The recommended way to set up any Raspberry Pi is with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The Pi Zero and the Pi Zero W makes this even harder by requiring you to have a USB adapter (for the mouse and keyboard), and a mini HDMI adapter (for the monitor).
Since the Pi Zero W is WiFi enabled, we can preconfigure the operating system to enable SSH and have the WiFi credentials when we are first powering the device. Thus, when it comes online, it will be available on your local network for you to start using the Pi. Since we’ll be controling the device via command line, you’ll want to be confortable with the terminal.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, or even use Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for MakeCode, CircuitPython, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell with Google Hangouts On-Air is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
