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Raspberry Pi Unveils New $5 Mini-computer
An anonymous reader writes: The Raspberry Pi Foundation unveiled the Pi Zero, a new $5 mini-computer, Thursday morning. The board is the smallest Raspberry Pi yet, containing the first-gen Raspberry Pi's BCM2835 chip (safely overclocked to 1GHz) and 512MB RAM. The latest issue of The Magpi will include a free Raspberry Pi Zero and hits U.K. newsstands Thursday. The announcement came just a few days before the highly anticipated C.H.I.P. $9 mini-computer goes on sale to the public.
puddingebola writes: How can they achieve this price, you may ask? "Its 40-pin GPIO header has identical pinouts, although the pads on the circuit board are "unpopulated," meaning you'll have to solder on your own connector. The same goes for the composite video output: The connection is available, but if you need a socket, you must solder it yourself." Dude, go to Radio Shack.
Some relevant specs besides those mentioned above, from the blog post linked:
- Micro-SD card slot
- mini-HDMI socket for 1080p60 video output
- Micro-USB sockets for data and power
- Identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B
- An unpopulated composite video header
- "Our smallest ever form factor, at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm"
New submitter graffitiwriter adds a note that the newest Pi has "already been turned into a retro gaming console. It turns out the Pi Zero is more than capable of running Retro Pie and other emulators, and even has a video output that lets you play games on an old CRT TV."
Dude, go to Radio Shack.
Or not. Mostly you can only buy consumer electronics there now.
soylentnews.org
Aren't they the size of a filing cabinet?
Rather than having to use an adapter to connect a usb dongle...
Hard to see how it can be useful for IoT - if it can't (easily) connect to the internet...
Heres hoping they come out with a Wifi version.
That costs $3.14?
So, I remember when a fairly sizable tower was considered a "mini computer" ... hell, I think it was a friggin' VAX.
And the desktop PC was considered a "micro-computer".
Now we have this mini-micro computer called a mini-computer.
This is all very complicated. :-P
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
The Pi Zero magazine offer costs 5.99 British Pounds, NOT $5. The cost in U.S. dollars is ~$13.
Naturally, you'll still need to add several more dollars for case, power supply, microSD card...
None the less, this is a very good price and a fantastic form factor. Based on the headline, I had hoped that this would supplant the Arduino. But, not yet.
"Why isn't it more powerful, I can get a Beaglebone/Banana Pi/Intel board for just a little more money with a faster processor"
"Why isn't it less powerful, the Arduino is more efficient"
"Why can't I have exactly what I imagine in my head for an impossibly small amount of money"
"It doesn't have ethernet/wifi/component video/USB hub so is therefore useless"
"The video code isn't free therefore IT IS PURE EVIL"
A computer as a magazine cover freebie is pretty cool...
Back in the 90s I joked that computers would become so ubiquitous that they would some away when buying a box of laundry powder.... not far away now...
The ENIAC Demo Competition
This is why we have smart TVs. If Pi can come in at $5, just imagine how little the likes of Samsung and Sony can fab SoCs - with happen to run Linux based OSes. Incredible really, for those of us that used to use mainframes with exchangeable discs.
Now the only question is: does the USB and Eth share the same bus?
Linux has been available in laundry detergent, at Wallmart, since around 2004.
Too bad there's no ethernet, surely they could make a custom miniature connector with 8 pins and a cable adaptor to rj45.
I just cleaned out the local WH Smiths... Had to explain the bundle of the same magazine to the cashier. :-)
At that price there's a wide range of things both Linux and bare metal you can use them for.
So, we have:
ATX
ITX
mini-ITX
micro-ITX
nano-ITX
and even pico-ITX
yet this is smaller, so I propose:
femto-ITX
Next, we will have computers so small that if you drop it on the floor, we will need to use the same procedure for contact lenses.
Last time I stepped foot in there, they tried to sell me a overpriced phone, with an overpriced contract, with an overpriced "protection plan", some overpriced phone accessories, and some overpriced replacement batteries.
Radioshack should just rename itself CellPhoneShack.
The closest thing they have to radios are the disabled AM/FM radios in the overpriced cellphones they sell.
As is, this Raspberry is quite useless... You need to add
- a SD card
- some header
- an USB Hub
- Some adapters (micro-USB to USB host, HDMI)
- Some network dongle (Wifi or RJ45)
- You can use the video composite output... but you don't have any sound output so video composite is rather useless and you need to use more expensive HDMI monitors
When you add all these hidden costs, you get a price similar to Raspberry 1 or 2... in a much less practical form.
They stripped the card of everything possible to reach that 5$ price tag... which make me think that they wanted to undercut the C.H.I.P. which is going out in a couple of month and will be 9$...
