Sfera Labs launches hybrid industrial edge server for Raspberry Pi
Sfera Labs has begun shipping Strato Pi Plus, a hybrid industrial edge server that combines the Raspberry Pi 4B or 5 with a dedicated RP2354 co-processor in a compact 4-module DIN-rail enclosure. The device solves a problem that has long frustrated industrial automation engineers: how to deploy a Linux single-board computer in the field while keeping the reliability guarantees that industrial applications demand.
The RP2354 co-processor runs entirely independently of the Raspberry Pi, managing the hardware watchdog, power cycle logic, RS-485 TX-enable, CAN communication, relay output, fan control, and input power monitoring. If the Raspberry Pi OS becomes unresponsive, the RP2354 detects and recovers the system automatically — with no software running on the Raspberry Pi required. OTA firmware updates to the RP2354 are delivered over Raspberry Pi GPIO, so deployed fleets can be updated in the field without physical access.
Variant A of Strato Pi Plus offers four individually isolated RS-485 interfaces — each built around the Analog Devices ADM2861E transceiver with ESD protection and programmable termination. For engineers managing multi-bus Modbus RTU networks, this eliminates external RS-485 gateways entirely.
Variants A and B supports both CAN 2.0B and CAN FD at up to 8 Mbps data rates, with galvanic isolation and ESD protection — making Strato Pi Plus equally at home in machine networks and vehicle or fleet telemetry applications.
Wide-voltage supply, precision RTC, and hardware security built in
The power supply accepts 10÷50 V DC, covering 12 V, 24 V, and 48 V industrial rails without an external converter. An NXP PCF2131 real-time clock with a temperature-compensated oscillator (±3 ppm) keeps accurate time through power interruptions, while the Microchip ATECC608 secure element provides hardware key storage, and other standard cryptographic functions for device authentication and secure communications.
An optional 3-axis accelerometer enables tamper detection and vibration monitoring. An optional internal fan, controlled by the RP2354, activates on user-configurable temperature thresholds.
Strato Pi Plus is available in Variant A (4× RS-485, CAN FD, relay), Variant B (1× RS-485, CAN FD, relay), and Variant C (1× RS-485). All variants are available with Raspberry Pi 4B or 5, in memory configurations from 1 GB to 16 GB, with optional internal fan and are CE, FCC, IC compliant. Linux drivers expose all RP2354-managed parameters via the sysfs file system, enabling integration from any language or framework.
Raspberry Pi 5 models will add optional M.2 SSD storage support in late 2026 — making Strato Pi Plus one of the very few industrial DIN-rail Raspberry Pi platforms to offer this capability, alongside Sfera Labs’ own Strato Pi Max. For deployments that require fast local storage, data logging at scale, or local AI model inference, onboard SSD support removes a significant constraint that has historically pushed engineers towards more expensive or proprietary solutions.
