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  3. What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?

What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?

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  • tony1tfT tony1tf

    Carrying on with the "Super Cheap" theme, I have successfully used two Poundshop Lithium ion batteries. They have a 5V USB input and output which can only be used one side at a time. However, connect the two batteries in parallel (+ve to +ve, and - ve to - ve), and you get 2 charger/discharge circuits, so you can power the micro USB side from a USB 5V supply, and the other USB 5V o/p to the Pi. The cheaper ones (1pound) will supply 800mA, but they also have higher power ones for a bit more, especially as they are sometimes on offer.
    Tony

    gohanG Offline
    gohanG Offline
    gohan
    Mod
    wrote on last edited by
    #23

    @tony1tf said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

    However, connect the two batteries in parallel (+ve to +ve, and - ve to - ve),

    I am not entirely sure I understand this setup...

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    • tony1tfT tony1tf

      Carrying on with the "Super Cheap" theme, I have successfully used two Poundshop Lithium ion batteries. They have a 5V USB input and output which can only be used one side at a time. However, connect the two batteries in parallel (+ve to +ve, and - ve to - ve), and you get 2 charger/discharge circuits, so you can power the micro USB side from a USB 5V supply, and the other USB 5V o/p to the Pi. The cheaper ones (1pound) will supply 800mA, but they also have higher power ones for a bit more, especially as they are sometimes on offer.
      Tony

      NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDie
      Hero Member
      wrote on last edited by
      #24

      @tony1tf Do you mean this kind of charger?
      https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ESP32-ESP32S-For-Wemos-For-Raspberry-Pi-18650-Battery-Charge-Shield-Board-V3-Micro-USB-Port/32843629344.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.8.197d1137ao0RVa&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_5_10152_10065_10151_5711320_10344_10068_10130_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10546_10340_10548_10341_10698_10545_10696_10084_5722520_10083_10618_10307_5711220_10059_5722620_5722920_308_5722720_5722820_100031_10103_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620,searchweb201603_36,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=63f9de1f-1174-45ff-a9fd-4ebff214ea1b-1&algo_pvid=63f9de1f-1174-45ff-a9fd-4ebff214ea1b&transAbTest=ae803_1&priceBeautifyAB=0

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      • gohanG Offline
        gohanG Offline
        gohan
        Mod
        wrote on last edited by
        #25

        2A at 5V... if it works it looks a nice and compact solution

        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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        • gohanG gohan

          2A at 5V... if it works it looks a nice and compact solution

          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDie
          Hero Member
          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
          #26

          @gohan I notice that the silkscreen on the back of the PCB says "5v 4A output" and "3v 1A output", which would seem to contradict the seller's description of the lower amounts you quoted. On the other hand, maybe one is burst mode and the other is continuous?

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          • gohanG Offline
            gohanG Offline
            gohan
            Mod
            wrote on last edited by
            #27

            anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

            alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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            • Nca78N Nca78

              @neverdie I have bought the last one in your list (ugeek hat) but not set up on my pi 3 yet.

              You can get battery information through i2c and prepare for shutdown when battery is low as explained here
              http://www.raspberrypiwiki.com/index.php/Raspi_UPS_HAT_Board

              rozpruwaczR Offline
              rozpruwaczR Offline
              rozpruwacz
              wrote on last edited by rozpruwacz
              #28

              @nca78 does this Raspi UPS HAT is able to turn rpi on when power comes back ?

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              • B Offline
                B Offline
                benbidouille
                wrote on last edited by
                #29

                Designed for Rpi2 & 3, Best UPS I have found is definitively UPS PIco HV3.0B HAT Stack with Battery 450 available under below link.

                http://www.pimodulescart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=30

                It accepts most technologies of batteries and capacities, but with supplied version is good enough to manage supply of RPI3 and HDD running domoticz at least for 1h and if not sufficient will proceed with clean shutdown and automatic restart on main supply is back.

