Back Panel for Raspberry Pi Industrial Automation

Traditionally, Raspberry Pi I/O expansion has relied on the HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) specification, introduced by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. While suitable for hobbyist and small-scale automation projects, HATs have major limitations for industrial use, including:

• Limited scalability

• Small board area (65×56mm)

• No organized wiring plan

• 5V-only power supply

• No serial communication ports

• No watchdog timer

• No real-time clock

• No standard mounting method

To address these limitations, Sequent Microsystems introduces Raspberry Pi HOP (Hardware On Panel) cards, designed specifically for industrial applications. HOP cards offer:

• Unlimited scalability

• Double the board area (84×90mm)

• Predefined wiring plan for cleaner installations

• Multiple serial ports: 2×RS485, 2×RS232, and CAN

• Hardware watchdog timer

• Real-time clock

• 24V power supply

• DIN-rail mountable form factor

  
  

The Sequent Microsystems Back Panel represents a major shift for Raspberry Pi–based industrial systems. It replaces limited vertical stacking with unlimited horizontal I/O expansion, simplifying both wiring and system layout. The back panel includes multiple serial interfaces, a real-time clock, and a hardware watchdog. It can support existing HATs via a compact adapter and natively accepts new open-source I/O cards designed for the panel.

This platform offers a clean, scalable, and standardized foundation for developing, programming, and testing industrial I/O systems powered by the Raspberry Pi or any other pin-compatible single board computer.