CM5 with Volumio

Diy and Tweaks
18

Hey @12121937

You have:

  • Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5)
  • 2GB RAM / 16GB eMMC / Non-Wireless
  • No NVMe
  • Only SD Card inserted

Why Volumio is not booting from SD Card

This is not a Volumio limitation.

When using a CM5 with eMMC, the Raspberry Pi bootloader is set to boot from eMMC, and ignores the SD card if valid boot code is found on the eMMC. This is by design of the Raspberry Pi firmware, not Volumio.

  • The internal storage is exposed as /dev/mmcblk0
  • During boot, the firmware selects eMMC and ignores SD card, unless overridden with recovery or reprogramming.

Options

Since you do not have USB boot or NVMe installed, and the SD card is bypassed due to eMMC presence, you must flash Volumio directly to the eMMC to boot.

How to Flash Volumio OS to CM5 eMMC

Required:

  • A working PC or laptop (Windows, Linux, or macOS)
  • USB-C cable (connected to CM5 IO board)
  • Raspberry Pi Imager or usbboot tools
  • Volumio OS .img file for Raspberry Pi

Step-by-Step (Windows/macOS/Linux):

  1. Connect CM5 IO Board

    • Ensure the CM5 module is securely seated on the IO board.
    • Connect USB-C to your PC (this provides data + power).
    • Set the BOOT switch on the IO board to USB Boot (check silkscreen labeling).

  2. Launch Raspberry Pi Imager
    Or use rpiboot if you prefer manual control.

    • If using Imager:

      • Wait for the Compute Module to appear as a mass storage device (takes 5-10 seconds).
      • Select “Custom Image” and choose the Volumio .img file.
      • Flash it directly to the shown “Compute Module” drive.

    • If using command line:

      • Use usbboot tools to expose eMMC as a block device
      • Use dd (Linux/macOS) or balenaEtcher (GUI) to flash the .img file

  3. After Flashing is Complete

    • Power off the board
    • Set the BOOT switch back to eMMC boot
    • Power on the board normally

  4. Network Setup

    • Volumio will either:

      • Broadcast as volumio.local via mDNS (use the Volumio app or browser)
      • Or obtain an IP via Ethernet if connected

    • First boot may take 1-2 minutes to initialize.

Let me know if you need exact commands for rpiboot or are using a Linux-only environment.

Kind Regards,

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