                Nice industrial design, including user configurable Leds and button, relay and temperature monitoring with FAN control.

                I bought one 2 month ago, and I'm very happy with it.

                I have not any incentive nor interest in this product, just to highlight was quickly delivered to me, technical manual is well documented ( not chinese like) and firmware is professionally maintained with a dedicated forum also available.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • gohanG Offline
                  gohanG Offline
                  gohan
                  Mod
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #30

                  Price is not bad compared to others, but still costs more than a pi3 😅

                  NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • gohanG gohan

                    Price is not bad compared to others, but still costs more than a pi3 😅

                    NeverDieN Offline
                    NeverDieN Offline
                    NeverDie
                    Hero Member
                    wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                    #31

                    @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                    Price is not bad compared to others, but still costs more than a pi3 😅

                    The pi is mass produced. His UPS is probably produced in small batches. i.e. it's more of a specialty item, which somewhat explains the price.

                    alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • NeverDieN NeverDie

                      OK, I just settled on this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTQYUA8/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

                      $25, surge protection, no lithium, and maybe (?) I'll be able to power the Pi directly from one of the UPS usb power ports.

                      It seems ridiculous that the Pi still doesnt have a shutdown button. Presently I have to ssl to it and do a "sudo poweroff" before unplugging it. Not exactly convenient!

                      NeverDieN Offline
                      NeverDieN Offline
                      NeverDie
                      Hero Member
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #32

                      @neverdie said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                      OK, I just settled on this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTQYUA8/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

                      $25, surge protection, no lithium, and maybe (?) I'll be able to power the Pi directly from one of the UPS usb power ports.

                      It seems ridiculous that the Pi still doesnt have a shutdown button. Presently I have to ssl to it and do a "sudo poweroff" before unplugging it. Not exactly convenient!

                      I have this installed now. It turns out that the built-in USB power port is enough to power the Raspi3b running Octoprint. :)

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                      • gohanG Offline
                        gohanG Offline
                        gohan
                        Mod
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #33

                        does the usb port work also when UPS is powered off?

                        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • gohanG gohan

                          does the usb port work also when UPS is powered off?

                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDie
                          Hero Member
                          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                          #34

                          @gohan If I unplug it from the wall (thereby simulating a power failure), it continues to send uninterrupted power over it's built-in USB power port, if that's what you mean. i.e. power failures don't crash the Octopi.

                          Or did you mean what happens if I switch-off the UPS and then unplug it? i.e. is there a different (longer lasting) circuit powering it's USB power port?

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                          • jamzmJ jamzm

                            Has anyone gotten their PiModules UPS PIco to work right or for very long? And is it even compatible with a Pi 3B?

                            alexsh1A Offline
                            alexsh1A Offline
                            alexsh1
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #35

                            @jamzm I have

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                            • gohanG gohan

                              that costs more than the RPI itself :D

                              alexsh1A Offline
                              alexsh1A Offline
                              alexsh1
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #36

                              @gohan You can hardly find a UPS HAT priced less than Euro 25. And the cheapest version of PiModules works well for me. I am not a fan of external UPS for RPi

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                              • gohanG gohan

                                anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                alexsh1A Offline
                                alexsh1A Offline
                                alexsh1
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #37

                                @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                No, I do not think it is enough. They recommend 2.5A PSU for the latest RPI. I have 3A power supply for RPi3B. 2A was not enough, but I must say I have a few bits and bobs attached to my RPi like camera or Z-wave USB module

                                gohanG 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                  @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                  Price is not bad compared to others, but still costs more than a pi3 😅

                                  The pi is mass produced. His UPS is probably produced in small batches. i.e. it's more of a specialty item, which somewhat explains the price.

                                  alexsh1A Offline
                                  alexsh1A Offline
                                  alexsh1
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #38

                                  @neverdie said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                  @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                  Price is not bad compared to others, but still costs more than a pi3 😅

                                  The pi is mass produced. His UPS is probably produced in small batches. i.e. it's more of a specialty item, which somewhat explains the price.

