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Raspberry Pi Zero Gains Camera Support, Keeps $5 Price (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the new-and-improved dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Raspberry Pi Zero has received its first major hardware upgrade today: a camera connector. The new addition of a camera connector works well with the two new Sony imaging modules announced last month. The board will retain its $5 price, too. Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi founder, said in a blog post that "through dumb luck, the same fine-pitch FPC connector that we use on the Compute Module Development Kit just fits onto the right hand side of the board." The team was able to close the feature gap between the Zero and larger Pi boards by moving the surface components towards the left, and rotating the activity LEDs. The CSI connector on the Zero is 3.5mm smaller than the adapter on the Pi 3, so you will need to invest in a new cable if you've already invested in a camera module for an existing project.

84 comments

  1. Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are no legitimate uses for this toy. It is a waste of time. Can anyone list any real uses of the Raspberry Pi? I think not. But I'll be censored to -1 for telling the truth.

    1. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Media Center. For 35 dollars (Pi3) it is the best media center you could hope to buy.

    2. Re:Another useless trinket by hattig · · Score: 1

      So far there have been several million people able to imagine a real use of the Pi.

      Sorry your brain can't think of one. Maybe you can trade it in.

    3. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This.

    4. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you don't care about netflix HD then maybe. Retro Pi and kodi are nice on it.

    5. Re:Another useless trinket by RabidReindeer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Dream on. People pay me to build Pi-based systems. This "toy" is at least as powerful as your desktop computer, circa Y2k, and a whole lot smaller and cheaper. It's being used for network monitor and control systems, process controllers, multimedia kiosks, home automation systems and a whole lot more. The Pi is a fully functional computer that's cheap enough to hand out in quantity as party favors.

      If you weren't an anonymous coward, I'd recommend you be modded up, not down. Just so everyone could see how laughable you are.

    6. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I pirate Netflix hd, then I own it forever. Pi plays it nicely.

    7. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What types of systems? And how do I get a job doing this? What's a good place to start learning this?

    8. Re: Another useless trinket by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Nope I really don't give a flying shit about Netflix HD. I have more movies on my NAS than Netflix has available for streaming.

      Also, mine works MASSIVELY BETTER than netflix as I can instant rewind and I can watch movies when the internet is down due to rainstorms and heavy weather.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    9. Re:Another useless trinket by amiga3D · · Score: 2

      You left out throwies.

      http://makezine.com/projects/p...

    10. Re:Another useless trinket by geoskd · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This "toy" is at least as powerful as your desktop computer, circa Y2k, and a whole lot smaller and cheaper. It's being used for network monitor and control systems, process controllers, multimedia kiosks, home automation systems and a whole lot more. The Pi is a fully functional computer that's cheap enough to hand out in quantity as party favors.

      While I agree that the Pi *was* a good platform, it has caused us nothing but headaches lately. The foundation is a not-for-profit, and they do not make money on their devices. In fact, they can only offer the price points they do because of massive subsidies by chip makers. Without those subsidies, you can add $15+ to every Raspberry Pi.

      That is ultimately a problem because every time the foundation releases a new Pi, they stop making older versions. This is critical because it means that any design you have based around a pi will only have a useful lifespan of less than 4 years. You then have to adapt the design to a new Pi model. While that may not sound like a big deal, it is a huge burden even if all you have to do is recompile, because everything has to be retested, and god help you if you paid for CE or UL, because now you have to refile, and that costs a damn fortune.

      The biggest kick in the balls is that the Pis are closed source, so there is no way to simply pick up and have your own manufactured, you're stuck. We have been so bitten, and our new designs are Beaglebone based because the retail version is just as widely available, and we have the manufacturing files tucked away, so they cant be end-of-lifed on us. To Raspberry Pi and Broadcom, I say a heartfelt Fuck You.

      --
      I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
    11. Re: Another useless trinket by geoskd · · Score: 4, Informative

      What types of systems? And how do I get a job doing this? What's a good place to start learning this?

