Pi Zero as a universal USB stick

Multitool

© Lead Image © besjunior; 123rf.com

© Lead Image © besjunior; 123rf.com

Article from Issue 234/2020
Author(s):

In just a few simple steps, you can turn a Pi Zero into a universal USB flash drive that emulates storage, a serial port, Ethernet, and more.

Instead of taking along a separate USB gadget for every task, you can turn a Pi Zero into a universal device that provides storage, a network interface, and additional functions. This project relies on a rarely used feature of the Pi Zero: Its USB port supports USB On-The-Go (OTG). If you connect the small-board computer (SBC) to another computer, the Raspberry Pi logs in as a lower-level device (gadget).

Normally gadget mode [1] is undesirable. If you want to connect a memory stick to the Pi Zero, you need a special OTG cable; otherwise, it will not work (see the "How OTG Works" box). Conversely, plugging a normal cable into the USB port triggers the desired behavior.

In Figure 1, the USB cable is plugged into the left-hand USB port and is used both to supply power and exchange data. If you want to reproduce the project without much effort, just from the software point of view, you can skip the next steps.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

  • Intel Unveils Compute Stick

    Four-inch-long computer on a stick lets you boot a full Linux system from any HDMI display device.

    more »
  • Gnublin

    Embedded Linux doesn’t have to be rocket science, which the Gnublin board clearly shows. If you want to learn how to read sensors, flip switches, and switch LEDs on ARM Linux, this tiny machine is perfect for your research.

    more »
  • Security Lessons: Hacking Hardware

    Now that your networks are secure and you’ve convinced your users to secure their passwords and software, it’s time to turn your attention to your hardware to keep it from being attacked.

    more »
  • USB and Microcontrollers

    Learn how to enable a microcontroller's USB interface and exchange data with a host Linux machine. We'll first emulate a serial port, then build a pen-drive-type device, and finally create a fully custom data transfer interface.

    more »
  • Deleting Data

    Backups are a common topic, but you’ll hardly hear anyone mention safe data deletion.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source