Slashdot Mirror
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. $9 mini-computer goes on sale to the public.
puddingebola writes: How can they achieve this price, you may ask? "Its 40-pin GPIO header has identical pinouts, although the pads on the circuit board are "unpopulated," meaning you'll have to solder on your own connector. The same goes for the composite video output: The connection is available, but if you need a socket, you must solder it yourself." Dude, go to Radio Shack.
Some relevant specs besides those mentioned above, from the blog post linked:
- Micro-SD card slot
- mini-HDMI socket for 1080p60 video output
- Micro-USB sockets for data and power
- Identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B
- An unpopulated composite video header
- "Our smallest ever form factor, at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm"
New submitter graffitiwriter adds a note that the newest Pi has "already been turned into a retro gaming console. It turns out the Pi Zero is more than capable of running Retro Pie and other emulators, and even has a video output that lets you play games on an old CRT TV."
Let me add a legit complain. They only have one USB port, and ethernet/harddisk will have to share it.
The fact's there's no built-in Ethernet interface is a legitimate complaint, but the performance issue is the same on the original Rasperry Pi, whose onboard Ethernet interface is actually a USB device sharing a USB hub with the external USB connectors.
Arduino has some advantages :
- cheaper (nano/pro clones are at less than 3$)
- lower power consumption
- both digital AND ANALOG pins
- exists in both 3v3 AND 5V (which is hobbyist friendlier)
- easier to begin computing (good libraries support, no need for that awful langage (IMHO) that is Python, we even have ardublock or mblock to make native visual (scratch-like) programming)
For connected projects, ESP8266 may be the way to go... lots of flash space, decent number of I/O and still cost lower than RaspZero.
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... 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.'"
Different applications. Of course the pcduino is more capable - it's more than ten times the price. There's a wide spectrum of tiny computing devices available. There are the absolutely tiny PICs, the slightly more powerful and much more developer-friendly arduinos, then the Pis, then higher-power devices like the pcduino, and beyond that mini-ITX PC boards with Atom processors. With a variety of interfaces and capabilities. You just pick whichever one fits your application. If you need a 'proper OS' to run something like image processing or interface to USB peripherals, then Pi Zero is about the tiniest and lowest-power controller you'll find for the task. It's certainly the cheapest.