      There are all kinds of companies that do this. In spite of the stated purpose of the R-Pi foundation, the vast majority of Raspberry Pis are purchased for inclusion into final products by small to medium sized companies. I am currently contracting for a company that has done just that, and over the past 4 years has used around 5k R-Pis. I have contracted for another company in the past that was similarly inclined, and another one that used Beaglebones.

      In answer to your question, There are lots of job opportunities along those lines. Search any job site you like for jobs requiring the keywords Embedded and Linux, and you'll hit on tons of them. Pays pretty decent, but be prepared to face some tough problems, as every one of these embedded platforms has tons of really annoying quirks, and the companies that use them grew *fast* because the SBCs allowed them a very rapid development cycle, so they expect anything can be done with a Pi and a few months of coding.

      --
      I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
    12. Re:Another useless trinket by Hadlock · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This is why they produce the compute module; you get the 40 pin header, usb etc in a SO-DIMM and commercial users have a standard unit they can design around for several years. The BBB is a superior device though, I agree.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    13. Re:Another useless trinket by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      That's because throwies are litter.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    14. Re:Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could use one as a brain.

    15. Re:Another useless trinket by adolf · · Score: 2

      Beaglebone based because the retail version is just as widely available, and we have the manufacturing files tucked away

      Every map has an intentional error. --Every cartographer, ever.

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
    16. Re:Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      That is ultimately a problem because every time the foundation releases a new Pi, they stop making older versions.

      Nope, Eben Upton clearly stated that as long as there is demand they still make the older versions.

    17. Re:Another useless trinket by RabidReindeer · · Score: 2

      Another person who thinks that "software is forever". It doesn't "wear out", so you only have to pay for it once, not as a maintenance item.

      Apparently this thread is a haven for the delusional.

      in 4 years, it hardly matters that the hardware has changed - and it should be noted that the hardware doesn't change that much, or you wouldn't be able to plug vintage cameras into the Pi Zero. None of the stuff I wrote using WiFi dongles changed when I moved it from the original Pi B to the Pi 3. In 4 years, a lot more than hardware changes. But more on that in a moment.

      I'm also skeptical of the assertion that these things are still being subsidized. As popular as the Pi is, I think whatever subsidies there were got paid off long ago. Indeed, you can go out and buy a pretty decent tablet for not much more than the Pi 3 runs these days. I know, got one for a Xmas present. Peppy little thing, too. Just not as good a screen as the more expensive ones.

      But the biggest joke of all in this pile of questionable assertion has has to do with maintaining the system.

      I got a call from a customer who I'd done a specialized monitoring system for about 2 years back because he was having problems getting it running on the Pi 3. Turns out that the #1 issue was simply that the Debian OS itself had been updated multiple times and the original code build was invoking obsolete system libraries.

      And that's the exact same problem that would have occurred on a full-blown desktop or server machine. Because the Pi is a computer, not a microwave oven. And contrary to what the bean counters and PHB's believe, computers are not something that can be left un-maintained and only paid for once.

    18. Re:Another useless trinket by chihowa · · Score: 2

      The Beaglebones also weren't designed to meet an extremely low price point and it shows. I've used dozens of them as little network connected devices, and they are remarkably capable and stable.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    19. Re:Another useless trinket by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      No, throwies are free hardware! /kidding

    20. Re:Another useless trinket by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      No, throwies are free hardware! /kidding

      No, they're that, too. The problem is, it's usually pretty crappy hardware. Though I'd be stoked to pick up a Pi Zero for $0.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    21. Re:Another useless trinket by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Octoprint? Now, with the camera clip, it's all there.

      And you need a Velcro patch for a mount. Seriously, this is elegant.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    22. Re:Another useless trinket by rickb928 · · Score: 2

      Stock enough to survive the evolution.

      Redesign your form factors to survive changes.

      OR design your own.

      You have described the problem micro-sized manufacturers have always had. Just don't rely on injection molding for parts, since you'll be back whining about tooling and iterative design.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    23. Re: Another useless trinket by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      Gaming. For 5 dollars (PiZ) it is the cheapest, smallest and most supported platform for emulators.