Useless product... Microcontrollers (AVR/PIC/...) or conventionnal Raspberry/BBB/... are much more useful.
so either a raspberry with hdmi but no wifi/BT,
or
a chip with wifi/BT but no hdmi
is it too hard to ask for both? at 4€ maybe? :)
Years ago, you bought a computer, and got a free magazine.
Now, you buy a magazine, and get a free computer!
what a world we live in!
It's a decent motherboard... but as a minicomputer? LIRC, computers did have plugs for monitors, keyboards/mouse, wifi/network, and USB hosting. This looks more like a incomplete motherboard, though in a class of microcontrollers.
But advertising it's the smallest "computer" sure sounds cool.
Useless product... Microcontrollers (AVR/PIC/...) or conventionnal Raspberry/BBB/... are much more useful.
I agree, but the apparent popularity of CHIP design indicates that there's a niche for this...
I wonder how many CHIPs (and Rasp Zeros) will end abandoned in a drawer collecting dust instead of doing anything fun or useful at all.
Wow, people like to complain.
look, this is a device to get people into electronics. It's not meant as a has all the bells/whistles of a meaty desktop pc.
People can plug this into just about any tv, and with some basic soldering, even older crappy tv's.
this is about getting folks to spend a bit of dough for a magazine, and they get something useful.
Just like those crappy cereal box toys, but unlike those, you won't get diabetes from eating the cereal, don't have to collect 100 box tops, and the toy has about 100 different uses and practical applications, and is *gasp* educational.
If you're considering putting "dude" in your submission, turn off your internet and go live in a hole instead. Though you may already have done that if you think you can go to Radio Shack to get anything you can solder on, to, or with.
Really?
AVR/PIC are more useful with their complete lack of USB, HDMI and SD, as standard?
Where are you getting these £5 development boards with the features that this has on them? Where are you getting the £5 development boards at all? Where are you getting these random "more expensive HDMI" monitors? Surely, a TV with an adapter will do fine? (Note: I have precisely one monitor in my house that could hook up to this without adding a composite connection - but I know I'm in a minority)
All some of these hidden costs are costs that are *not* costs for the Pi 1 and 2?
What happens if you want a Pi but don't need Ethernet? Or want low power?
Really, it's not all about *you* - this fills a need with people. Not necessarily you - or me - or anybody in slashdot, for that matter. (I have no need for a Porsche, for example, but it doesn't mean they don't sell)
Its cool but, the lack of ethernet for most uses means people will also need to buy a USB network adapter bringing the price back up to $20 or so.
Since when are viruses useful?
While the Pi can run some emulators it shouldn't be used as a key point for the devices. Most of the emulators the Pi runs are 10-15 years old. Emulation has advanced a lot in those years, especially emulation of the classics. Emulators like Higan (SNES) have high CPU requirements (i5-i7 for everything at full speed) for good reason, and the only MAME version I could find for the Pi last time I looked was based on a 0.36 series release, which to give you a timeframe is from when Windows 95 was at the peak of popularity, it didn't run many games and the ones it ran, it ran badly with worse graphics, colors, and sound compared to the versions you can run on even a mid-range PC today. Don't get me wrong, these are cool devices, and an essential part of keeping computing alive, teaching youngsters how computers actually work etc. but if you're investing time into them and expecting a truly authentic emulation experience you're wasting your time.
First, I want to applaud this achievement. 5$ for a little computer with a 40-pin with 26 GPIO is quite amazing in term of capacity. They are getting real closer to get a price tag low enough so it'll enter the manufacturing of some SMBs. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing those into some toys or drone real soon because it just cut the development time drastically.
But I'm saddened that it still doesn't come with WiFi. The ESP8266 is a good example on how cheap and small it could be. You could scrap the huge Ethernet port and still connect to the internet. Also, I'm frustrated that the Bluetooth didn't become the standard it should be and doesn't install easily on the Raspberry (or Windows for that matter) so most USB port could be remplaced by 2-3 USB-C port (You could use one for display and one for power).
In my mind, the ultimate RaspPi would have :
- Same specs as the RaspZero or better
- WiFi and Bluetooth integrated
- 2-3 USB-C port
- 1 Four-pole 3.5mm connector (Analogic Video + Audio)
- Micro-SD slot
- 40 pin with 26+ GPIO with a few more feature (Surge protection, Drive, more power, Possibility to raise to 5V, Analogic GPIO, etc.)
Elok
Why is element14 still in business?
