Raspberry Pi Zero is here !

[mcallegari]

And here we go !
Just announced today, a new Raspberry Pi is joining the family of these awesome devices: the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero.
Yes, $5, you read it right.

It's a very stripped down version of a Raspberry Pi 1 model B, but with a 1GHz CPU, which is claimed to be 40% faster than the original RPi 1 CPU, and still 512MB of RAM.
All the connectors are in smaller versions, so you'll need adapters to obtain a standard USB and a standard HDMI.

I am pretty sure QLC+ will run quite fine on this device, so things are starting to get really interesting in terms of price for a controller capable of handling small lighting installations !

Looking forward to get my hands on one of those...they are already out of stock everywhere, so I'll just wait and probably post a blog entry when I've done some tests.

[karrika]

I managed to order a copy of MagPi. Should come with PiZero

[mcallegari]

Lucky you !
I think I'll have to wait a few weeks

[mcallegari]

Hey Karri, does it seem to be possible to solder an Ethernet connector to the Zero ?

That's probably the feature I'm gonna miss the most.
I know it can be solved by using a USB-Ethernet adapter, but that would mean using also a USB hub, so basically ending up with a cost very similar to a full RPi 2.

[karrika]

Did you not notice that there was a big drop on Raspberry Pi 2 also.

Current price in a shop next to me:

- Raspberry Pi A+ €29,90
- Raspberry Pi B+ €34,90
- Raspberry Pi 2 €49,90

RS just announced the new price for Pi 2 €36,70 + tax

Camera modules dropped to half as well.

PiZero mechanics is different so DiscoHAT would not fit nicely. I would go for Raspberry Pi A+ and WiFi USB.

[karrika]

I could not help to daydream a bit on the topic.



Cost would be 10€ plus shipping. And that includes spacers and screws.

An USB adapter €4 plus USB four port hub with ethernet €20 to get networking back makes the cost the same as a real RPi.

This would only be practical as a stand alone hdmi based thing. I cannot see how to export the web page.

OMG. I just got a really crazy idea. By adding a LIRC LED to some pin you could upload the show to the RPi using old fashion serial protocols. And control it with a remote and the 8 push buttons.

[mcallegari]

Wow ! You're a war machine

I've been reading this thread...apparently I'm not the only one concerned about ethernet:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... 3&t=127071

It seems that a micro called ENC28J60 could be a viable solution:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... 44&t=18397

I checked and it's already in the device tree so it should work out of the box, but you have to renounce to SPI LED strips control.
Would you be interested in adding such micro to your DiscoCap hat ?
I would be curious to understand what's the impact on the final price for such addition

[EDIT] Here's a very cheap one that I've found:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Ethernet-Modu ... 1357105178

[karrika]

Lol,

In order to add Ethernet you need:
€3 ENC28J60
€0.50 25MHx xtal
€6 RJ45 socket with magnetics
€0.2 capacitors

So you end up using €10 anyway. The question is if it is worth it. The cheap board you found has the same chips. Adding a pin socket would be the best way to use it. I could move the LED strip to the other side, close to the DMX. The Ethernet would go to where the LED strip is now.

I would probably put the Ethernet on SPI1 and leave SPI0 for the LEDs. The good thing is that using the Arduino Ethernet this is an option.

There is another more serious limitation on PiZero - no sound. You cannot create Shows. And the available audio output cards are not PiZero form factor.

[mcallegari]

There is another more serious limitation on PiZero - no sound. You cannot create Shows. And the available audio output cards are not PiZero form factor.

I guess you're referring to "analog" sound, cause HDMI can be used for that.
It's a bit unconventional, I know, but technically the Zero does output sounds.

And in any case I would use a USB soundcard anyway

[karrika]

Besides the Arduino board is quite big. It would go upside-down.



The Ethernet socket is large so it would partly go lower than the PCB. Where to cut the hole for it and how to secure it in place beats me.

Obviously I need longer pin on the female socket for the Ethernet module. And use dual sided tape for fastening the Ethernet shield.

Sounds fun. Once I get the DiscoHAT tested I could do a small DiscoCAP run.

So there is a way to create a break-out cable for the HDMI audio.

I would like to save the usb for combined kbd+mouse.

Power feed could be completely through the LED strip interface.

Update: there is also a possibility to redirect audio to two GPIO pins. In this way you can add a RC filter and produce analog audio. Here I added audio out and networking below the board. This would require long 10mm pins on the socket header to leave enough room for the Ethernet controller. But the footprint would be like PiZero.

[PeterD]

Karri -

The audio might be the better add-on to the DiscoCap, since there are other ways to get ethernet. Here's a combo USB hub & LAN adapter ready to plug into the Zero's micro USB port for less than $5: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272038149536

I can envision plenty of situations such as art installations where you'd only occasionally need to plug in the ethernet at all. And with less onboard the DiscoCap, the cost can be kept down. (I'd also suggest that the DMX connection use screw terminals. With the Zero, it is even more likely to be part of (semi-)permanent installations which wouldn't need the XLR.)

The Zero represents a great goal for affordable embeddable computing. The interesting question to me is whether the Zero sets the pricepoint for accessories at $5 or less?

BTW - Eagerly awaiting (as I'm sure you are) word that the Disco Hat boards (w. my early-adopter unit) are ready!

Peter