Drone-Ready and NDAA-Compliant: ARK Electronics Unveils the "Just a Pi" CM5 Carrier

Drone-Ready and NDAA-Compliant: ARK Electronics Unveils the "Just a Pi" CM5 Carrier

Integrating high-performance edge compute into uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), delivery drones, and autonomous robotics is notoriously tricky. Commercial carrier boards for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module family are often too large, overly heavy, loaded with unnecessary desktop ports, or disqualified from government contracts due to supply chain compliance issues.

ARK Electronics is cutting through the clutter with the release of "Just a Pi".

Designed as a minimalist, flight-ready companion for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5)—while maintaining backward compatibility with the CM4—"Just a Pi" delivers full NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) compliance in a featherlight, ultra-slim footprint tailored for autonomous robotics.

NDAA Compliance for Enterprise & Defense Builds

For defense contractors, commercial drone fleets, and government-funded robotics teams, hardware sourcing is just as critical as raw computing performance:

  • Strict NDAA Sourcing: Engineered and manufactured to adhere strictly to NDAA supply chain guidelines, ensuring safe deployment in government, defense, and enterprise inspection contracts.
  • Streamlined BOM: Avoids prohibited silicon vendors or risky third-party bridge controllers, giving system integrators clear supply chain transparency.

Built Specifically for Flight: Slim, Light, and Rugged

Unlike standard Raspberry Pi breakout boards designed for desktop desks, "Just a Pi" strips away bulky, heavy connectors in favor of weight savings and mechanical stability:

  • Ultra-Compact Footprint: Matches the slim dimensions of the Compute Module itself, easily sliding into tight drone airframes and sealed robotic hulls.
  • Vibration-Proof JST-GH Connectors: Dumps loose, unlatched consumer headers in favor of locking JST-GH industrial connectors that will not shake loose during turbulent flights or high-vibration off-road maneuvers.
  • Weight-Optimized PCB: Engineered with minimal layer mass to maximize battery flight times and payload capacities.

Drone-Centric Peripheral Expansion & Video I/O

Despite its minimalist footprint, "Just a Pi" exposes the critical interfaces required to link high-level companion computer logic with flight controllers:

  • Dual Camera Feeds: Features onboard MIPI CSI camera connectors for stereo vision depth estimation, obstacle avoidance, or high-resolution target tracking.
  • Flight Controller Links: Dedicated serial UART, I2C, and SPI breakout lines interface directly with Pixhawk flight controllers and PX4/ArduPilot autopilots over MAVLink.
  • High-Speed Networking & PCIe: Retains high-speed Ethernet routing and exposed PCIe lanes, allowing engineers to add companion Wi-Fi 6 cards, cellular 4G/5G modems, or micro-NVMe storage.
  • Clean DC Power Input: Engineered with wide-range power regulation and onboard filtering to handle dirty voltage rails straight from drone power distribution boards (PDBs).

The Verdict: The Go-To Companion Compute Core for Drones

Whether you are developing NDAA-certified search-and-rescue UAVs, autonomous warehouse rovers, or smart aerial inspection rigs, ARK Electronics' "Just a Pi" delivers exactly what is needed—and nothing that isn't. It strips away the excess bulk of desktop boards to deliver pure, compliant Raspberry Pi CM5 compute directly into the sky.

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