Mini Dual Gigabit Ethernet Base Board for CM5

This compact carrier board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 provides dual-Gigabit Ethernet ports along with a range of features and breakouts to provide a useful platform for network-focussed CM5 projects and applications.

The base board’s dual gigabit Ethernet ports are assisted by a Realtek RTL8111H Gigabit NIC chip, with port 0 using the CM5’s original network port, and port 1 running via PCIe.

The Ethernet ports are conveniently placed alongside a USB-A 3.2 Gen1 port and a USB-C port for 5V power in and programming, ensuring the main cabling routs to the rear of the board for a tidy setup.

On the top of the board you’ll also find BOOT and power buttons to one side, with fan and RTC headers to the rear of the USB port – both using the same connectors as the Raspberry Pi 5 to allow use of the same RTC/fan accessories if desired. A pre-soldered, colour-coded GPIO header is also provided for IO interfacing and supporting the use of HATs.

The underside features a MicroSD card slot for use with CM5 Lite (non-eMMC) variants, system switch solder pads for disabling/enabling various system features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and of course – LED indicators!

CM5 and power supply not included

Features

• Compact carrier board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5
• Compatible header fitting for CM5
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports (CM5 port + PCIe port via RTL8111H)
• USB-C port for 5V power/programming
• USB-A 3.2 Gen1 port
• MicroSD card slot for CM5 Lite variants
• BOOT and Power buttons
• Fan and RTC headers compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 accessories
• Colour-coded GPIO header
• System switch solder pads
• LED indicators

Specifications

What’s onboard?

1. 40-pin GPIO header
   • For connecting HATs
2. CM5 socket
   • Compatible with all variants of Compute Module 5
3. PSW button
4. BOOT button
5. RTC battery header
   • For connecting a rechargeable RTC battery
6. Fan header
   • Connects cooling fan; supports speed control and monitoring
7. RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports
   • Dual ports, 10/100/1000M compatible
   • Ethernet 0: CM5 original network port
   • Ethernet 1: PCIe extended network port
8. USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port
   • For connecting USB devices
9. USB Type-C port
   • 5V power supply or eMMC programming
10. TF card slot
    • For pre-burnt image (Lite variant only)
11. RTL8111H
    • Gigabit NIC chip
12. SYSTEM switch
    • EEPROM_WP: Prevents EEPROM overwrite
    • WiFi_DIS: Disables Wi-Fi (CM5 wireless variants only)
    • BT_DIS: Disables Bluetooth (CM5 wireless variants only)
13. Indicators
    • Red: Power status
    • Green: Working status

Resources

• Product Wiki

Package Contents

• 1x Waveshare Mini Dual Gigabit Ethernet Base Board

CM5 and power supply not included