What is a small gadget under $10-20 that you absolutely LOVE?

Praise Idleness@sh.itjust.works to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 245 points –
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A pi zero w. Need a wireless Android Auto adapter? Flash the right image. Need a Klipper controller for a 3D printer, flash the right image. Need to add a wireless thumb drive to any device that you can drop files to over the network? Flash the right image and run a few commands. They are very cheap and insanely versatile. I originally got a handful for $5 each and am still finding uses for them.

I'm gonna go buy one for that wireless android auto, I never even considered a dongle let alone a DIY pi dongle! do you have a link for that wireless thimbdrive one too? and/or is there an easy way to browse other interesting images/tasks you can do with the pi zero w?

https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/articles/pi-zero-w-smart-usb-flash-drive

It gives instructions for starting from a desktop OS, I just started with a headless OS to begin with. Then you can skip disabling the desktop and go straight to setting it up.

I use it for sending files to my resin 3D printer that doesn't have wifi built in. I just power on the printer before I prep files and then I can save them to the printer over the network.

For finding more uses, probably searching Hack-a-Day. That's probably how I've found these over the years.

How do you hook up to it?

I tried a similar board once (Orange i96 ?) that was cheap and had no video nor ethernet, just wifi and usb and I was never able to hook up to it in any way (ssh or some video over wifi).