{"id":2047,"date":"2020-09-20T17:31:49","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T09:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techcoil.com\/blog\/?p=2047"},"modified":"2021-05-08T13:19:37","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T05:19:37","slug":"how-to-use-a-raspberry-pi-zero-w","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techcoil.com\/blog\/how-to-use-a-raspberry-pi-zero-w\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use a Raspberry Pi Zero W?"},"content":{"rendered":"

After figuring out why you will want to get a Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/a>, you may wonder how you can use it.<\/p>\n

Given that, this post shows how you can use a Raspberry Pi Zero W in your next IoT<\/a> project.<\/p>\n

At a glance, using a Raspberry Pi Zero W involves the following steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Getting a Raspberry Pi Zero W board with or without GPIO header<\/li>\n
  2. Using a camera with your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  3. Getting GPIO extensions for your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  4. Buying or building a case for your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  5. Displaying HDMI output of your Raspberry Pi Zero W onto a monitor screen<\/li>\n
  6. Connecting USB peripherals to your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  7. Buying the microSD card to install the operating system to run your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  8. Deciding on the operating system to run on your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/li>\n
  9. Bringing your Raspberry Pi Zero W to life<\/li>\n
  10. Configuring your Raspberry Pi OS<\/li>\n
  11. Installing applications that others had built<\/li>\n
  12. Using a programming language to build your own application<\/li>\n
  13. Running your application as a daemon<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Getting a Raspberry Pi Zero W board with or without GPIO header<\/h2>\n

    When you are not sure whether you need the GPIO header pins, you can buy one without the pins first. If your board don't have a GPIO header, then your IoT project can take a smaller form factor.<\/p>\n

    \"Raspberry<\/p>\n

    If you need to connect to the GPIO pins, then you can have the flexibility to do so later.<\/p>\n

    Since there are metal conductors at both sides of the board, you can solder header pins on either side.
    \n\"Raspberry<\/p>\n

    In addition, you can choose the type of header pins. For example, you can choose to solder male or female GPIO header<\/a> on the top or bottom of the board.<\/p>\n

    If you are only using a few of the GPIO connections, then you may solder the wires directly onto the connection points.<\/p>\n

    2. Using a camera with your Raspberry Pi Zero W<\/h2>\n

    If you are going to capture images with your Pi Zero W, then you will need a camera.<\/p>\n

    Since there is a Camera Serial Interface (CSI) on your Pi Zero W, it is best to get a camera to connect to that interface.<\/p>\n

    In order for such a camera to connect to your Raspberry Pi Zero W, you will need a cable like this<\/a>. If you are getting a Raspberry Pi Zero W kit<\/a> or the official case, then a cable may be included in the package.<\/p>\n

    In case you are wondering, this is how a CSI camera is connected to the Raspberry Pi Zero W board<\/a>:\"Raspberry<\/p>\n

    Given that you have the ribbon cable, there are several types of camera that you can use:<\/p>\n