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Pi 5 portable power


 

I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW


 

Ken,

Any USB-C standard power outlet will have the standard 5V, 9V, and 12V pins, you just need one rated at 28W or higher. Your 30W unit will work fine.?

Tom NK5H?

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 12:18 Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:
I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW








 

my research says that a QC and PD port has to negotiate to get higher power.? Can a Pi 5 do that???I don't think so.



"Quick Charge requires both the power supply and the device being charged to support it, otherwise charging falls back to the standard USB ten watts."



I'll let someone else decipher that page but my take on it is that it is 3A (15 watts) unless it able to?negotiate to get higher power.

So it would seem it would be better to use one of the PD ports and get?3A (15 watts)?versus the QC port and only get 10 watts.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Max KG4PID


On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 07:19:49 PM CST, Tom Hyde NK5H <nk5h.tx@...> wrote:

Ken,

Any USB-C standard power outlet will have the standard 5V, 9V, and 12V pins, you just need one rated at 28W or higher. Your 30W unit will work fine.?

Tom NK5H?

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 12:18 Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:
I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW








 

Thanks for sharing your find Ken?


 

You should do a little research on the Pi5. The official Pi5 power supply is PD and the pi does have the circuitry to request the higher power.? The previous versions of the Pi didn't have the circuitry and were unable to take advantage of the PD.

Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:23, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>[email protected]> wrote:

my research says that a QC and PD port has to negotiate to get higher power.? Can a Pi 5 do that???I don't think so.



"Quick Charge requires both the power supply and the device being charged to support it, otherwise charging falls back to the standard USB ten watts."



I'll let someone else decipher that page but my take on it is that it is 3A (15 watts) unless it able to?negotiate to get higher power.

So it would seem it would be better to use one of the PD ports and get?3A (15 watts)?versus the QC port and only get 10 watts.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Max KG4PID


On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 07:19:49 PM CST, Tom Hyde NK5H <nk5h.tx@...> wrote:

Ken,

Any USB-C standard power outlet will have the standard 5V, 9V, and 12V pins, you just need one rated at 28W or higher. Your 30W unit will work fine.?

Tom NK5H?

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 12:18 Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:
I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW








 

I stand corrected. Open mouth and inset foot. Is it true that the official PS only has a four foot power cord? Sounds rather short.

Max KG4PID

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 10:04:36 PM CST, N5XMT <dacooley@...> wrote:


You should do a little research on the Pi5. The official Pi5 power supply is PD and the pi does have the circuitry to request the higher power.? The previous versions of the Pi didn't have the circuitry and were unable to take advantage of the PD.

Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:23, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>[email protected]> wrote:

my research says that a QC and PD port has to negotiate to get higher power.? Can a Pi 5 do that???I don't think so.



"Quick Charge requires both the power supply and the device being charged to support it, otherwise charging falls back to the standard USB ten watts."



I'll let someone else decipher that page but my take on it is that it is 3A (15 watts) unless it able to?negotiate to get higher power.

So it would seem it would be better to use one of the PD ports and get?3A (15 watts)?versus the QC port and only get 10 watts.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Max KG4PID


On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 07:19:49 PM CST, Tom Hyde NK5H <nk5h.tx@...> wrote:

Ken,

Any USB-C standard power outlet will have the standard 5V, 9V, and 12V pins, you just need one rated at 28W or higher. Your 30W unit will work fine.?

Tom NK5H?

On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 12:18 Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:
I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW








 

Yep, unfortunately, but the cable does use 17awg wires for power, so it definitely can handle the current.


Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 20:50, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>[email protected]> wrote:

I stand corrected. Open mouth and inset foot. Is it true that the official PS only has a four foot power cord? Sounds rather short.

Max KG4PID

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 10:04:36 PM CST, N5XMT <dacooley@...> wrote:


You should do a little research on the Pi5. The official Pi5 power supply is PD and the pi does have the circuitry to request the higher power.? The previous versions of the Pi didn't have the circuitry and were unable to take advantage of the PD.

Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:23, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>kg4pid=@groups.io> wrote:


 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

FWIW, I ran my Pi5 yesterday for about 4 hours using the power socket I discussed.

My 24 AH LiFePo4 battery went from 91% to 89% charge. (Not hugely scientific, but suffice to say the Pi 5 didn¡¯t suck down a lot of power.)

Not a single warning message from the Pi about low voltage, etc.

IMHO, my Pi5 is going to be a great addition to my portable kit. I¡¯m still looking for an acceptable smallish monitor for it, but I assume that¡¯s the easy part. I expect this setup will draw a fraction of the power I used to use with my Macbook Pro 15¡± (2018, a real power pig). I have a 3D printed case that fits the Pimoroni NVMe base on its way, so that¡¯ll enable me to put the 5 into a nice protective case and tuck it into the big case where I stow my portable rig (Icom IC-7200).

Anyway, it¡¯s nice to have options. The thought of using an AC inverter with my portable rig so I could use the official power supply was crazy. (DC to AC and back again is stupid.)

I¡¯ll test this same setup with an external USB 3 SSD as well, and I¡¯ll report back here.

Cheers,

Ken van Wyk
Armata Scientia





On Mar 7, 2024, at 1:18?PM, Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:

I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):

https://a.co/d/5i1SGfZ


73 de K0RvW









 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Do you notice a large difference in using the 5 vs a 4 (assuming you used a 4)? I have a 4 that¡¯s been very reliable, and I have a MoPi board to run it off 12v, but there¡¯s going to come a day where it dies from rough service in my POTA bag and I¡¯ll need something else.

