Timebeat's TimeCard mini Turns a Raspberry Pi CM4 Into a PCI Express High-Precision Time Source

High-precision timing specialist Timebeat has announced the launch of a carrier board which turns a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) system-on-module into a PCI Express (PCIe) precise time synchronization tool.

"TimeCard mini from Timebeat is the industry-leading solution for synchronizing time across multiple devices in local and wide-scale settings," the company claims of its creation. "Adaptable and open-hardware based, the product guarantees complete interoperability and maximum clock sync security. Timebeat offers the perfect solution for environments that require precise accurate sync but don't need state-of-the-art holdover."

The carrier board design is a spin-off from Timebeat's earlier interposer design, which sat between the Raspberry Pi CM4 module and the company's IO Board carrier to add nanosecond-accurate clock capabilities from temperature-corrected GNSS time signals. Somewhat confusingly, though, the interposer was originally known as the TimeCard mini too — though has since been renamed to the "Raspberry Pi CM4 Multi-Constellation GPS/GNSS Module."

Designed based on work carried out as part of the Open Compute Project's Time Appliances Project (TAP), the TimeCard mini is very much aimed at data center and industrial use-cases — something reflected in its pricing, with the carrier board itself costing £295 (around $364) rising to £695 (around $856) for the "Complete Edition" with bundled Compute Module 4, GNSS interposer, and an "AI Smart Sensor" expansion board which includes inertial measurement unit (IMU), temperature, pressure, humidity, light, and gas sensors.

That's a hefty price, though a considerable discount on the company's other nanosecond-capable timing devices: The Timebeat OCP-TAP Timecard, designed to turn a server into a Grandmaster time system, is priced at £4,995 (around $6,155) in its standard edition rising to £17,995.95 (around $22,176) for the top-end low-noise chip-scale atomic clock (LN-CSAC) variant.

"We strive to make high precision clock synchronization tools and technology accessible to the world at great value and to fit any budget," Timebeat claims. "Through working heavily in the OCP-TAP working group and community we are paving the way to democratize precision timing and revolutionize the technology landscape with the possibilities which are enabled through precision timekeeping."

More information on the TimeCard mini is available on the Timebeat website.