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Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

raspberrypi.org

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Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#241
I'm still bothered by Raspberry Pi's choice not to include WIFI by default in all/some of its products.

Almost every Raspberry Pi project I have encountered needs some sort of connectivity and doing this with 3rd party dongles (some don't even work on most recent versions of Raspbian) is just ridiculous in my opinion.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#242

I find the lack of ethernet or wifi concerning. I get that they're trying to keep it small and low cost, but I can't immediately see any use for a Pi that can't run standalone.

You are right, the next Raspberry Pi should have a AC or N wireless, it would be of huge value and those AC/N wireless chips are small or can even be incorporated into the SoC. I wonder how much cost there is for these AC/N wireless chips?

It seems like a no brainer.

Given that you can get a 150Mbps Wireless N usb dongle for $4, just buying the IC should be crazy cheap: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/150Mbps-USB-Wireless-Adapter-...

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#243
post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's great, thanks!! I have a pi as a media server* connected to a projector via HDMI, that reads media files from a NAS on my home network; very efficient and lightweight. I will definitely try pi-hole; maybe I can have both running on the same pi. * via Raspbmc, which I just found out has apparently ceased to exist...

> * via Raspbmc, which I just found out has apparently ceased to exist... Try OSMC [1], it's a massive improvement over Raspbmc and is being developed actively. Works like a charm. If I'm correct, the main Raspbmc dev went over to OSMC a while back. [1] https://osmc.tv

My frequently asked question: if I want to watch and record DVB-T television, what media centre solution should I be using?

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#244

I'm still bothered by Raspberry Pi's choice not to include WIFI by default in all/some of its products. Almost every Raspberry Pi project I have encountered needs some sort of connectivity and doing this with 3rd party dongles (some don't even work on most recent versions of Raspbian) is just ridiculous in my opinion.

That raises the CE certification costs considerably.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#245

Raspberry still costs more than 100$ in my country, due the rarity of such tools sometimes we found ourselves obliged to buy it with that price and pay the difference, and even though this is such a great step, i really doubt it would have any effect on 3rd world countries where this is really needed.

Same, in Tunisia a B model (with no SD or anything) will go around 70$. This is mainly due to state imposed taxes on "luxury products".

I tried importing one, but customs ended up charging me almost double the unit price just to let it through. The only cheap solution to get one in Tunisia is to have someone buy it for you in europe and then bring it back in his luggage.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#246
post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> * via Raspbmc, which I just found out has apparently ceased to exist... Try OSMC [1], it's a massive improvement over Raspbmc and is being developed actively. Works like a charm. If I'm correct, the main Raspbmc dev went over to OSMC a while back. [1] https://osmc.tv

My frequently asked question: if I want to watch and record DVB-T television, what media centre solution should I be using?

http://kodi.wiki/view/Tvheadend_PVR

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why the huge difference in costs..? International shipping..?

I suspect it's due to the combination of low sales volumes and import taxes. Here in Chile, Pi B's are around $50–60. Though to be fair, traditional PCs and laptops are more expensive than in the US (but not 2x as expensive).

I know Brazil has prohibitive import duties on electronics, does this also apply to Chile?

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So... you will need to buy a power adapter and an Ethernet cable? That will come to, what, another fiver?

There's no ethernet port. So, also an ethernet adapter. But there's only one USB port (µUSB, too, so you most likely need an adapter to regular USB). So if you want more than just ethernet, you'll need an USB hub. But the RasPi's power supply has always been weak, so better get an actively powered one… And soon you're paying four times as much for the accessories than for the RasPi.

USB-OTG cables with power supply exist.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero: the $5 computer

#249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So... you will need to buy a power adapter and an Ethernet cable? That will come to, what, another fiver?

Not just an ethernet cable, I think. From the images it looks like there's no Ethernet port on the RPi Zero.

Would be neat with an ethernet adapter with Power-over-Ethernet plus a simple micro-USB converter/USB-OTG cable. Yes, I'm aware that might raise the price a bit...
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