Raspberry Pi Zero - Your First Impressions

Pimoroni still seem to have some.

seems not any more.

Word must have gotten around.

I've got over a dozen PIs in service today and every one needs networking. I hope someone comes out with a microUSB wifi dongle.

Such a shame that RiPi people won't listen to users and just chuck stuff at the wall see if it sticks !

The zero needs WiFi or Ethernet (or better still both) but of course it's based on a brain dead Broadcom chip with no Ethernet interface. What I can't understand is why, one way or another, they don't address that - I'm sure B could do an Ethernet interface and I'm equally sure that it would be possible to tightly couple a WiFi chip to the existing processor.

But they go on abusing USB .........

MK

I've got a product that up till now integrated a model A, without using any USB.... Perfect job for a "zero". I need to redesign the board, so that instead of putting the board on the 'pi, now the 'pi will go on the board. (the 'pi being smaller....)

For microUSB-wifi you simply need: An USB WIFI dongle and a micro USB cable. Total cost around $5. Ok doubles the cost, but would have cost a similar amount if you'd integrate it on the PCB.

Michael, the idea of the raspberry pi and especially the 'zero is that the CPU is a cheap one. And it is so cheap because it is "re-purposed". It was intended as a media processor. Like in a phone or something like that. Anyway, in that setting Ethernet wasn't important and they left it out. So the processor does not have ethernet. And the only "reasonable speed" general purpose connection is simply USB.

But if you want to go ahead and design & market a different product based on a different CPU... feel free!

I agree with you guys that often a network connection is THE reason to chose a 'pi over say an arduino. So having it integrated would've been useful. But it also makes sense to say:  "its so very cheap, you can easily add it yourself". 

I could design and build the board you want. But because I can't get the volumes that the raspberry pi gets, I'd have to ask for WAY more than 'zero or  even the model-A.

Broadcom just have a funny attitude - they obviously like the Pi business but they won't make the effort to really push at it - they could easily do a version of the chip with Ethernet (maybe they already do but they are so secretive that I don't know).  The Pi zero is like the other Pis in that it goes headlong for lowest ticket price but you then end up needing a load of other stuff to get it do anything.

People are buying them, but it seems to me that the RPi org. always just misses the "Insanely great" that Steve Jobs sometimes actually hit.

MK

I know what I'm going to use it for if i managed to get my hands on one.

Going to use it to controll my curtains with a servo and servo board.

Allt project where you just need a smal part of the raspberry and you need the board to be smal, that's where it's good.

So much easier to build it into thing thanx to the smal size.

Not providing the schematics and other documentation makes me think twice about buying one. I don't like when I have to deal with a system for which I know data is not available publicly.

I might get one or 2 to play with them but I think the C.H.I.P. is better value for the money (fully open source)

I like it. Make me think of a Raspberry Pi 2 model A. Only downside I can see is the lack of the camera interface. I can understand why, but if you put this on a robot, having the camera made it cool for image processing. Other than that, you can load and build with a bigger Pi, and use this for your final development. Hooking up a keyboard/HDMI is a piece of cake, or you can just hook in a wifi dongle and remote in. pretty nifty. I'm thinking mini-sumo for some strange reason. :-)

And for all those idiots that keep moaning about cables and keyboards making these "expensive", show me a SBC that runs linux that dosen't need them. You don't moan about needing to buy a harddisk and simm's when you buy a motherboard. If you like the C.H.I.P., buy one and wait. Just be honest and say you like it so you're biased. Heck, I am biased when it comes to the Pi's. Raspberry Pi foundation has give me a lot to be biased about.

I appreciate a lot what Raspberry Pi foundation did for the community. It raised so much awareness and passion on the Linux and SBCs as never before.

Hats off for this part!

I only wished they would adhere more to the true open source mindset (as Linux is) and make public many things.

I would also want them to be more open minded when it comes to the CPU choice.

The CPUs provided by Broadcom are nice but the attitude of this company is questionable. They probably like the fact their CPU is selling well as part of RPis, but as long as they don't publicly offer BSP/documents pertaining to their CPUs, it is not going to make me see them with better eyes.

There are many other companies offering datasheets/BSP for their CPUs and if Raspberry Pi would come out with a Zero-like board but being 100% open-source and using a fully documented CPU, me and others would buy them like crazy. Some users would like to use the GPU or the CSI and DSI interfaces for various purposes. Does Broadcom offer public support for them? No

As long as Raspberry Pi doesn't want to listen, there will be other companies (CHIP, Olimex, ... ) offering fully open-source alternatives.

Long before RPi came out I had the chance to work with many embedded Linux boards and when you really need to squeeze the performance out of a CPU, BSP/documentation is priceless.