    24. Re:Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because the Pi was and is intended as an educational platform first and foremost. If you happen to build a business around Pi's, that's okay by the Pi Foundation, but your success or failure is not their concern. If you want stability, predictability, reliability (in production & lifespan) go with the BBB.

    25. Re: Another useless trinket by daviskw · · Score: 1

      Naw, just for being a dick about it

      --
      Beware the wood elf!!!
    26. Re: Another useless trinket by slazzy · · Score: 1

      How about it's intended use, as an educational tool?

      --
      Website Just Down For Me? Find out
    27. Re: Another useless trinket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only do they still sell the original pi, they've done everything to make the new ones 100% compatible.

  2. another useless post by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 2

    that's ok, you'll be censured to that of a troll anyways.

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
  3. what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    $5 price is a joke since you cannot actually buy the thing.

    1. Re:what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very true, there are ZERO Zero's available for sale, the guys should just keep his dreams to himself, else people will think he's lying

    2. Re:what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by nickittynickname · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Right! I hate how the brag about the price $5 but are unwilling to produce it in enough volume to get anywhere near demand. I would like to see proof too that it's not a loss leader. Until I can actually buy it, who cares about the price.

    3. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just bought a bunch on eBay for $60 each...

    4. Re:what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah...

    5. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by geoskd · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I just bought a bunch on eBay for $60 each...

      Son, are you stupid or something?

      You can get a much more functional Raspberry Pi3, Odroid, BBB, or just about any other damn thing for less than that. The only thing that made the zero worth getting was the low pricetag...

      I can't believe people are actually in bidding wars on ebay over these things...

      Morons

      --
      I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
    6. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The only thing that made the zero worth getting was the low pricetag...

      That's not strictly true. I want one for the small size. It would be a dandy basis for a drone, when coupled with a level shifter, 10DoF board, and a GPS... another twenty bucks. Hilarious that the cost of the peripherals dwarfs the system. Pi is fairly unimpressive these days, but Pi Zero is teeny tiny for its capabilities. It's actually got less area than the mini arduino mega2560 I built my fixed-wing around.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had to buy them for prototypes. We don't want our developers sitting around doing nothing.

    8. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

      It would be a dandy basis for a drone,

      Why not just buy an ardupilot though? Last I checked (admittedly years ago), those things had dual MCUs, one very small, very simple one for interpretation, generation and passthrough of the remote control/servo signals and one bigger one for everything else (e.g. guidance).

      Unless you're getting very deep into RTOS stuff with great care over watchdogs and latency, that's a much better solution than using one chip because with the dual chip solution, you can be much more experimental on the big MCU, because whatever you do, you can rely on the heavily tested little one to be able to revert to manual control and come home at worst, and not glitch out and send one of the servos to a funny place otherwise.

      Well I suppose if you're making a daughter board with those other peripherals, you could include a sub processor for doing the servo controls, and hook the entire thing up over an i2c.

      But yes, the Pi Zero is impressive for its size, and it's cool that exists. Also, 1GHz CPU, hardfloat, vector instructions, 512G RAM: that's a hell of a lot of grunt. Especially with the camera module you can easily do proper computer vision on that thing.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    9. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Why not just buy an ardupilot though?

      Because it's shit-expensive for its capabilities.

      Well I suppose if you're making a daughter board with those other peripherals, you could include a sub processor for doing the servo controls, and hook the entire thing up over an i2c.

      Yes, I would suggest that a $2 Arduino Nano clone would be the ideal pairing for getting more I/O — more than you can use, really. It also gets you 5V I/O and costs only about three times as much as a level shifter. In fact, it would be a great place to run multiwii, and then you could run software to control it on the Pi.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      As I alluded to earlier, I could Velcro one of these to my Rigidbot, run Octoprint, camera and all, and not be bothered even with a couple of screws to mount a B or 3. Size does matter, sometimes.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    11. Re:what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      Too bad that website doesn't check for the "Raspberry Pi Zero only" options, they're out of stock at the places marked "IN STOCK".

