, M.2, USB, and more.

Pi 2 Design, a Rhode Island based Raspberry Pi accessory spinoff of Cogent Computers, recently shipped a Kickstarter funded, Cogent-manufactured CSB502SSD multifunction SSD shield for the Linux-oriented Pi SBC. Now it’s counterpunching with an Internet of Things shield that it has manufactured on its own.

The 502IoT Shield is also referred to as the Pi2Embedded 502IoT Shield. Pi2Embedded is the embedded division of Pi 2 Design. In addition to launching the 502IoT Shield, the company is relaunching the “Zero Shield” from its failed Indiegogo campaign as a 504SSD shield. The 504SSD offers up to 256GB storage, WiFi, USB ports, and more for the Raspberry Pi Zero (see farther below).

502IoT Shield, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

The 502IoT Shield supports the B+ version of the Raspberry Pi 2 and 64-bit, WiFi-enabled Raspberry Pi 3. It also supports any device with a Pi-compatible, 40-pin connector, including Hardkernel’s Odroid C1+ and Odroid-C2.

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The $79 and up 502IoT Shield supports sensor-driven IoT gateway applications including home and building automation, HVAC, and security. Other applications are said to include transportation, agricultural automation, factory automation, and process control.

502IoT Shield detail view, with Raspberry Pi board functions shown in green
(click image to enlarge)

The 502IoT Shield adds to the Pi with I/O including SPI, I2C, analog, and digital/PWM via a buffered 1-Wire bus, as well as Grove and PMOD I/O expansion connectors. The shield also provides a second 10/100 Ethernet port, two more USB ports, and an M.2 SSD storage socket.

The built-in WiFi module will be welcome to owners of the wireless-bereft Pi 2 and Odroid boards. Other features include audio out, an RTC, and a 1-Wire based onboard temperature sensor.

502IoT Shield (left) and block diagram
(click images to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the 502IoT Shield include:

Storage — M.2 socket (PL2571 controller) for up to 256GB storage
Wireless — 802.11b/g/n via GWF-3M08 module (Ralink RT5370) with IPEX connector
Other I/O:
- LAN9514 Combo with 10/100 Ethernet port and USB hub (see below)
- 2x USB 2.0 Type A with High-Retention sockets (2.1A peak, 1.5A continuous)
- Micro-USB port (connects to one of Pi’s USB ports)
- Grove I/O Connectors – 4 x analog 8-Channel, 8-bit @188Khz ADC, 4 x digital 1.562Khz PWM, 4 x I2C, 1 x UART
- PMOD I/O Connectors –12-pin SPI with dual chip select; 4-pin I2C PMOD
- I2C-to-1Wire interface
- Audio out — 24-bit, 48-384Khz (PCM5102A DAC via RPi I2S bus)
- 40-pin connector for Pi
Other features:
- DS18B20 temp sensor w/64-bit ID with DS2482S-100 I2C to 1-Wire controller
- RTC — (DS1339) with 16mm coin cell
Power:
- 8V to 24V input, internal [email protected] switching supply and various DC/DC converters for powering onboard components, peripherals, and the RPi
504SSD shield — SSD expansion for the Pi Zero

Pi 2 Design launched an Indiegogo campaign for a “Zero Shield” for the Raspberry Pi Zero that earned only 27 percent of its $10,000 goal when it ended Jan. 26. Yet, the company is moving forward with the project under the name 504SSD — Solid State Drive Shield for Pi Zero. Elsewhere this is somewhat confusingly called the CSB502SSD-PZ, which is very similar to the earlier Pi 2 connected CSB502SSD.

504SSD prototype, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

Like the CSB502SSD, the 504SSD adds SSD storage and I/O to the Pi, but it focuses specifically on the stripped down, $5 and up Raspberry Pi Zero, and has a 65 x 30mm form factor to match. Instead of offering up to 1TB of storage via mSATA, it provides an M.2 socket for an up to 256GB SSD.

Other 504SSD features include dual USB ports, as well as the same WiFi module, RTC, and temperature sensor found on the 502IoT Shield. The company offers a signup for pre-order notification, although it’s unclear if it’s available for the same $49 retail price offered by the failed Indiegogo campaign, or if it’s still expected to ship in April.

Coming up: shields for HMI and PoE

Pi 2 Design has also posted some renders of two new Pi shields listed as “coming soon.” The 502HMI Human Machine Interface Shield converts the Pi 2’s HDMI output to drive “virtually any LCD screen up to 1920 x 1080, along with resistive or capacitive touch technology,” says the company.

Renderings: 502HMI Shield front/back (upper row) and 502POE Shield front/back
(click images to enlarge)

The upcoming 502POE Power over Ethernet Shield, meanwhile, “allows the RPi 2 to be powered using low cost Cat3/5 Ethernet cabling.” Pre-order notification signups are available for both upcoming shields.

Further information

The 502IoT Shield is available now for $79, or $89 with a [email protected] power supply, and $99 with a [email protected] supply. More information may be found at Pi 2 Design’s 502IoT Shield product page.
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