![]() Then, connect the charge controller’s output to the 5V pin and ground of the Raspberry Pi Zero. Charge ControllerĬonnect a TP4056 charge controller to a 3.7V lithium battery. There are three setups I have tried over the years. Now that you have chosen the appropriate Raspberry Pi, the correct battery size, a DC-DC converter, and a battery charge controller, we can now proceed to the possible battery setups. They are used to prevent overcharging, allow you to charge your lithium batteries safely, prolonging your battery’s lifespan. Charge controllers regulate the incoming current and voltage to your batteries. Efficiency affects battery life like a multiplier, so read the datasheet and choose a good DC/DC converter carefully.įinally, if you’re powering the Raspberry Pi with a rechargeable battery, you need to have a battery charge controller. This means the power consumption and efficiency of the converter needs to be considered when determining battery life. The Raspberry Pi needs to be powered with 5V DC, so we need to have a DC/DC converter to convert the 3.7V battery voltage to 5V. It’s really a compromise between your project’s power consumption and how long you need the device to be powered by a single charge. Similarly, a 40,000 mAh power bank would be able to power a 4A device for one hour, or 1A device for 40 hours. For instance, a 1000mAh battery would be able to power a device with a rated current of 1000mA for one hour. Using the calculations above, we can formulate a rough estimate of our device’s battery life. If you want to know the actual readings, you can use a current tester. The actual current readings may differ depending on your Raspberry Pi’s activity and peripherals. ![]() Also, the Raspberry Pi’s rated current is an average from the datasheet. You can add more batteries in parallel to prolong battery life. Note that this is only for a single lithium battery, so there is a large room for improvement. However, if you use a Raspberry Pi Zero, the results improve significantly: One hour and forty-five minutes of operating time is definitely not good for a portable device. How long would a Raspberry Pi 4 B last? To get the battery life, divide 2200mAh with the rated amperage of the Raspberry Pi 4 B: Suppose I have a single cylindrical 18650 lithium battery with 2200 mAh capacity. ![]() To demonstrate, let’s convert these current ratings in terms of battery life. The Raspberry Pi Zero consumes almost seven times less power than the Raspberry Pi 4 B. Table 1: Power consumption between Raspberry Pi 4B and Raspberry Pi Zero This table compares the power usage and power source between the Raspberry Pi 4 and the Raspberry Pi Zero: ![]()
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