Raspberry Pi Zero - Your First Impressions

I wonder if including CSI and/or DSI requires paying royalties.  On a $5 board, pennies count

In that case... I wonder if the CHIP pays CSI and/or DSI royalties or the BOARD..... The chip has the feature even if the board makes it impossible to access.

In such a case I wonder who pays the royalties. When for example I buy an Atmel MCU and it has I2C on board, then I expect possible royalties to have been paid already. Not that I have to go and straighten that out with whomever holds the right to those royalties. Same "impossible to access" could happen for say I2C on a board having that Atmel CPU.

http://www.element14.com/community/message-abuse!input.jspa?objectID=168348&objectType=2

I bet the HDMI royalties are not non-zero...

Google is really useful

The royalty fee structure is the same for all volumes. The following variable per-unit royalty is device-based and not dependent on number of ports, chips or connectors:

• US$0.15 for each end-user licensed product.
• US$0.05 – If the HDMI logo is used on the product and promotional material, the per-unit fee drops from US$0.15 to US$0.05. Use of HDMI logo requires compliance testing.
• US$0.04 – If HDCP is implemented and HDMI logo is used, the per-unit fee drops further from US$0.05 to US$0.04.

I am planning on possibly implanting this under the skin. I already have several ideas but size has been an issue. Now it looks like something I can work with.

One thing to note for us small scale maker  hacker types is that things like small HDMI monitor assemblies are available cheap from 'bay and we expect them to be easy to use first time where as a DSI monitor would be much more awkward to get going since you will need to configure the controller for that LCD we are using and that bit isn't really open.

So HDMI is actually better as an interface even if it's not so optimal and doesn't look quite so good unliess you are using a low profile connector

I have a RPI zero now, and although I have had first impressions from the information on the Internet so far, I have reserved judgement until now.

However, my impression is of disappointment : (

It is great for all the use-cases of requiring a high level of compute power at the expense of network connectivity.

I just don't have so many of these use-cases in mind. Others might. I like network connectivity - especially when it is built-in!!

For portable devices, it is a great size, but power consumption is high so I would really need the compute power to justify it. And no

networking! If networking is really not needed then I'd go for Cortex-M which can still have SD card interface, I2C, and some USB capability

but at a fraction of the current consumption of the RPI zero. And there is the excellent CC3200 with networking.

Maybe good for portable players and wearables where you could charge the battery daily - but it is missing a charger circuit unlike the Odroid-W

which lets face it, this RPI-zero seems a clone of.

I probably will use the RPI zero for a project or two but I can't see it being a convenient go-to board for many of my projects.

I would continue to use the RPI 2 B, or BeagleBone Black, or TI or FRDM boards I think. If I need high levels of compute then I usually

want networking capability to get data in/out, so I'll use the BBB or Pi 2 B. Otherwise LaunchPads or FRDM boards.

All these boards are more expensive than the RPI-zero, but I'm honestly not that cost-sensitive when it comes to experimentation/prototypes.

The FRDM boards and Launchpads work out cheaper once the price of a good SD card is included anyway. And the FRDM boards all come

with sensors and consume little power - for me the FRDM boards are a better mix of functionality if I don't need networking capability.

In summary to me the Zero feels like a codebug but for adults - a board kind-of fun for Christmas or for little projects. Lets hope it doesn't

detract beginners from picking up a Pi 2B - I'd hate to think that newcomers buy a MagPi magazine, and find the Pi Zero on it as their first Pi.

I'm glad Farnell sold this in a bundle - I honestly wouldn't want to hand-solder a USB connector to it, although I could.

Frederick had the right idea - slap on a USB hub, give it network connectivity and make it usable.

yah really nice review , i have no option to buy every where out of stock

I liked this by a hacker.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/12/02/british_hacker_turns_raspberry_pi_zeros_into_selfie_slayers/

perfect hack ... gets 5 stars by me.

Mark

Ha! Love it

I even hate the word, "selfie", let alone taking them.

Inspired!

I'd like to see the WiFi implementation, I assume it is probably just hacked onto the USB bus but the article is a little light on details and the 'presentation' page doesn't seem to have much either.

As much as I would like to, I'm not going to be attending Kiwicon...