If you are scared to solder, or don’t want to go to the expense of buying one, there are a few things that you just can’t do with the Raspberry Pi. It’s true that many add-on boards come with their GPIO headers fitted, but some (like the Pi Zero and pHATs) need them soldering on. Well, Pimoroni to the rescue. They’ve developed GPIO Hammer Headers – you take the header, press it into the relevant holes, put a plastic jig around it and then… hit it with a hammer. The headers have special little “nubbins” that go through the holes and then grip the back side of them. Ingenious! You can buy the headers for a few pounds from the Pimoroni website.
Excellent idea! Only half the price of a Pi Zero 😉
They aren’t cheap but that’s because we have them custom made in low volumes. Things like headers are priced almost entirely based on the volume that are produced (the raw materials cost very little!).
So our header that we get made in a few thousand units will cost a lot more than a standard header that’s produced in the millions by multiple factories. 🙂
Yes, we know 🙂 All ‘low volume’ accessories appear expensive when compared with the Zero – can’t be helped. The Pi Zero is so ridiculously cheap.