Manually Hack Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Audio Output on Raspberry Pi Zero
As cool as it is, the Raspberry Pi Zero makes some sacrifices to get so small. Namely, it doesn’t have many outputs. But a few fearless Raspberry Pi users have come up with ways to hack a few of the most essential components.
The Raspberry Pi Zero only has one slot for micro SD and HDMI. This means there is no dedicated audio output, no Ethernet, and if you want to add Wi-Fi, you need a converter or USB hub. However, Adafruit, RasPi.TV and hackerspace ( not ours ) have compiled guides to fix all of these issues:
- Add Wi-Fi : Hackerspace put decided to disassemble the USB Wi-Fi card and connect it to the Zero. You will need some soldering skills, but otherwise this is a fairly straightforward project.
- Add Ethernet : Raspi.TV shows you how to manually connect the Ethernet port to the Pi’s GPIO.
- Add Audio Output: Adafruit has compiled a guide to manually connecting the audio output to the GPIO (pictured above). You will also need a breadboard and a few other additional parts to get it up and running.
There will certainly be more tutorials and additional features over time, but if you’ve just gotten your Pi Zero, it should at least get you started.