SBC, RASPBERRY PI ZERO
[generic broken product image]
Image is for illustrative purposes only. Please refer to product description Manufacturer: RASPBERRY-PI
Mfg Part No: RASPBERRYPI-ZERO
Price: $23.17 (Price is before tax)
Out of Stock
Price: $13.50 (Price is before tax)
0 ship now
So in short, the product is not immediately available (it's sold out in the Swag shop also) and when it is, it won't be $5 unless you order it direct. And then, if you don't live in the UK, you'll have to pay an assload of shipping.
Where can I buy R-Pi in a B&M store in the USA, so that I can actually get it for $5? And when will it actually be available?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
To me, "mini-computer" still means something that only requires two or three 6' cabinets - as opposed to a mainframe, which needs a whole room full.
As is, this Raspberry is quite useless...
No, it's useless for what you want to use it for.
Engage your brain and do a bit for browsing to see what people have been using their Pis for, you'll see plenty of project that don't use any of the things you're whinging about.
That would have been a neat platform for aerial video.
Does anybody know of a place where you can *still* get one? Or get on a waiting list or something?
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
As is, this Raspberry is quite useless... You need to add
- a SD card
$2
some header
No. No I don't. I can solder direct. For my application, that's actually more useful to me.
an USB Hub
If I even use the USB functionality at all, I shall use it to connect perhaps one device. Therefore, I only need some micro USB connectors. I got five minis for two bucks, I'm sure micro connectors are plenty cheap. Or I can pop the USB connectors right off the boards, and just solder magnet wire to the pads. I only wish they had brought in power on an unpopulated header connector instead of on a usb connector which I'm going to have to desolder.
Some adapters (micro-USB to USB host, HDMI)
I don't need the HDMI. If I use the GPU at all, it'll be for computing and not for video output. Already discussed the USB adapter issue, which for me is a non-issue.
Useless product... Microcontrollers (AVR/PIC/...) or conventionnal Raspberry/BBB/... are much more useful.
You can use this to do precisely what you do with a microcontroller; this is going to replace Arduino for a lot of uses.
The real problem is going to be actually getting them for $5. element14 is sold out and wants $13.50 for one even if they had one!
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Next get 10GB Ethernet/FCoE going on the PI.....
It's not useless as is. If you have one specific task for the Pi then you wont need a lot of that stuff. Why pay for ethernet if you wont be using it? Sure this isn't for everyone but I can see things it would be usefull for and I know at 5 bucks a pop it'll wind up doing a lot of things.
Chances are you will own: a spare SD card, a spare keyboard, a spare mouse, an old monitor (if you don't use a TV), and even an old USB hub.
The adaptors are included in a £3 add-on pack you can get at one of the UK retailers, if you need them. I've also seen a £4 case too already.
Other Raspberry Pis also need an SD card, a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor. You get the USB hub and ethernet built in, but not WiFi or Bluetooth.
Give it a month and someone will make a PiZero format powered USB hub that stacks under this board and provides several needed ports and functionalities. Indeed I think it is a shame that this PiZero actually uses micro-usb ports, I think headers would have been more useful.
As an aside, I hope that the next "Big Pi" has built in WiFi and Bluetooth.
The CHIP has WiFi, Bluetooth, and 4Gbytes of NAND built in, all things you need to add to the Raspberry Pi.
still runs more than linux for arm
Immediately after seeing the article I started dreaming of getting one.
But, I already have Pi 1B and Pi 2 and I'm not using them either so I would think Pi 0 would be code yet another idle gadget.
This isn't aimed at those applications. It's aimed firmly at embedded - situations where you need a bit more processing power than an arduino can provide, or a real operating system. It has the essentials for that: GPIO, UART and USB. You might hook up a monitor and keyboard for development or configuration, but they won't be connected in general use.
Two of the pins (+5V and any GND) on the 40-pin connector can be used to supply power instead of going through the USB port. That's what I did with my beer-fridge controller: power for the whole system comes through the barrel connector on the 1-Wire/I2C interface board in the middle of the stack.
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
Microsoft is actually a doing a Windows 10 for the Raspberry Pi - it's called Windows 10 IoT. Think that's quite a pretentious name, given that there is no guarantee that it'll work on Arduinos or BeagleBones, or that the Pi will be the dominant platform used in the Things that will hook into the internet
Since when are viruses useful?
If you are in the business of selling anti-virus software, they are where your paycheck comes from
Aren't they the size of a filing cabinet?
That was just the external hard drive, more a full sized rack in their 1st generation, plus another rack for peripherals. They eventually got down to desktop workstation size. Maybe palm sized now with the Pi. How does a Pi with a remote text terminal session compare performance wise to a PDP-11 :-)
-SD card, lets see, $8 for a 8Gb card, and thats on the high side.
