Raspberry Pi Zero: Tour
The Hardware
The Pi Zero marks the return of the original Broadcom BCM2835 chip that formed the core of the Raspberry Pi A, B, A+ and B+. It includes 512MB RAM stacked on top. It's a great little combination for a small, embeddable computer which can leverage all of the libraries, software, guides and community of the full-sized Pi.
The Pi Zero includes:
- Micro SD card slot, just like the A+, B+ and Pi 2
- Familiar microUSB power connector
- microUSB On-The-Go port, which can be used as a full-sized USB port with an adapter
- mini HDMI port which can be adapted to full-sized HDMI
- The same, HAT-compatible 40-pin GPIO header as the Pi 2, B+, A+
- A "TV" header for connecting to an RCA video device
- A "Run" header for resetting the Pi when in shutdown
- 1Ghz Broadcom CPU
- 512MB RAM
The Header
The Pi Zero is supplied without a header attached and you'll need to be competant at soldering to add one. You can opt to install either a 40-pin female or male header depending on your style. Using a 40-pin female header gives you compatibility with existing HATs. Using a female header gives you an Arduino-like easy prototyping setup, and going headerless lets you solder wires directly onto the Pi to best fit your project.
Software
To get started with your Pi Zero you'll need a Micro SD card flashed with the latest Raspbian. We recommend Jessie, it's the latest and greatest and works well for us.
Our own testing suggests that NOOBS cards don't currently boot at all in Pi Zero, so make sure you're either comfortable downloading Raspbian and flashing it onto your SD card, or you already have a Raspbian-only SD card ready to go from another Pi.
USB
The USB port on the Pi Zero is wired directly to the input power supply, so you can draw as much power as is available from your supply, but be careful not to starve the Pi itself. I've had success using our USB hub/WiFi adaptor, lovingly dubbed the WiFi-fronts, to connect WiFi alongside our starter kit wired mouse and keyboard.
WiFi
Connecting multiple USB devices to the Pi Zero requires a hub and can make for a messy setup, sooner or later you'll want to run it "headless" which will require a WiFi connection.
You can use the USB adapter cable to connect a WiFi dongle directly to your Pi if your SD card is already set up.
Alternatively you can also use a powered USB hub (one with a separate power supply) to make sure you can connect all of your peripherals for easy initial setup. Once you've got a WiFi dongle, keyboard, mouse and screen connected you can set up your connection as you would normally- the Pi Zero will even boot to desktop if you're so inclined.
Search above to find more great tutorials and guides.