Raspberry Pi 4 and Monarco HAT? Looking for testers!

Get the Monarco HAT board with a discount and help us test it with Raspberry Pi 4.

Why is testing needed?

The youngest member of the Raspberry Pi family, the Raspberry Pi 4 minicomputer, has been on the market since June 2019. It brings a more powerful quad-core CPU, two HDMI ports for dual display solutions, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and bigger RAM (up to 4GB).

Alongside these changes the connectors have been moved to new locations, resulting in the need of a new enclosure for the Monarco HAT and Raspberry Pi 4.

Monarco HAT in an eclosure for Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3
Metal enclosure for Monarco HAT and Raspberry Pi 4 (left) vs Raspberry Pi 3 (right)

From the perspective of the Monarco HAT, the most important news is the increased heat generated by the new and more powerful CPU, which is our main concern and the primary reason for extensive testing.

Our internal testing shows that the Raspberry Pi 4 works well with the Monarco HAT in applications and projects for which the Monarco HAT was designed for, i.e. data acquisition (DAQ), data logging, monitoring of machines and processes, collecting data from legacy PLCs, (I)IoT gateway, etc.

Under light load (*), the CPU temperature settles around 66.5°C in Raspberry Pi 4, compared to 62.5°C in Raspberry Pi 3B+. In both models we use the latest Raspbian Desktop OS with no tweaks. As you can see in the image from thermal camera below, there are only slight differences also in the surface temperatures of the metal enclosures.

*) 3000 high-pass filters (LLC blocks), executed each 5 milliseconds by REXYGEN runtime core

Infrared photo of Monarco HAT on a DIN rail, Raspberry Pi 3 and 4
Standard and infrared photo of Monarco HAT in an enclosure with Raspberry Pi 3B+ (left), Raspberry Pi 4 (center) and again Raspbery Pi 3B+ (right). All are running the same algorithm (light load).

When a synthetic stress test is started, temperatures rapidly grow to 85°C where the CPU is throttled (CPU frequency is lowered to reduce power) to avoid further overheating and damage (see the time plot below). CPU throttling happens significantly sooner in RPi4 (32 seconds) compared to 220 seconds in RPi 3B+. It is important to keep in mind that the full CPU power induced by the stress test is about 4 times higher in the case of RPi4. Ambient temperature during the test was 25°C, the devices under testing were mounted in vertical position on a DIN-rail.

Playing a bit more with the RPi4 we observed it's no problem to overheat it while e.g. watching Full HD videos on YouTube, but that's hardly the case in typical projects in industrial automation.

CPU stress test, Raspberry Pi 4 vs. 3B+
A synthetic CPU stress test on a Raspberry Pi 4 and 3B+. Moderate load (left and right part) vs full load (middle part). Ambient temperature 25°C.
Temperatures in a synthetic test vs. real-world testing
Sure, the thermal management and heat dissipation in Raspberry Pi 4 deserves our attention. But how serious is the problem? Is it a blocker for using Raspberry Pi 4 in industrial automation? What behaviour and performance will we observe in real-world projects and applications? That's exactly where we need your help with the testing.

How exactly can you help us?

  • 1
    Get Monarco HAT and metal enclosure for Raspberry Pi 4
    Use this special occasion to get our products with a discount.
  • 2
    Use Raspberry Pi 4 with Monarco HAT in your project
    Both completely new projects and upgrades of existing projects are highly welcome. It does not matter what software and tools you are using for programming, we want to hear from all of you.
  • 3
    Provide feedback
    Let us know the results of your testing. We're looking for projects where the thermal management of Raspberry Pi 4 poses a problem.
  • 4
    Get your reward
    Your feedback is invaluable for us and we'll be happy to reward you for providing it.

Willing to participate? Welcome on board!

Use your discount code before Wednesday, January 29th 2020, 12:00 Central European Time, and enjoy your 30 EUR discount.
Choose one of the options below.

Monarco HAT in enclosure for DIN rail mounting

Assembled kit

Monarco HAT, Raspberry Pi 4, metal enclosure. Preinstalled OS.
187 EUR
More information
Monarco HAT and Raspberry Pi in a DIN-rail enclosure. Horizontal, with connector and temperature probe.

