Gathering the required items

- Home Assistant Yellow installation with NVMe SSD drive and CM4 Lite
- Ethernet cable
Additionally, make sure you have the following items which are not part of the Kit
- Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Lite
- USB-C cable
- Heat sink: You can use the heat sink shipped with Yellow. If you want, you can also use the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Passive Cooler. However, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Active Cooler is not supported on Home Assistant Yellow. There is no fan plug providing the required 5V and PWM signals.
- If you are using PoE, make sure your router or switch provides PoE on that port
- Optional: Power supply (12 V / 2 A, if PoE is not used)
- Flat nose pliers
Preparation steps:
- Make sure you installed Home Assistant Operating System version 14 or later.
- Make sure you have created a backup.
Opening the case
Step 1
Protecting from ESD
Grounding protects the components from the static electricity that can be naturally present (electrostatic discharge, ESD).
- Notice: Risk of damage to the equipment due to electrostatic discharge. Always: Touch the working surface before touching electronics.
- Ideally: Use ESD protective equipment, such as ESD table mats and grounding cords.
Step 2
Removing the case - bottom part
- Remove the 4 screws on the bottom of the Home Assistant Yellow Kit.
- Keep the thumb screws close by; you will need them again later.
Step 3
Removing the case - top part
- Make sure the interfaces are facing towards your left.
- Flip the case over.
- Slightly lift off the enclosure on your left.
- Slide the enclosure off towards your right.
Removing the Raspberry Pi Compute Module
Step 1
Removing the heat sink
- Use the pliers and squeeze the front of the pin so that it fits through the hole.
- Repeat the procedure for the other pin.
Step 2
Removing the Raspberry Pi Compute Module
- Info: The image shows a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. The steps are the same for the Compute Module 5.
- Notice: To avoid damage to the module, ideally, the module should be pulled up vertically. But this is hard to do.
- Pull up the module from one side, tilting as little as possible. Tilting can damage the connector.
- Info: This requires quite a bit of force. If it does not work, pull harder.
- Notice: Do not use a screw driver as a lever. It might damage the board.
Seating the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5
Step 1
Align the Compute Module
- Place the board in front of you, the red and blue buttons facing to the right.
- Orient the CM5: The Raspberry Pi text needs to be on the right hand side.
- Carefully place the CM5 without force.
- The CM5 should fall into place slightly when correctly aligned.
Step 2
Installing the CM5
- Press the Compute Module 5 onto the board-to-board connectors until it clicks into place.
- Make sure you press on both sides (the two long edges).
- This requires quite a bit of force. If you don't hear a loud click, it is most likely not fully seated.
- It has been reported that on some boards, there is no click sound when pressing the module onto the board. It can still be seated correctly.
- Do a visual check to make sure the module is installed correctly: it needs to run parallel to the Home Assistant Yellow board. You can also pull a bit on the sides to make sure it is not loose.
- Notice: Don't use screws to fix the module in place. The screws can damage the CM5 module.
Step 3
Placing the thermal pads
- Place the square thermal pad on the silver CPU.
- Place the rectangular thermal pad on the black rectangular chip.
Step 4
Placing the heat sink
- Push the 2 plastic push pins into the dedicated hole on the heat sink.
- Start by first aligning the right plastic push pins into the dedicated hole on the carrier board.
- Then, place the heat sink onto the module.
Step 5
Securing the heat sink
- Take the entire board off your workplace and push the pins firmly through the carrier board.
- Ensure that the module is still fully seated after securing the heat sink.
Reassembling your Home Assistant Yellow
Step 1
Preparation
- Place the translucent bottom part of the case onto the table.
- Make sure the two round notches form a line pointing towards the top right corner.
Step 2
Reassembling - bottom part
- Place the board onto the bottom part of the case.
- Make sure the USB connectors are facing upwards, away from you.
Step 3
Reassembling - top part
- Turn the enclosure upside down.
- Then, slide the push buttons into the openings of the case.
Step 4
Mounting the case
- Insert the 4 thumb screws.
- Notice: Risk of damage to the equipment due to excessive force. Do not over-tighten the screws.
Powering up
Step 1
Power up your Home Assistant Yellow
- Connect Ethernet and power.
- Start up may take a while. Once the yellow LED blinks in a heartbeat pattern, the system is up and running.
Step 2
Getting started with Home Assistant
- Open Home Assistant:
- Visit http://homeassistant.local:8123 to access the Home Assistant frontend.
- As your data is stored on the NVMe, your dashboard comes up as usual. No additional steps required.