Building off a Zero, general questions
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Hi all. I'm considering building a Zero into a Retropie (mine is a 2b) for a friend's birthday. I see that most of those run a USB hub, so first off, any specs or specific stuff I should be looking out for in a hub?
Second, I am NOT a 3D printer nor much a scratch builder, so what are some housing solutions that have worked for you all in the past using Zero/hubs? How's the heat issues?
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My first question is are you going with a Zero simply because of cost? ...because in the end the Zero is rarely cheaper than something like a Raspberry Pi 3 if you want either bluetooth or wifi down the line.
A Raspberry Pi 3 is $35. Already has 4x USB's, WiFi, Bluetooth, and doesn't need adapters to use full-size/regular USB or full-size HDMI cables either.
A Raspberry Pi Zero, in the USA at least, if you don't live within driving distance of a MicroCenter store, is $14 shipped. Then you need a $5 USB hub (and most likely a $2-5 micro-USB to full-size USB adapter since the Zero only uses micro) + a $6 mini HDMI to HDMI adapter dongle = $27-30. The cheapest Bluetooth adapter is around $7, or a WiFi dongle is around $11....so you can quickly see the Zero is rarely cheaper in the long run and is a LOT slower and has a LOT less functionality than a Pi 3.
Anyway, to actually answer your question, any USB 2.0 hub should be fine. I've used 8 or 9 different hubs on my Zeros and every one worked just fine - just don't try powering a ton of stuff off a non-powered hub.
For a case, I've never seen one which bundles the Zero + a USB hub into a nice case-like enclosure which any Pi 3 case gives you from the start...
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The only reason I've used a Zero is because of space constraints or trying to make a low power (doesn't use a lot of electricity) device. If it's going to be plugged into an outlet, a Pi 3 is almost always a better option.
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@Dochartaigh good points all. I hadn't really considered a lot of that so thanks for the insight (well, in$ight :-D).
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