The $5 Raspberry Pi Zero Has Been Launched

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Have you ever wanted a Raspberry Pi unit, but thought that the $25 version was ‘too big’ for a complete computer capable of running Linux?

Well, here is the good news: Raspberry Pi Foundation has just released the Pi Zero, a single-board computer that costs just £4/$5. The new Zero unit is not merely some add-on module or something like that. It’s a full-fledged member of the Raspberry Pi family.

Pi Zero is powered by a Broadcom BCM2835 (the same SoC in the Raspberry Pi 1), with a 1GHz ARM11 CPU core. There is 512MB of RAM, a micro SD slot, two micro USB sockets (data and power) and a mini HDMI socket that can output at 1080 x 60p. Most importantly, Pi Zero has 40 GPIO pins with the same pin out as the Model A+, B+, and 2B. There is also some headers for RCA composite video out.

The ARM CPU is 40 percent faster than the original Raspberry Pi 1 Models A, A+, B, and B+. The SoC, plus the RAM and the standard GPIO layout, means that Pi Zero has enough ability to run Raspbian. It should also be fully compatible with most existing Raspberry Pi software and projects.

The other notable thing about Pi Zero, as you may have noticed from the photos and video, lies on its tiny size. At 65mm long, 30mm wide, and 5mm tall, it’s about half the size of a credit card.

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Another option is to pick up a print copy of the MagPi magazine which comes with a free Pi Zero on the front cover.