The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) is a delightfully capable board, suitable for a variety of projects and recognized for its PCIe support. This maker, known on GitHub as Mehdi, designed a custom PCB for the CM4 to provide tools and connectors for NAS projects.
The PCB was created using an open-source application called KiCAD. The idea was to create access to necessary inputs on the CM4, like PCIe and I2C while providing elements like an Ethernet jack for hard-wired network connections.
The project was developed using the official CM4 IO board. This carrier board was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which also made the KiCAD files available to everyone as a free download. This proved to be a viable starting place for the NAS PCB as it already has a few of the needed components mapped and a section designated for the CM4 to attach.
The current version of Mehdi’s NAS PCB includes a PCIe x1 Gen 2 slot, master/slave USB, an Ethernet port, full-sized HDMI, and access to 9 GPIO pins. You can read more about the specs in detail on the official GitHub project page. According to Mehdi, the board is working as intended, but minor future revisions are likely.
Check out our list of Best Raspberry Pi Projects for more awesome creations from the maker community.