Turned out the problem was with the USB to Micro USB converter shim. [2]
Thanks for all the help. I don’t think I would have figured it out with out being encouraged to try different things.
Hi, I recently bought a Three Port USB Hub with Ethernet adapter [1] and USB to microUSB OTG Converter Shim [2] to use with a Raspberry Pi Zero.
When I power on the Zero the Ethernet adapter doesn’t light up and I am unable to establish an wired Ethernet connection. Any idea how to get this working?
I have tested the Ethernet adapter with my Android phone and it works great - lights up and wired internet connection is established straight away with no configuration necessary.
Your top link doesn’t work for me but i’m guessing its this.
I have a couple of those here and use them with my Pi A+'s. No issues that I am aware of.
For my Pi Zero’s I use this one, which works out of the box with no adapter required.
I also have a couple of those adapters. I’ve used them on my Pi Zero’s to plug a wireless keyboard dongle in. They worked OK for me with my Logitech Unifying receiver.
When I get a chance latter on today, I’ll try the combo you used and see if it work for me.
I have to remember where I put the adapters first lol.
Which micro-USB socket are you connecting it to? It should be on the inner one along the Pi’s edge (closer to the middle of it), not the power one towards the edge (next to the hole for spacers and screws).
I’ve used those shims before, and never had an issue with them.
I am plugging the Ethernet adapter into the USB port (the micro USB port nearer the HDMI port) - not the power port (my case has a little USB symbol and PWR symbol to label the two ports correctly).
I have done a bit more exploring and it looks like my problems might be bigger than I originally thought. I had been trying to work with the Zero headless, but I have tried plugging it into my monitor via the HDMI port and I’m not getting any output on the screen. In fact the monitor’s power light just blinks as if it is not plugged into anything!
I have tried three different power supplies, which all work fine with other Pi models that I have, and neither the Ethernet adapter or the monitor will power up.
So I reinstalled Rasbian Buster onto the micro SD card and copied ssh and (properly configured) wpa_supplicant.conf files onto the boot partition and it DOES connects to the wireless no problem and I can ssh into it! I’m a bit stumped by this. It seems that the Pi is booting up okay but that it is not playing ball with hardware peripherals.
Is it possible that my handling of the board has shorted something or created an anomalous hardware problem somehow?
Or is there something in Rasbian that I need to configure to switch on access to the Ethernet adapter (I’m grasping at straws here)?
Thanks for your help. Any further suggestion are gratefully received :)
PS. I actually bought three of the Ethernet adapters and all three work flawlessly with my Android devices so I don’t think the problem is with the adapters!
if you have a device that that needs charging and used a usb charger to be charged ,like a cell phone ,blue tooth speaker ,headphone [i use those as examples because i have them and charge them with the same hubs and use them to charge the devices ] ,you could plug it into the pi’s usb port i just checked with the 2 i have and they worked without me doing anything but boot the pizero ,that boots to where i need to the command prompt ,i have a pHAT DAC on the zero ,set to play my mp3’s
I just had a try with mine and initially had issues. No HDMI to my monitor. Once I took my Pi Zero out of its case everything worked OK.
What case is yours in?
Mine is the official Pi Zero case and official Pi Zero mini HDMI cable? The HDMI plug on the Pi end wasn’t going in all the way? Humor me and try your Pi with no case on it.
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried plugging my Android phone into one of the Ethernet adapter USB ports. The phone didn’t start to charge! So I guess that suggests that the USB ports aren’t active!
Ah, yea I noticed that too - that the case keeps the HDMI plug from locating properly. So I tried it without the case - see photos below - and I still don’t get any signal on the monitor. I’m starting to think that the Zero is faulty. I’ve had it a few years and probably not always treated is as well as I should have done :(
Just a FYI, carpets and electronics don’t mix. Be careful around electronics if walking on carpets. An electrostatic discharge can be deadly to electronic tech.
I’m leaning towards there being an issue with that Pi Zero. If you want to keep tinkering remove the Hub and plug the black cord into the Pi with the adapter. If nothing changes you’ll know its not the Hub that’s messing things up.
This is freaky…I have plugged the Ethernet adapter in with a USB adapter, rather than the shim and it lights up!!! And I have managed to SSH into it via the Ethernet connection! Problem solved. It must be the shim!!! But the shim works with my Android devices (two different devices!).
I have a couple of those kicking around. I ended up buying a starter kit just to get a PI Zero. The singles sold out quick and I wasn’t fast enough to snag just the Zero.
That Pi isn’t happy with that shim for what ever reason. On the Plus side the Pi Zero looks to be OK, and you can use the Hub with that other adapter cable.
I’m exploring ditching wireless altogether and so bought the Ethernet adapter and shims to be able to try it out with different devices and get my Pi Zero up and running as a file backup server.
It is strange that the same shim works with two Android devices no problem.
I had forgotten I even had the USB converter cable until I was rummaging around in a draw after you prompted me to try plugging other devices into the Pi.
Thanks for you help and support. I wouldn’t have thought to try the different suggestions and wouldn’t have figured this out without your suggestions :)
I’m a happy bunny this evening with my Zero up and running :)
I was referring to the one that worked, in my above post. The shorty cable one.
Anyway, nice to know you have it working. I like those hubs with ethernet, which is why I have both types. One with the standard type A plug and one with the mini for the Pi Zero.
I use them mostly for my Motion Eye OS setups. The stock image will look for an ethernet connection and just endlessly reboot if it doesn’t get one. PITA on a Pi Zero or 3A+ as all they have is WIFI. Anyway now you get to play with a working setup. =)