Assembled kit with temperature probe

Monarco HAT, Raspberry Pi 4, metal enclosure, temperature probe. Preinstalled OS.
188 EUR
More information
Monarco HAT with wireframe of DIN rail enclosure

Barebone kit

Monarco HAT and metal enclosure
118 EUR
More information

Assembled kit

  • Monarco HAT add-on board
    Analog and digital I/Os, RS-485 and 1-Wire bus for the Raspberry Pi
  • Metal enclosure
    A robust and compact enclosure to mount the Raspberry Pi 4 and Monarco HAT on a DIN-rail
  • Raspberry Pi 4
    Quad-core 1.5 GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM (optional upgrade to 4 GB)
  • 16 GB micro SD card, preinstalled
    Transcend Ultimate microSDHC Class 10 UHS-I 600x, flashed with the latest Raspbian Desktop OS
  • Fully assembled
    Everything is assembled and ready for use. You just provide a 12V/24V power supply and you are ready to go.
  • Additional 40 EUR for providing feedback
    We'll reward your feedback with additional discount.

Assembled kit with temperature probe

  • All hardware items from Assembled kit
    Yes, you simply get them all. See above.
  • Temperature probe
    1-Wire temperature sensor (DS18B20) in a stainless housing for your temperature-related experiments. Range -55°C to 125°C.
  • Fully assembled
    Everything is assembled and ready for use. You just provide a 12V/24V power supply and you are ready to go.
  • Additional 40 EUR for providing feedback
    We'll reward your feedback with additional discount.

Barebone kit

  • Monarco HAT add-on board
    Analog and digital I/Os, RS-485 and 1-Wire bus for the Raspberry Pi
  • Metal enclosure
    A robust and compact enclosure to mount the Raspberry Pi 4 and Monarco HAT on a DIN-rail
  • Additional 40 EUR for providing feedback
    We'll reward your feedback with additional discount.

Are you in? Let's do it!

Help us test the Monarco HAT with Raspberry Pi 4 and get your rewards.

Get the Monarco HAT

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Anything from the list below on your mind?

I've never used Monarco HAT. Is this for me?

Sure thing! Starting a new project with the most up-to-date hardware platform is always a good idea. Plus we'll reward you for doing so!

I'm already using Monarco HAT with Raspberry Pi 3B+ or older. Should I care?

The official announcement is that Raspberry Pi 3B+ will remain in production until at least January 2026. But you know that availability and lead times are always superior in the latest models of hardware, don't you?

Will I need some special hardware or equipment for testing?

Not at all. The main concern is the CPU temperature, which is measured internally. Though it's good to measure ambient temperature during your experiments, therefore an external temperature sensor might become handy. You can order one along with your testing kit.

Can I get only the Monarco HAT add-on board and the metal enclosure?

Sure you can. Just go for the "Barebone kit" in the order form.

Can I get the Monarco HAT without the metal enclosure?

Yes you can, just follow the link from homepage. In such a case you cannot use your discount code. At the moment we are focused on testing the Monarco HAT and Raspberry Pi 4 inside the metal enclosure.

Are you using some passive heat sink or a fan?

Not at all, we always use the plain Raspberry Pi and mount the Monarco HAT on top of it.

What Raspberry Pi models are supported?

At the moment we are focused on Raspberry Pi 4. In general, the Monarco HAT board works well with Raspberry Pi models B+, 2, 3, 3B+ and 4.

Can I use multiple HATs with a single Raspberry Pi?

No, HATs are not stackable by definition. A HAT has to have an EEPROM onboard that automatically configures it. This mechanism does not support stacking.

When will I receive my Monarco HAT?

We'll ship all the Monarco HATs in the first week of February 2020. Delivery time is about 3-5 business days within Europe and 10-12 days outside Europe.

Is there any new or updated HAT which is the subject of testing?

No, the Monarco HAT is absolutely the same which we use with Raspberry Pi 3B+ or older model. The news is the Raspberry Pi 4 and the metal enclosure to mount it on a DIN rail. The enclosure was redesigned to align with the repositioned connectors of the Raspberry Pi 4.

Will you still support older Raspberry Pi models?

Nothing to worry about! As long as Raspberry Pi 3B+ or older models are on the market, we'll support them and have the metal enclosures in stock.

I'm already using Monarco HAT with Raspberry Pi 4. How can I help?

Thumbs up for being a step ahead! Get in touch, we'll love to hear about your experience and findings. We'll find a way to reward you as well 😉
Yes, I want to participate in testing of the Monarco HAT
  • Raspberry Pi is a trademark of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
  • 1-Wire is a trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.