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back to article Bijou Linux autopilot takes to the skies

Those who believe that less is indeed more are directed to the PXFmini autopilot shield for the Raspberry Pi Zero - a seriously bijou bit of kit measuring just 31mm by 73mm and weighing in at 15g. The PFXmini atop the Raspberry Pi Zero The PXFmini is the work of Spanish outfit Erle Robotics, and since the company's part of …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Oh thank God!

    I was afraid you were dead...

    speaking of dead, any word from the FAA? ------>

    2 0 Reply
    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Not dead

      Things are moving Stateside, but nothing concrete to report.

      2 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Re: Not dead

        Jesus! Really?! More than another round of extortion?

        I'm (almost) lost for words!

        Thanks for the intriguing news... and looking forward to a new instalment once it congeals into something typeworthy.

        \o/

        1 0 Reply
  2. Robert Sneddon

    Pi Zero availability

    I've been looking to buy a Pi Zero for a "blob" project (i.e. a small lump of computing power to do a simple specific job, nothing more). Is there a source for Pi Zeros out there that is not permanently out of stock and is willing to sell one at a reasonable price including postage today or tomorrow? Anyone?

    2 0 Reply
    1. Simon 15
      Reply Icon

      Re: Pi Zero availability

      Same problem here... Have been looking to buy one (or a dozen) since they were released but everywhere is perpetually out of stock. I know with the original Pi financing the production was an issue but I'd have thought this wouldn't have been the case any more. Perhaps the £5 computer really is too good to be true?

      Do we know if they are still manufacturing them in the UK now? If so, my suggestion would be to shift production back to China where they can produce the volume required to satisfy demand. It really irks me to see a business loosing money from such a basic oversight, especially when they must have known from experience that the product was going to be in very high demand. Perhaps selling them for a slightly higher price of £6 (+20% pure profit!) would have allowed for a greater speculative investment in production.

      Queue a thousand replies below telling us who's got one already... Good for you and yes, I know I can get one on eBay for £20. That's not the point.

      2 2 Reply
      1. Anonymous Custard
        Reply Icon

        Re: Pi Zero availability

        They do pop up occasionally on the normal sites, and if you set the notification and are quick you can grab one. For example Pimoroni had some (40 or so i think) in a couple of weeks ago, which I was lucky to snag one of. Also got a late subscription to MagPi just in time to get issue #40 with one on the cover.

        Posted not with the aim of being one of the thousand replies, but more to reassure that with a little patience it is possible to get one. But I can understand the frustration, having been in the same boat prior to striking lucky.

        That said, judging by the top photo on the article they're trying the get the autopilot boards to breed...

        2 0 Reply
        1. James Hughes 1
          Reply Icon

          Re: Pi Zero availability

          All Zero's are made in the UK, production needs to be slipped in amongst the other Pi models. Demand is much higher than expected, so until market becomes saturated, there will be delays. Thousands being made per week.

          In the meantime, prototype on the Pi, the GPIO's are all the same. Note that the Zero uses the older single core SoC, so prototyping on the A+ would be the best idea.

          2 0 Reply
          1. Robert Sneddon
            Reply Icon

            Re: Pi Zero availability

            I need a cheap-as-chips blob of computing power to connect to a cheap USB microscope and feed a TFT display I got out of a bin. A full-size full-price Raspberry Pi is quadruple the price and it would be overkill with all sorts of features I don't need. The Pi Zero at a fiver is within my three-pints of beer budget for this project, if I could find any for sale.

            It says something about the market for such a board that they can't keep up with demand at the moment. Maybe when things quiet down a bit...

            2 0 Reply
            1. Simon 15
              Reply Icon

              Re: Pi Zero availability

              18th Jan 2016 - Still out of stock from all major suppliers..

              Have just ordered a batch of 20 ESP8266 development boards instead. I would have purchased at least 10 Pi Zeros in preference here but they're not available. I know the Raspberry Pi foundation has more altruistic aims than most other 'businesses' but what a crazy situation to be in where there is such massive demand for a product that you can effectively afford to turn down custom.... I wish I was in a similar situation.

              They are sitting on a gold mine here, swallow the pride and shift production to China. Heck, even sell it for a higher price and give it another name (Raspberry Chi Zero?) and I'd still buy loads of them. I'm actually hoping it wont be long until we see unofficial Chinese clones on sale, Banana Pi Zero anyone?

              1 0 Reply
  3. Cynic_999

    There are plenty of smaller and cheaper dedicated flight controllers available with similar hardware on board - look on almost any R/C model site.

    1 0 Reply

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