TheBackShed.com

Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

Author

Message

robert.rozee
Guru

Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 2442

Posted: 01:09am 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

seems the RPi folks have pulled another rabbit out of the hat:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero/

although i do wish they'd provided a 4-pin a 0.1" header for the USB connector and a standard-sized HDMI socket. i reckon there was room enough for both.

cheers,
rob :-)Edited by robert.rozee 2015-11-27

Grogster

Admin Group

Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9610

Posted: 01:17am 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Bloody hell!!!

Amazing!

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

twofingers

Guru

Joined: 02/06/2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 1593

Posted: 03:06am 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

just awesome!

Michael

causality ≠ correlation ≠ coincidence

Chris Roper
Senior Member

Joined: 19/05/2015
Location: South Africa
Posts: 280

Posted: 06:23am 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

And I still havn't got round to getting a Pi2 but I have to have a couple of these :)

Intro Video is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFQmdUc5Vg&feature=youtu.be&a

Cheers
Chris
Edited by Chris Roper 2015-11-27

http://caroper.blogspot.com/

bigmik

Guru

Joined: 20/06/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 2950

Posted: 08:51pm 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

All,

Please wait whilst I pick my jaw up from the floor..

Crikey that seems very impressive.

Mick

Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<<

TassyJim

Guru

Joined: 07/08/2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 6283

Posted: 09:27pm 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Very impressive indeed.
You still need to add a few extras to make it work but a ridiculous low price.

Still prefer the 'mites for proper fiddling about.

Jim

VK7JH
MMedit

MicroBlocks

Guru

Joined: 12/05/2012
Location: Thailand
Posts: 2209

Posted: 09:41pm 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

It seems it is all based on mobile phone electronics.
USB OTG, mini HDMI, micro SD.
You need to add at least another 20-30US$ probably more (SD card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse) to get it to work.
The greatest missed opportunity i think is that there is no WiFi on it.
Sure you can use the USB (with a converter) but it gets clumsy with all those cables sticking out.
I don't understand what is so magical about 5US$ because for 7 or 8US$ it would have been so much better and everyone would still be amazed.
It does show what can be done for a low price when large quantities are used.

Microblocks. Build with logic.

kiiid

Guru

Joined: 11/05/2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 671

Posted: 11:46pm 26 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

To be honest, I don't understand the fuss about it. Making a board with a fancy chip and dirty cheap price is not necessarily the path to guaranteed success.
I still find an old Apple 2e or even a PC/XT much cooler than a modern quad core i7. The reason is the "soul factor". The same applies to this as well.
Taking away from the user any chance to tinker and come up with various ideas about improvements and how to overcome the limitations of the system, that's essentially taking away the creativity and the joy of making something.
That's why I think after the first wave of excitement many of these will end up the in drawers and the users will return back to the Arduinos, PicAxes and the MMs. They will outlive boards like this by far more despite being much less powerful.
Not saying that there is no application for these boards, but clock frequency and memory size is not everything in a system.
In addition to that I find the $5 price a clear insult to the work and efforts of all engineers in the world.Edited by kiiid 2015-11-28

http://rittle.org

--------------

JohnS
Guru

Joined: 18/11/2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4044

Posted: 12:20am 27 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

MicroBlocks said It seems it is all based on mobile phone electronics.
USB OTG, mini HDMI, micro SD.

To some extent chicken and egg, or other way round: mobile phones use those but they already existed.

MicroBlocks said
You need to add at least another 20-30US$ probably more (SD card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse) to get it to work.

You only need the SD card. No need for monitor, keyboard or mouse (unless you want them). I run the earlier boards with just an SD card to boot from. No monitor, no keyboard, no mouse.

If you want a Pi as an embedded system you don't need to add anything but SD card and supply power.

John

JohnS
Guru

Joined: 18/11/2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4044

Posted: 12:24am 27 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

kiiid said To be honest, I don't understand the fuss about it. Making a board with a fancy chip and dirty cheap price is not necessarily the path to guaranteed success.

True, though they've sold many millions and continue to do so, worldwide.

kiiid said Not saying that there is no application for these boards, but clock frequency and memory size is not everything in a system.
In addition to that I find the $5 price a clear insult to the work and efforts of all engineers in the world.

I can't understand that at all. Let's all go back to mainframe computers costing $10,000,000? No.

John

hitsware
Guru

Joined: 23/11/2012
Location: United States
Posts: 535

Posted: 03:37pm 27 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

How much $ perifiles
(plus the $ 5 )
to make a Linux Box

works like :

this

Edited by hitsware 2015-11-29

Ray B
Senior Member

Joined: 16/02/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 219

Posted: 06:21pm 27 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

When you purchase a copy of MagPi issue 40 you get a free Pi as a free giveaway, beats a free DVD
Seems http://www.buyraspberrypi.com.au is the local aussie reseller of the magazine which is also a free download but of course without the free Pi.

Mindblowing

RayB from Perth WA

geraldfryjr

Regular Member

Joined: 02/03/2014
Location: United States
Posts: 61

Posted: 10:55pm 28 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

That thing is really Cool!!!

Unfortunately it came out exactly the day after I had orderd my R-Pi2 or else I would gotten 7 of those !!! He,he,he,he,he

Rest Assured, I will be getting some of those too sometime in the near future!!

jer

Edited by geraldfryjr 2015-11-30

Keep on DIYin' !!!

WhiteWizzard
Guru

Joined: 05/04/2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2944

Posted: 08:20am 30 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Amazing how so many places get away with advertising this $5 (�4) computer for �18+20%vat!!

Then another �6+vat for a connector set to make it 'useful' . . .

trevoz
Newbie

Joined: 03/05/2014
Location: Australia
Posts: 8

Posted: 01:10pm 30 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Element 14 List Price 1+ $A 19.38 plus GST ... not exactly $US 5.

Grogster

Admin Group

Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9610

Posted: 01:32pm 30 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

I guess it is simply not profitable for any of those companies to sell it for five bucks. That is my guess anyway. Having said that, those prices still make the MicroMite+ a very favourable device for it's features.

I saw a YT video the other day of someone running OpenELEC on the five buck board, and it seemed to run OK, remarkably.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!

JohnS
Guru

Joined: 18/11/2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4044

Posted: 02:00pm 30 Nov 2015

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

�4 at Pi Hut.

�6 with MagPi magazine.

No-one has any stock left though.

John

Print this page

To reply to this topic, you need to log in.