Top 5 Raspberry Pi Zero Alternatives Available for Purchase. Single Board Computer (SBC) modules have surged into the market in recent years, catering to the DIY community. The market for these has expanded significantly as a result of the major players in the chipset industry concentrating on IoT. Since 2012, a revolution in computer-based DIY goods has been brought about by the Pi computers. With these SBCs, you can create a ton of great projects.
Top 5 Raspberry Pi Zero Alternatives You Can Buy
In this article, you can know about Top 5 Raspberry Pi Zero Alternatives You Can Buy here are the details below;
The most recent one, the Raspberry Pi Zero, is a $5 computer that may unleash your creativity without emptying your bank account. For that price, though, a lot of concessions have been made. There are only one USB port and one HDMI port for display purposes, no WiFi or Bluetooth module. This obviously necessitates a different search, especially for people who demand more from these incredibly cheap machines. So, we’ve put up a list of some excellent Raspberry Pi Zero alternatives, including:
1. C.H.I.P.
C.H.I.P., a cheap SBC that doesn’t have an abbreviation for its name, outperforms the Pi Zero in many ways. It includes everything the Pi Zero does not, plus a lot more. Wireless communications are provided by Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi chips. Additionally, there are ways to attach your C.H.I.P. computer to a monitor that also supports VGA ports. Additionally, compared to the Pi Zero’s older ARMv6 architecture, the C.H.I.P. uses the more modern ARMv7 architecture. A Lithium Polymer battery and integrated charging circuits power it. Additionally, you don’t need to purchase a separate SD Card in order to launch it for the first time. Also check raspberry pi alternatives
C.H.I.P. is pre-installed with Linux (Debian) and includes 4GB of onboard NAND flash storage. In contrast to the Pi Zero’s meager 40 I/O, C.H.I.P. provides two enormous rows of 40-pin female headers, for a total of 80 I/O.
The drawbacks? It costs $3 more than the Pi Zero and lacks an HDMI connection for connecting a display. If you want an SBC with lots of standard features and don’t mind the price, check it out.
Purchase ($9.00) from getchip.com
2. Orange Pi Zero
As you may have observed, the Orange Pi Zero’s name is a direct jab against Raspberry. Apart from that, though, this device is entirely different from the Raspberry Pi Zero. The Orange Pi Zero, in contrast to its single core CPU, has a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor, which was once used in many cheap to mid-range Android handsets. This hopes to compete with the Raspberry Pi 2 category for less money with a Mali400MP2 GPU and RAM options up to 512 MB. There are 33 I/O pins, two USB ports, a WiFi adaptor, and an audio input microphone.
A 100 Mbps Ethernet port is the main attraction. You can boot your Orange Pi Zero to one of the following operating systems: Android 4.4, Lubuntu, Debian, or Raspbian with the built-in power button.
Purchase from Amazon.com (prices start at $20.00)
3. Nano Pi Neo Air
You can tell that the Nano Pi Neo Air is a significant piece of equipment for the DIY community because it is 12% smaller in size than the Raspberry Pi Zero. 24 GPIO pins, a Quad-core Cortex-A7 processor running at 1.2 GHz, 256 or 512 MB of DDR3 RAM. You have a 10/100M Ethernet port accessible for network connectivity. Both a micro SD card slot and a micro USB OTG connector are there to handle the peripheral connection needs. You can start up operating systems like u-boot and UbuntuCore.
However, because of its tiny size (40 x 40 mm), it does without display connections like HDMI or VGA. This qualifies it for DIY projects where you only require a PC for back-end work.
Purchase from friendlyarm.com (Prices start at $17.99)
4. LinkIt Smart 7688
Mediatek’s attempt to capture a piece of the SBC market is the LinkIt Smart 7688. It is an inexpensive option for the DIY community, where Raspberry tiny computers rule, and has a MediaTek MT7688 580 MHz MIPS CPU, 32 MB Flash, and 128 MB DDR2 RAM. For making connections to a network, it contains a WiFi adapter. It contains a micro SD card slot for storage and a micro USB connection for connecting to hardware accessories. For PWM, I2C, SPI, UART, Ethernet, and I2S, it contains 22 GPIO pins. Also check TiviMate Alternatives
The SBC supports Python, Node.js, and native C programming languages for the creation of applications. Additionally, the MediaTek labs are actively providing support for it if you require any hardware-based assistance. There is no display output port, which is a disadvantage. However, since it was created using parts created especially for IoT development, this can serve as a solid foundation for your DIY projects.
Purchase on Amazon.com (Priced at $14.00)
5. Onion Omega2
Another SBC manufacturer, Onion, aims to compete with Raspberry’s appeal. The Omega 2 has a 400 MHz single core processor and 64 MB of 400 MHz RAM for the same price as the Pi Zero. In addition, you get 16 MB of flash storage, USB 2.0 compatibility, and Ethernet with a 100 Mbps maximum speed. With its 150 Mbps 802.11b/g/ WiFi module, it surpasses the Pi Zero in terms of internet connectivity. Additionally, the Omega2 benefits from having an HDMI out connector, which makes it practical for desktop utilities. And the company itself sells add-on modules for a variety of tasks.
The ability to control the Omega2 using a web browser and manage hardware-software interactions through APIs, in our opinion, is the largest benefit. This is made feasible by the cloud-based Onion Cloud functionality. Apart from that, it contains 18 GPIO pins, which is fewer than the 40 pins on the Pi Zero. However, despite having a $15,000 fundraising goal, the project received almost $672,801 in donations, demonstrating that it is a necessity for DIY enthusiasts.
Order in advance at Kickstarter.com (Prices start at $5.00)
Check out these amazing Raspberry Pi Zero alternatives
So, if for some explanation you don’t like the fantastic Raspberry Pi Zero, these are some good options. Although the features and prices differ significantly, all of them guarantee that your DIY project will be handled by capable computers and get the results you desire.
Please let us understand in the comments section below if you have any further ideas to add to this list or personal experience with any of the Raspberry Pi Zero alternatives.