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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

by creshal 11y ago

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.

Natanael_L 11y ago
USB-OTG cables with power supply exist.
rufugee 11y ago
How exactly has the power supply been weak? I've been running three PIs (A+, B and B+) for a few years with no problems with just simple cell phone power adapters. However, I'm not plugging any extra hardware into them...perhaps that's why I haven't run into problems?
- extra88 11y ago
  Yes, the parent was talking about lacking power through the Pi's USB ports thus often requiring a powered USB hub. My issue is with the Pi's use of micro USB for power, I'd rather it use a barrel connector, it's not like it doesn't have the space. Yes, I know the choice is based on the presumption that everyone already has a micro USB power adapter from a cell phone. The use of micro USB for power on this Pi Zero makes a lot more sense given the form factor.
- creshal 11y ago
  > However, I'm not plugging any extra hardware into them...perhaps that's why I haven't run into problems? Yes. Phone chargers provide plenty of power for the Pi itself, but once you add several USB devices like wifi/ethernet you'll need beefy ones. But even that is normally not much of a problem, because (especially on the B+) each device has their own port. If you plug several into a hub, however, you'll quickly exceed the hub port's power rating. Hence the need for an active hub.
xorcist 11y ago
Ethernet USB adapters tend to be very flakey. (At least that's my opinion/experience.)
- SmellyGeekBoy 11y ago
  It was my understanding that the ethernet on the Raspberry Pi sat on the USB anyway.
rsanders 11y ago
This is an awesome board for embedded development. Not as powerful or I/O rich as the Beaglebone Black, but add $6 worth of CAN transceiver chips and a 12V->5V switching power supply and you've got an incredibly powerful automotive compute unit. The Pi 1 was a bit underpowered for what I'm doing, and this might hit the sweet spot while dropping $35 off my unit cost for small quantities. None of the issues you mention affect that calculation at all. Who uses ethernet anymore?
- el_benhameen 11y ago
  That's exactly what I'm going to use this for, too. Right now I have an original Pi B logging GPS and OBD data, but it's crammed into a small storage spot in the car and is a big waste of space. I'm super excited to be able to cut my project to less than half its original size. I don't need ethernet (other than for debugging), four usb ports, etc. etc. I think this is going to be fantastic for creating homemade embedded devices.
  - dakotasmith 11y ago
    Do you have or did you follow a write up for this? I know I would be interested in reading how you set that up!
    - el_benhameen 11y ago
      I don't right now, unfortunately, but a writeup is next on my list of projects after the carputer is complete. I'll post it here if there's interest. For learning about the OBD protocol, though, these resources have been very helpful: The ELM 327 data sheet (this is the chip in most OBD devices you'll find on amazon): http://elmelectronics.com/DSheets/ELM327DS.pdf http://elmelectronics.com/DSheets/ELM327DS.pdf Wikipedia's article on OBD PIDs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs "A complete guide to hacking your vehicle bus on the cheap & easy": https://theksmith.com/software/hack-vehicle-bus-cheap-easy-part-1/ https://theksmith.com/software/hack-vehicle-bus-cheap-easy-p... There's a PyOBD python module out there (my carputer is built in python), but it's a fairly simple process so I just rolled by own using pyserial.

by creshal 11y ago

Natanael_L 11y ago

USB-OTG cables with power supply exist.

rufugee 11y ago

How exactly has the power supply been weak? I've been running three PIs (A+, B and B+) for a few years with no problems with just simple cell phone power adapters. However, I'm not plugging any extra hardware into them...perhaps that's why I haven't run into problems?

extra88 11y ago
Yes, the parent was talking about lacking power through the Pi's USB ports thus often requiring a powered USB hub. My issue is with the Pi's use of micro USB for power, I'd rather it use a barrel connector, it's not like it doesn't have the space. Yes, I know the choice is based on the presumption that everyone already has a micro USB power adapter from a cell phone. The use of micro USB for power on this Pi Zero makes a lot more sense given the form factor.
creshal 11y ago
> However, I'm not plugging any extra hardware into them...perhaps that's why I haven't run into problems? Yes. Phone chargers provide plenty of power for the Pi itself, but once you add several USB devices like wifi/ethernet you'll need beefy ones. But even that is normally not much of a problem, because (especially on the B+) each device has their own port. If you plug several into a hub, however, you'll quickly exceed the hub port's power rating. Hence the need for an active hub.

xorcist 11y ago

Ethernet USB adapters tend to be very flakey. (At least that's my opinion/experience.)

SmellyGeekBoy 11y ago
It was my understanding that the ethernet on the Raspberry Pi sat on the USB anyway.

rsanders 11y ago

This is an awesome board for embedded development. Not as powerful or I/O rich as the Beaglebone Black, but add $6 worth of CAN transceiver chips and a 12V->5V switching power supply and you've got an incredibly powerful automotive compute unit. The Pi 1 was a bit underpowered for what I'm doing, and this might hit the sweet spot while dropping $35 off my unit cost for small quantities. None of the issues you mention affect that calculation at all. Who uses ethernet anymore?

el_benhameen 11y ago
That's exactly what I'm going to use this for, too. Right now I have an original Pi B logging GPS and OBD data, but it's crammed into a small storage spot in the car and is a big waste of space. I'm super excited to be able to cut my project to less than half its original size. I don't need ethernet (other than for debugging), four usb ports, etc. etc. I think this is going to be fantastic for creating homemade embedded devices.
- dakotasmith 11y ago
  Do you have or did you follow a write up for this? I know I would be interested in reading how you set that up!
  - el_benhameen 11y ago
    I don't right now, unfortunately, but a writeup is next on my list of projects after the carputer is complete. I'll post it here if there's interest. For learning about the OBD protocol, though, these resources have been very helpful: The ELM 327 data sheet (this is the chip in most OBD devices you'll find on amazon): http://elmelectronics.com/DSheets/ELM327DS.pdf http://elmelectronics.com/DSheets/ELM327DS.pdf Wikipedia's article on OBD PIDs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs "A complete guide to hacking your vehicle bus on the cheap & easy": https://theksmith.com/software/hack-vehicle-bus-cheap-easy-part-1/ https://theksmith.com/software/hack-vehicle-bus-cheap-easy-p... There's a PyOBD python module out there (my carputer is built in python), but it's a fairly simple process so I just rolled by own using pyserial.