I usually use my iPad and VNC into it (I have a script that detects if my home WiFi is available, and if not setup its own access point), but this last winter field day I had a 12v capable monitor and keyboard and really liked the extra space. The monitor has HDMI and VGA inputs for the pi and my ftdx10. Found it in the junk box of my dad¡¯s when he passed a few months ago, but stuff like that is available on Amazon. I¡¯ve also thought about the portable monitors that use usb c for power, but I don¡¯t think the pi will output video and power on the same cable.?

Thanks,
Dan
--
. Please pardon any mispelings or errors.


On Mar 8, 2024, at 3:55?AM, Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:

?FWIW, I ran my Pi5 yesterday for about 4 hours using the power socket I discussed.

My 24 AH LiFePo4 battery went from 91% to 89% charge. (Not hugely scientific, but suffice to say the Pi 5 didn¡¯t suck down a lot of power.)

Not a single warning message from the Pi about low voltage, etc.

IMHO, my Pi5 is going to be a great addition to my portable kit. I¡¯m still looking for an acceptable smallish monitor for it, but I assume that¡¯s the easy part. I expect this setup will draw a fraction of the power I used to use with my Macbook Pro 15¡± (2018, a real power pig). I have a 3D printed case that fits the Pimoroni NVMe base on its way, so that¡¯ll enable me to put the 5 into a nice protective case and tuck it into the big case where I stow my portable rig (Icom IC-7200).

Anyway, it¡¯s nice to have options. The thought of using an AC inverter with my portable rig so I could use the official power supply was crazy. (DC to AC and back again is stupid.)

I¡¯ll test this same setup with an external USB 3 SSD as well, and I¡¯ll report back here.

Cheers,

Ken van Wyk
Armata Scientia





On Mar 7, 2024, at 1:18?PM, Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:

I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):

https://a.co/d/5i1SGfZ


73 de K0RvW









 

Hello Ken,

Here are a couple of small screen touch displays you might consider.

Best regards,
Larry
WB6BBB


$75.99
Orange Pi 10.1 Inch LCD Touch Screen



29.08€
10.1 inch capacitive touch screen module kit 1920x1200 IPS HD LCD Module Car
Raspberry Pi 10 point touch High brightness Monitor





On Fri, 08 Mar 2024 02:55:43 -0800, "Kenneth R. van Wyk" <ken@...>
wrote:

FWIW, I ran my Pi5 yesterday for about 4 hours using the power socket I discussed.

My 24 AH LiFePo4 battery went from 91% to 89% charge. (Not hugely scientific, but suffice to say the Pi 5 didn¡¯t suck down a lot of power.)

Not a single warning message from the Pi about low voltage, etc.

IMHO, my Pi5 is going to be a great addition to my portable kit. I¡¯m still looking for an acceptable smallish monitor for it, but I assume that¡¯s the easy part. I expect this setup will draw a fraction of the power I used to use with my Macbook Pro 15¡± (2018, a real power pig). I have a 3D printed case that fits the Pimoroni NVMe base on its way, so that¡¯ll enable me to put the 5 into a nice protective case and tuck it into the big case where I stow my portable rig (Icom IC-7200).

Anyway, it¡¯s nice to have options. The thought of using an AC inverter with my portable rig so I could use the official power supply was crazy (DC to AC and back again is stupid.)

I¡¯ll test this same setup with an external USB 3 SSD as well, and I¡¯ll report back here.

Cheers,

Ken van Wyk
Armata Scientia





On Mar 7, 2024, at 1:18?PM, Kenneth R. van Wyk <ken@...> wrote:

I¡¯m running a Pi 5 here, with pretty good successes. It is my intention to build it into a portable PC for radio operations (e.g., POTA, vacations).

One concern I had was regarding power when I¡¯m away from 120V AC. I know it¡¯s been discussed here a lot that we have to use the official Pi 28 Watt charger and such.

HOWEVER, I have a LiFePo4 + solar battery system I built. I included in it a socket with 2 USB-C PD ports rated at 30 Watts each. (I use it to charge my MacBook Pro often.)

I just booted up my Pi 5 on that port and got no warnings about low voltages at all. It just runs. I see no difference between this and the factory power adapter.

I¡¯m not running anything on the USB ports, so the power draw isn¡¯t that much anyway. My configuration is Pi 5 with 8 Gb, Pi OS, Pimoroni NVMe Base board with an NVMe (Sabrent) 1 TB boot drive.

I¡¯ll report back if I encounter any problems, but so far so good.

The socket I put in my LiFePo4 box is this one from Amazon ($20.99):




73 de K0RvW










 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

I have the "official" 115VAC supply, BUT I have a 12V to 5V @5A converter (with "c" cable) from Amazon.? I have not tried it YET, see: ?

For my RPi4B - I have a 12V to 5V HAT with 40mm fan that works great.

73, steve WB3LGC

On 3/7/24 11:58 PM, N5XMT wrote:

Yep, unfortunately, but the cable does use 17awg wires for power, so it definitely can handle the current.


Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 20:50, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>[email protected]> wrote:
I stand corrected. Open mouth and inset foot. Is it true that the official PS only has a four foot power cord? Sounds rather short.

Max KG4PID

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, 10:04:36 PM CST, N5XMT <dacooley@...> wrote:


You should do a little research on the Pi5. The official Pi5 power supply is PD and the pi does have the circuitry to request the higher power.? The previous versions of the Pi didn't have the circuitry and were unable to take advantage of the PD.

Get
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:23, "Max via " <yahoo.com@groups.io target=_blank>kg4pid=@groups.io> wrote: