ArduSub Companion on Raspberry Pi Zero W 2

Hi @legohead259,

ArduSub is the firmware that runs on the flight controller/autopilot board - I assume you’re talking about the Companion software (see our software overview docs).

No we haven’t tried it yet - we have several other high priority projects ongoing at the moment, and given the RPiZero2W only came out 2 weeks ago, and is sold out everywhere, we haven’t yet had a chance to try one out and see if it’s possible to get working with Companion. If I put in a back order for one it would be expected to be available in March next year, so I wouldn’t expect news (from us at least) on this front particularly soon.

A few notes on compatibility:

  • RPi3B has 4xUSB2 ports and an ethernet port, compared to the RPiZero2W’s 1x(micro)USB2 port and no ethernet port, so there may be some difficulties connecting to camera + autopilot board + tether (you’ll likely need a USB hub and a USB to ethernet converter, or a hub that includes an ethernet port (here’s one, if you happen to also be in Australia), together with a microUSB to USB adaptor (or you could modify the hub’s plug from USB to microUSB, to save space))
  • The RPiZero2W also has only half the RAM of the RPi3B, and a 20% lower clock speed, so it’s very possible that performance won’t be as good
  • We haven’t yet officially supported any boards outside of the RPi3B for our Companion software - that’s changing with Companion 1, which is currently in beta, so you’re welcome to try that but we don’t recommend it be used in a production/work environment until it’s officially released
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