                                  Yes, you are spot on. It is hard to beat the RPi price. I think Pi Zero W priced at GBP 9 here in the UK - this is less expensive than some AVR platforms and yet much more powerful.
                                  All UPS HATs I looked at here priced around Euro 25+. This is designed for DIY users and hence produced in much smaller quantities. Additionally, things like firmware has to be written and maintained up to date. And that is a big cost as this is not an open source.

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                                  • alexsh1A alexsh1

                                    @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                    anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                    No, I do not think it is enough. They recommend 2.5A PSU for the latest RPI. I have 3A power supply for RPi3B. 2A was not enough, but I must say I have a few bits and bobs attached to my RPi like camera or Z-wave USB module

                                    gohanG Offline
                                    gohanG Offline
                                    gohan
                                    Mod
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #39

                                    @alexsh1 said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                    @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                    anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                    No, I do not think it is enough. They recommend 2.5A PSU for the latest RPI. I have 3A power supply for RPi3B. 2A was not enough, but I must say I have a few bits and bobs attached to my RPi like camera or Z-wave USB module

                                    I did extensive measurements of the current drawn from the RPI3 and you can actually run on 1A, the extra power depends on the devices you connect to it (if you count the 4USB ports it is potentially 4x0.5A = 2A, you add the 0.7A from the RPI3 itself and you end up in the 2.5/3A range)

                                    sundberg84S alexsh1A 2 Replies Last reply
                                    1
                                    • gohanG gohan

                                      @alexsh1 said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                      @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                      anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                      No, I do not think it is enough. They recommend 2.5A PSU for the latest RPI. I have 3A power supply for RPi3B. 2A was not enough, but I must say I have a few bits and bobs attached to my RPi like camera or Z-wave USB module

                                      I did extensive measurements of the current drawn from the RPI3 and you can actually run on 1A, the extra power depends on the devices you connect to it (if you count the 4USB ports it is potentially 4x0.5A = 2A, you add the 0.7A from the RPI3 itself and you end up in the 2.5/3A range)

                                      sundberg84S Offline
                                      sundberg84S Offline
                                      sundberg84
                                      Hardware Contributor
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #40

                                      @gohan cpu- load ?

                                      Controller: Proxmox VM - Home Assistant
                                      MySensors GW: Arduino Uno - W5100 Ethernet, Gw Shield Nrf24l01+ 2,4Ghz
                                      MySensors GW: Arduino Uno - Gw Shield RFM69, 433mhz
                                      RFLink GW - Arduino Mega + RFLink Shield, 433mhz

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                                      • gohanG Offline
                                        gohanG Offline
                                        gohan
                                        Mod
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #41

                                        0.7A at full CPU load, while in idle it is about 0.2/0.25A

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                                        • gohanG gohan

                                          @alexsh1 said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                          @gohan said in What's the "best" UPS for a Raspberry Pi 3B?:

                                          anyway 2A is more than enough for a Raspberry

                                          No, I do not think it is enough. They recommend 2.5A PSU for the latest RPI. I have 3A power supply for RPi3B. 2A was not enough, but I must say I have a few bits and bobs attached to my RPi like camera or Z-wave USB module

                                          I did extensive measurements of the current drawn from the RPI3 and you can actually run on 1A, the extra power depends on the devices you connect to it (if you count the 4USB ports it is potentially 4x0.5A = 2A, you add the 0.7A from the RPI3 itself and you end up in the 2.5/3A range)

                                          alexsh1A Offline
                                          alexsh1A Offline
                                          alexsh1
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #42

                                          @gohan I did the same thing too. Only for my set-up. I am not interesting powering a bare RPi. 2.5A is not enough in my case - I am using 3A PSU. I suppose this is due to 20x4 screen I am running from the RPi together with other peripherals.

                                          NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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