    12. Re: what is the point if you cannot buy the zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For size, the Vocore is tough to beat. It's about $20 last I checked. It'seems a Linux system about the size of a quarter. No connectors on board though, so you have to solder a USB and/or ether net connector if you want it.

  4. PANTS ON FIRE! by ealbers · · Score: 1

    We need a Icon of Pants on Fire for posts like this one, which talk about imaginary things which do not exist.

    Liar liar pants on fire, the raspberry PI is NOT for sale, the zero in the name is the number available for $5.00

    1. Re:PANTS ON FIRE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We need the ability to vote on a icon to be added to the header of posts!

      Let the readers choose one of the icons, then the pants on fire icon can be our choice!

  5. NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by redelm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sorry, my friends and I had no trouble getting ZEROs for $5 at the local MicroCenter. Just keep a neteye on availability and drop in that day or next. The MCs get them in every month now.

  6. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by Pikoro · · Score: 4, Informative

    Guy here near me did this. He waited out in front of the store and bough all 150 that were in stock. When I dropped by in the afternoon to grab one, they were all gone.

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  7. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sorry, my friends and I had no trouble getting ZEROs for $5 at the local MicroCenter.

    Sorry, only a minority of Americans (let alone humans) have a local MicroCenter.

    Wake me up when you can get them from Radio Shack. For all their closures, I drive past one of those regularly.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  8. Re: NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That was me. I can sell them back to you on eBay, generally for for about $60 each.

  9. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by amiga3D · · Score: 2

    This happens with .22 ammo as well. Some asshole keeps going by the local walmart and buying all the .22 ammunition and every time I go by they tell me it sold out the day before. They've got .45, .44, 9mm and 5.56 but no fucking .22! Of all the shit to run out of.

  10. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Radio Shack went bankrupt and the nearest Micro Center happens to be a 5-hour drive away.
    Let me know when they're available in any order quantity on amazon.com.

  11. The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I bought several Raspberry Pis and wanted to get a Zero, but it has been impossible.
    So I looked around and found a GREAT ALTERNATIVE.
    I bought cheap Android smartphones for less than $18.00 each.
    It may sound like a sacrilege, but who cares! They work great!
    They are less expensive than Raspberry Pi and have much better performance.

    First is the included hardware:
          1.2 GHz Dual Core CPU
          3.5" IPS Touch Screen Display
          Microphone
          Speaker
          Audio port
          3 MP Camera
          1700 mah Battery
          Charger (5Vdc 0.85A)
          USB Cable
          3G/Wi-Fi Connectivity
          GPS
          4GB SD card
          Bluetooth® 4.0 Wireless Technology

    They have thousands of free apps and are instantly USEFUL as:
          Internet Radio
          Camera
          Voice Recorder
          Video Recorder
          Emergency Band Scanner
          MP3 Player
          Time Lapse Camera
          Calculator
          Calendar
          WiFi Webcam & WiFi Webcam Viewer
          Google Map Viewer
          Youtube Viewer
          Personal Web Server
          Remote control for TV or Kodi
          Alarm Clock
          Talking Digital Assistant
          Etc, ETC, ETC

    These little guys are also a great platform for learning to develop software.
    The Raspberry Pi was fun, but I sure wouldn't recommend them today.
    Unless you have a VERY specialized application, less expensive smartphones can do so much more.

    1. Re: The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Link or it didn't happen.

    2. Re:The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by stiebing.ja · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately your Android toy applications are not what many SBC users demand. Many (if not most) want GPIO pins to have a real base to build own systems. Your Android will have a bit problems to connect a temperature sensor, infrared camera or whatever you can buy for no fortune in your electrical supply store next door. Where I have to admit I am no big Pi neither – sticking to the (still new) $9 C.H.I.P. SBC looks much more promising to me, and be it just because of on board wifi and bluetooth...

      --
      I lag
    3. Re: The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by afidel · · Score: 1

      USB OTG and a USB version of those accessories. Still way cheaper than RPI plus case and PSU, especially if you need any of screen, wifi, bt 4.0.

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    4. Re:The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      Unless you have a very specialised application smartphones can do so much LESS.