-Keyboard/Mouse: wired, about $12 or less @ Walmart
-USB Hub: About $5 at the dollar store
-Network Dongle: about $5 at ebay
-Composite Video: some solder, some wire, and a scavenged connector, $0
Actually all I really need to add is the same USB wifi adapter I've been using on Pis for years, US$10. At that points its a Linux box I can ssh in to.
Two of the pins (+5V and any GND) on the 40-pin connector can be used to supply power instead of going through the USB port. That's what I did with my beer-fridge controller: power for the whole system comes through the barrel connector on the 1-Wire/I2C interface board in the middle of the stack.
Guess I shoulda looked at the pinout before leaving that comment. What do you need for I2C? Is it more than some resistors? Hmm, I looked and it seems you just connect up the pins. Internal pullups? on-board? Leaves it to external? I am way too lazy to hunt through the docs to find out. Did you put in some fuses or something? My experience with I2C is so far limited to connecting Arduinos to IMUs and so on. Also did the SPI sdcard thing there with the sdfat lib. Hooray for electronic tinkertoys.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Am I the only one who gets a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) from the hype the R-Pi organization spins? Has anyone actually learned programming with *this* device? As opposed to a second-hand PC salvaged for free? Or a arduino which is an actual embedded device?
I mean this looks like a great device, and spectacular price (apart from there being a zero chance of actually buying it at 5$US (US? or does Wales have their own dollar these days?)). But I just can't like it.
Hark to Captain Kirk fighting off Klingons while orbiting Uranus.
> When you add all these hidden costs, you get a price similar to Raspberry 1 or 2... in a much less practical form. ... Useless product...
I suppose that you think Arduinos are useless too.
So, for your needs you should buy the 1 or 2. Others will buy this because they have applications that don't need ethernet or more than one USB. They will use it to build it into a robot, or run their plant watering project, or wear it on their coat.
If you're OK with 3.3V I/O, connecting straight to the header will work. My board puts level shifters (a transistor and a couple of resistors each) on the 1-Wire and I2C pins for 5V I/O. It also includes a clock (connected over I2C) and an SSR controller (a DS2406 connected to the 1-Wire bus). Since I was going to put a DS18B20 temperature sensor inside a refrigerator at the end of a long cable, 5V I/O would be preferable.
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
YA. sure I'll stop in at the shack after I leave CompUSA on my way to Circuit City.
As is, this Raspberry is quite useless... You need to add
By this definition, I can't think of any product that is not useless "as is". A microwave oven requires you to add your own food and electricity. Of course there are many good reasons that ovens don't come with food, not the least of which is that different people have different preferences for food. And the similarity to the Pi is that it's perfectly useful without any of the "needs" you listed, but would require other, completely different, add-ons.
Chances are you will own: a spare SD card, a spare keyboard, a spare mouse, an old monitor (if you don't use a TV), and even an old USB hub I already had multiple versions of all these items when I bought my Zero yesterday.
Dollar General is advertising a Samsung Galaxy Centura Android phone for $9.99, compatible only with the Tracfone system. As far as I know, this Android phone would make a passable (but small) tablet without ever needing to be activated as a cell phone.
It looks like you don't know PICs and AVRs... 18F2550/18F4550 for example include USB hardware support... As do Mega 32U4 and other on AVR side.
SD support is nothing more than SPI and is supported by all these microcontroller
Remains the video output... but this strongly restrict the usecases where you'd need such a device... And most low-cost monitors (less than 20$, 4.5" go as low as 12$ on Aliexpress and other) DON'T support HDMI anyway..
Pi1 and Pi2 don't need USB Hub, have regular USB connectors (not micro-USB) and have onboard network so these extra costs don't apply...
Many people tend to forget that there are many devices beside Raspberries and Arduinos...
You also need:
- A network to connect it to ($loads)
- A house in which to set it up ($loadsmore)
- A human being to set it up ($ridiculous)
- etc. etc. etc.
You don't seem to know when to draw the line. We get it - it's useless for you, but as you are not the arbiter of what is useful and not, that is just your personal opinion and has literally no bearing on the rest of humanity.
But $22, and that's before shipping.
I hate to be swearing in church. Raspberry guys incompetent as hardware designers. They fumbled for almost a decade with nothing, and then found a complete system on a chip from Broadcom. All they had to do was to make a breakout board. They committed errors no professional HW designers would do. .. and that is pretty much all the design that was done. The rest was mostly pinouts.
- They did not know they needed magnetics in the ethernet interface, so the first run did not work.
- Picked a very poor chip for power supply that wasted a lot of power for no apparent reason
On the other hand,
My hat off for incredible handling of marketing, community interaction and many successes.
don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org