The Raspberry Pi board had some serious competition price-wise with products such as Orange Pi PC, NanoPi, or even C.H.I.P, but the Raspberry Pi foundation has lowered the price barrier even further with the Raspberry Pi Zero board, based on the same processor as the original Raspberry Pi (model 1) boards but clocked at a higher speed, and in a much smaller form factor, and launching at an unbeatable price: $5.
Raspberry Pi Zero specifications:
- Processor – Broadcomm BCM2835 ARM11 processor @ 1GHz with VideoCore IV GPU
- System – 512MB RAM
- Storage – microSD slot
- Video Output – mini HDMI port and composite video (via 2 unpopulated pins)
- USB – 2x micro USB OTG ports for data and power
- Expansion – 40-pin through-holes
- Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port
- Power Consumption – 0.5-0.7W (100-140mA at 5.09V) according to Raspi.TV
- Dimensions – 65mm x 30mm x 5mm
The board is obviously software compatible with Raspberry Pi Model B/B+ and A+, and it’s a pretty exciting development.
The board is available in limited supplies in the UK via sites like Element14 or Pimoroni, and in the US via Microcenter and Adafruit. The board is also available for free with the December issue of The MagPi in UK stores.
If you find $5 is just too cheap, or Raspberry Pi Zero is out of stock, or you simply don’t happen to live in the US or UK, you can also fall back to Allwinner R8 based C.H.I.P board that’s available for pre-order on Cyber Monday for $8 + shipping.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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