      As fun as android is paying with a full fledged OS, no word network, no externally attachable camera, lack of USB, lack of monitor connection, and critically lack of I/O means that your proposed solution is not compatible with 99% of what people do with a device that is halfway between a microcontroller platform and a computer.

      Also you scored a -1 fail for mentioning that a smartphone has an app to act as a Kodi remote. You know what lots of people use RPis for? Kodi.

    5. Re: The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      USB OTG and a USB version of those accessories. Still way cheaper than RPI plus case and PSU, especially if you need any of screen, wifi, bt 4.0.

      But if you don't, then a $5 eBay AC/DC input boost-buck converter should adequately cover your power supply needs.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re: The Raspberry Pi is obsolete by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you learn to use Google, you can find plenty of projects that use a smartphone in place of a Raspberry Pi.

      Unless you are still at the "Blink an LED" stage, a smartphone can save a lot of money and time.

      Here is one that would cost an order or magnitude more if a Raspberry Pi.was used instead of a smartphone.
      By adding a low cost Arduino and a Bluetooth module, 90% of common I/O tasks are possible.
      http://www.instructables.com/id/DriveMyPhone-Smartphone-Controlled-Hybrid-Vehicle/

  12. Raspberry Pi A+ 512MB by Cochonou · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In other news, the RAM on the Raspberry Pi A+ has been increased from 256 MB to 512 MB.

    1. Re:Raspberry Pi A+ 512MB by Zaiff+Urgulbunger · · Score: 1

      I wonder why they left the new A+ running at 700MHz when the Pi Zero runs at 900MHz by default?

  13. How about shipping them now? by Kid+CUDA · · Score: 2

    I ordered a Raspberry Pi Zero in February, and I'm still waiting for it. Instead of "enhancing" it like this, how about delivering on your promises and actually making / shipping them to people who ordered them?

    1. Re:How about shipping them now? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      This may be of news to you but engineers do not control the supply chain and they don't sit around twiddling their thumbs while they wait for customer's orders to be filled. You're asking a company to cease R&D while their production pipelines get sorted out. Absurd

    2. Re:How about shipping them now? by mschiller · · Score: 1

      You know what else could be happening? The production pipeline could be being stalled by an engineering bug. If there is a flaw in the design that causes 10% of the Pi Zeros to fail testing, that could cause production yield issues, slowing down shipments as more units are needed and more testing is done to verify shipped units actually work. What's the solution to that? Revise the PCB. Engineers like to add features when they revise PCBs, so if it's deemed low risk I could totally see an Engineer make a change to say fix the a high speed net that didn't make timing [and thus resulted in flaky hardware] and at the same time slamming in a new connector as a "freebie" new feature.

    3. Re:How about shipping them now? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Yeah because a non-profit corporation which doesn't chase every last dollar and is being endlessly questioned about why they are so slow would by hiding this under the rug because ... erm... profits? Please put your tinfoil hat back on. It may help you remember that the RPi has long had supply chain issues due to spectacular overdemand.

      The reason you can't get your little toy is because the second anyone gets their hands on one they take the entire supply and flog them off on ebay for 5x the price. Yep that's right you can have your toy RIGHT NOW if you're willing to play the supply and demand curve.

  14. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by adolf · · Score: 1

    This happened on my WoW server with wool cloth as well. Some asshole keeps going by the local auction house and buying all the wool cloth and every time i go by they're completely sold out. They've got silk cloth, felcloth, and even sumptuous fur, but no fucking wool cloth!

    Of all the shit to run out of.

    (-- When I still played WoW, I owned the wool cloth market. This is where my gold came from. I bought all of the wool cloth, all of the time, and then marked it up to a price that I saw fit. I politely called this sub-game "arbitrage," but better names include "fuckery," "scalping, and "I'm going to burn your house down, scumbag".)

    --
    Kid-proof tablet..
  15. portabl lab computer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Build an oscilloscope around it,
    With gpib and cardbus and pci for bridge toa magma rack. Then
    Tell me about functionality.

    1. Re:portabl lab computer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You want to build an oscilloscope around the GP's brain?

      Controversial...

