A hands-on review of Raspberry Pi's new CM5 Programming Jig, a $600 device that automates flashing OS images onto Compute Module 5 units, solving a major pain point for anyone provisioning multiple CM5s. The Jig uses pogo pins ('bed of nails') for more reliable connections than older Hirose connector test jigs, works out of the box with Raspberry Pi's rpi-sb-provisioner and pi-gen tools, and is compared to Everypin's pricier ($2500) CM5 Flash Jig alternative. The walkthrough covers flashing Jig OS, building custom Pi OS images with pi-gen on macOS, and using the Jig's local web UI to monitor provisioning, concluding the tool is best suited for small businesses and systems integrators rather than hobbyists.
Table of contents
Demo of the CM5 Programming JigProgramming and Testing JigsGetting the Programming Jig Readypi-gen to build an OS Imagerpi-sb-provisioner to Provision the CM5sConclusionQuestions this post answers
What does the Raspberry Pi CM5 Programming Jig cost and what does it do?
The Raspberry Pi CM5 Programming Jig costs $600 and lets businesses flash OS images onto Compute Module 5 units at scale using a bed of pogo pins that contact test pads on the bottom of each CM5. It works out of the box with Raspberry Pi's own tools, rpi-sb-provisioner and pi-gen, and includes a local web UI for monitoring flashing progress and logging MAC addresses and serial numbers. Anyone weighing hardware provisioning tools can follow ongoing coverage of devices like this on daily.dev.
How does the Raspberry Pi CM5 Programming Jig compare to Everypin's CM5 Flash Jig?
The Raspberry Pi Jig costs $600 versus roughly $2500 for Everypin's CM5 Flash Jig, making it far more accessible for smaller production runs while Everypin's version targets larger operations willing to pay a premium for its open source Python libraries. Both use pogo-pin test points, but Everypin also published detailed documentation of the CM5 test point locations. Developers comparing hardware provisioning options can track tool comparisons like this on daily.dev.
What Raspberry Pi Imager version is required to flash Jig OS onto the CM5 Programming Jig?
Jig OS must be flashed onto the Programming Jig using Raspberry Pi Imager version 2.0.11 or later. After that, custom Raspberry Pi OS images built with pi-gen can be transferred to the Jig, and CM5 modules are provisioned by inserting them for the Jig to flash automatically, with the status LED turning green when complete. Makers setting up Pi provisioning workflows can keep tabs on tooling details like this via daily.dev.