Xerxes for CM4 and CM5 - Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, Radxa and Luckfox Compatible

Description The Xerxes Pi is a versatile and robust carrier board designed to support Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4), Compute Module 5 (CM5), and the Radxa CM5, providing a unified platform for high-performance embedded and edge-compute applications. Built with compatibility and longevity in mind, Xerxes Pi accommodates the differing power, I/O, and signalling requirements of modern compute modules, enabling developers to evaluate, deploy, and scale across multiple ecosystems without redesigning their base hardware. Optional metal heatsink sold separately or as a bundle. Core Compatibility Feature Details Compute Modules Raspberry Pi® CM4 and CM5, Radxa® CM5, OrangePi CM5, Luckfox, and other Compute Module compatible boards. M.2 The M.2 connector follows the PCIe specifications documented by Raspberry Pi in their CM5 datasheet. Ethernet On-board Gigabit Ethernet PHY using the Broadcom BCM54210PE which is IEEE 1588-2008 compliant with MDI crossover, pair skew and pair polarity correction. Fan Connector Standard header pin fan connector. USB Power connector is USB-C with data connections handled by micro USB 2.0. GPIO VCC and Ground Pins, I2C pins for SDA and SCL, Fan Control header pins. POE Power over Ethernet header holes connect to an optional daughterboard. Form Factor & Physical Feature Details Dimensions 120mm × 40mm. Standard Fractional Nano ITX. Mounting Aligned for 1U chassis density; side-to-side airflow. Stackable Array-ready Designed to slot into a blade or sled within a dense server chassis. Please see further down for a video describing the process for stacking a mini rack. Connectivity Feature Details Networking 1× Gigabit Ethernet RJ45. USB 1 micro USB 2.0 port for data. Power 1 USB-C port for power. PCIe 1× PCIe x1 via onboard M.2 M-key slot. Display via optional M.2 Oculink® board to optional PCIe Graphics board, including latest generation AMD GPU graphics cards. Storage Options Feature Details Onboard eMMC (from compute module) M.2 slot Key M for NVMe or SATA SSD. microSD card slot Only for CM4 or CM5 Lite versions. microSD care is reserved for compute module cards which do not contsrain storage memory. Power Feature Details Input Voltage 5V DC via USB-C connector. Power Efficiency Optimized low-power draw (~5–8W per module under load) power draw may vary depending on the M.2 care used. Cluster Integration Features Feature Details I2C/GPIO headers for board management, fan control, or daughter card modules. POE connector compatibility for integrated POE daughterboard. LED indicators Power, Activity, Network status. Rack Enclosures Available in 19″ and mini-rack sizes, open source and pre-printed with links to sliced models up soon for download here. Power over Ethernet (PoE) Subsystem PoE Standard: IEEE 802.3af (15.4W) or 802.3at (30W) PoE Module: Integrated PoE PD controller DC Output: 5V regulated to power both the host motherboard and daughterboard Isolation: Galvanically isolated Ethernet transformer + TVS protection RJ45 Port: Routed from the Xerxes Pi Board-to-Board Interface Connector: Dual-row 0.5 mm or 0.8 mm pitch high-density mezzanine connector Signals: 5V, 3.3V power SPI, I2C, UART Ethernet pass-through or GPIO-triggered power control Optional Features: EEPROM for daughterboard ID/config Onboard status LED indicators The board exposes a comprehensive set of interfaces suitable for industrial, commercial, and advanced prototyping use cases, including high-speed networking, storage expansion, and peripheral connectivity. Careful attention is given to power delivery and signal integrity to ensure reliable operation across demanding workloads, including configurations that combine PoE, NVMe storage, and high-throughput peripherals. Its compact, stackable form factor allows for dense deployments and easy integration into space-constrained enclosures. Designed for developers and system integrators, Xerxes Pi balances accessibility with extensibility. Standard connectors, clear routing, and flexible expansion options make it well suited for rapid development, while its electrically robust design supports long-term, production-grade deployments. By bridging multiple compute module platforms on a single carrier, Xerxes Pi reduces development friction and provides a future-ready foundation for embedded systems, edge AI, and networked devices. Additional information Weight 0.03 kg Dimensions 120 × 40 × 10 cm Xerxes Pi Data Sheet