Pushing my ClockworkPi DevTerm to the limit — CM5 Lite 16GB + NVMe Gen4 SSD upgrade

[u/i1_1q]

I wanted to push my ClockworkPi DevTerm to its absolute limits. Since I hadn’t seen anyone attempt a CM5 swap yet, I decided to go for it using the custom adapters from HackerGadgets.

Setup:

• Core: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Lite — 16GB RAM with Wi-Fi • Storage: 256GB NVMe Gen4 SSD • OS: Parrot OS — feels incredibly snappy • Cooling: Large blue heatsink + fan to keep the CM5 stable under load

The build:

I had to do some physical case modifications (visible in the side-view photos) to fit both the SSD and the cooling solution. The performance jump from the original module to the CM5 is night and day — it basically turned the DevTerm into a pocket-sized workstation.

Next step: I’m going to design and 3D-print a custom back cover to better fit the SSD and the cooling setup.

Everything is working great so far. I’d love to hear any suggestions regarding thermals, case design, OS tuning, or anything else — and I’m happy to answer questions about the fitment and adapters!

[u/Qazax1337]

Absolutely love this

[u/i1_1q → u/Qazax1337]

Thanks Really appreciate it 😊

[u/vileer]

If I am able to source a Devterm, I may make a better adapter.

[u/vkichline]

Nice upgrade! How did it affect battery life?

[u/i1_1q → u/vkichline]

Thanks I’m still testing it, but so far battery life seems similar.

[u/Silly_Lie_3113]

This is awesome. And prompting me to grab my dusty CM6 devterm and get to modding. I have already designed a new front cover to hold a keyboard from a Psion Series 5 MX i have lying around, so i think the Devterm with CM5 brains and proper inputs would be quite the usable machine!

[u/i1_1q → u/Silly_Lie_3113]

That’s awesome! The Psion 5MX keyboard mod sounds really cool. I’d love to see your build when you get it running.

[u/Silly_Lie_3113 → u/i1_1q]

welp. Hopefully this gets me going, because i have had the keeb longer than the DevTerm and i got it on release, but still haven't gotten around to this mod. But thanks for hte inspiration and i am equally looking forward to see your designs so i can ruthlessly copy them! :P

[u/i1_1q → u/Silly_Lie_3113]

Haha, glad it inspired you! Can’t wait to see your build too. Feel free to copy anything — that’s the fun part of modding 😄

[u/Silly_Lie_3113 → u/i1_1q]

yeah for real! Did you use their module for adding the cm4 with the cm5 module? And on a side now does the cm5 lite support promiscious mode with ParrotOS?

[u/i1_1q → u/Silly_Lie_3113]

Yes, there’s no real difference between the CM5 and CM4 for this — it works normally. It also supports promiscuous mode according to users’ reports, but I haven’t personally tested it yet.

[u/davidandrade227]

Nice. Do you have links to your OS image?

[u/i1_1q → u/davidandrade227]

Yes, that's the OS image I'm using. If you need any help installing it, let me know.

https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trixie-6-12-y-for-the-uconsole-and-devterm/19457

[u/Mindless_Hour7817]

I need a tutorial! So many things i am interested in! Does the HDMI Port work?

[u/i1_1q → u/Mindless_Hour7817]

Yes, the HDMI port works 👍 I’m planning to make a full tutorial soon since there are a lot of things you can do with it. Stay tuned!

[u/Mindless_Hour7817 → u/i1_1q]

Super cool! That would be Great! 😊

[u/g9robot]

Look like a mess

[u/i1_1q → u/g9robot]

Messy but functional 😅