    2. Re:portabl lab computer by publiclurker · · Score: 1

      Well, the old school ones used vacuum tubes. Considering the lack of substance between the OP's ears, it might work.

  16. Vaporware gets upgrade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    has anybody received a rpiz yet? they haven't been able to deliver ever since it was announced. and now this upgrade. WTF?!

  17. Bandwidth? by ITMagic · · Score: 1

    A question - if anyone can give a reasoned answer... These things have no ethernet port - therefore images will be streamed over wifi. What is the maximum number of Pi Camera installations that could be set up, without saturating the bandwidth available? Any recommendations or advice?

    1. Re:Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't have a good answer, but I've been running 4 WiFi webcams to one RPi running Kodi with no problems. Makes a real nice and inexpensive security system.

      But don't use an RPZ for the webcams. Do the maths:

      RPZ + Webcam + P.S. + WiFi dongle + Case + SD Card = $$$$$$

      I use cheap ( $10 when I got mine at Walmart) smartphones.
      They don't require any additional hardware and are VERY reliable.

      My Kodi base station is a 22" LCD panel with an RPi/B mounted on the VESA bracket.

    2. Re:Bandwidth? by Dagger2 · · Score: 1

      They have no wifi either. And if you're going to buy a USB thing for network access, why not get a USB Ethernet adaptor instead of a USB wifi adaptor? You have to run a cable out anyway for power, so why bother with wifi at all?

      ("Because power outlets are more common than Ethernet ports", I suppose, but I don't really have a good answer to the actual question. I'd be wary of using wifi if your goal is an always-on video stream, since all wifi devices share bandwidth on the channel. If you're only doing one image per second and/or only streaming when someone's actively looking at the camera, then it becomes a bit more feasible though.)

  18. SubjectIsSubject by p0p0 · · Score: 1

    Wow that's great. When does it release?
    O-oh... It's already out?
    But where?

    1. Re:SubjectIsSubject by Dagger2 · · Score: 1

      At The Pi Hut (UK), Pimoroni (UK), Adafruit (US) and in physical Micro Center stores (US). It says that right in the blog post.

    2. Re:SubjectIsSubject by p0p0 · · Score: 1

      I was poking fun at the fact no one seems to have them.
      It did not work.

    3. Re:SubjectIsSubject by Dagger2 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I figured... it's just that they do have them. I've bought 2 so far, I've seen them in stock more times than that, and Pimoroni are even reporting available stock right now (although it's of one of their rip-off bundles). They're certainly selling out fast, and there was that months-long period where they didn't bother making any (because they thought it'd be a great idea to release the Pi3 at the same time, and/or because they were waiting for more of the BCM2835 chips to be fabbed) but it's not like they're completely unavailable.

  19. $5 price by allo · · Score: 1

    But no option to get it at this price. Either out of stock or sold for a lot more.

  20. pleas show me one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    come on the Pi zero is a unicorn just like google glass

  21. More stuff you cannot buy by cb_abq · · Score: 0

    Sweet! Now there is an RPi0 with camera support that I cannot buy because they cannot supply to go with the original RPi0 I cannot buy because they cannot supply. I have saved like ten bucks!

  22. Good luck getting one by quantizationnoise · · Score: 1

    The US supplier network for pi zero sucks. It's pretty hard to get one from Adafruit and even if you do, they rip you off on shipping (last order was $12 UPS ground shipping that took almost two weeks to arrive - fail). They use a bunch of their inventory on the 'starter pack' kits to sell a bunch of overpriced stuff you generally don't need. Despite their status in the community, I really dislike dealing with adafruit and I get suspicious when I hear things from the pi foundation about 'exclusive deals' with these lame retailers.

  23. I.e I'm an idiot with delusions of adequacy... by publiclurker · · Score: 1

    so if I am unable to figure out a use for something then no way could competent people do so.

  24. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    What i your handle?

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  25. Re:NOT! PANTS ON FIRE! by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    Radio Shack went bankrupt and was bought out by Sprint which continues to run several of the stores.

    http://www.wired.com/2015/03/r...

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?