Orange PI Zero is a low cost and small computer.
- Very small size (about 46 x 48mm)
- It has no connections like HDMI. It can be used for self-embedded systems.
- It supports headphone microphone and tv output with pin connections on it.
- It has wifi and Ethernet connection.
- It has a very powerful processor Allwinner H2 + system-on-chip (SoC) has a 4-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor. You can find all the features and detailed information here linux-sunxi.org wiki.
- It has Linux support. It supports Armbian versions.
- It is very cheap. (About 15-20 $)
I will explain Armbian Linux installation on Orange PI Zero step by step from this document.
What you will need
Hardware:
- Orange PI Zero (256 / 512 MB)
- Micro SD Card and Card Reader
- 5V 2A Micro USB Power Adapter
- Ethernet Connection
- A Router or Modem where we can get an automatic IP address.
Software:
- Armbian Linux image file.
- Win32DiskImager or Raspberry Pi Imager
- Putty or another SSH client.
Let's Get Start:
1- Let's download our Armbian Image file from the site. Click the "Direct Download" button.
2- The file is compressed, we have to open it first. The file content will be similar to the following. We need a .img extension file. We will not use others.
3- It is necessary to write Armbian.img file to disk.
Insert the SD Card you will use as a disk into the computer and start writing the file with the image writer program you want to use.
I am using Raspberry Pi Imager. You can find it in both Linux and Windows environment.
4- Click the "Choose OS" button.
Select at the bottom "Use Custom" option.
5- Select the "Armbian.img" image file.
6- Click the "Chose SD Card" button.
7- Select the SD Card you want to use it.
8- Click to the "WRITE" button.
9- Armbian.img file is writing on the SD card. You need to wait a little.
10- After the writing process, we safely remove our card. It can wait 99% too long.