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I've Rasp Pi + alpha card + 50K mah powerbank as my router, which creates 3 APs, one with Tor other with work VPN and last with my home connection. All use clo

I've Rasp Pi + alpha card + 50K mah powerbank as my router, which creates 3 APs, one with Tor other with work VPN and last with my home connection. All use cloudflare dns+ pi hole to block ads. I use another PI as a media server and for remote torrent downloading.

sgt 8y ago
Is a powerbank an efficient and safe UPS for a RPi? I was at some point told powerbanks are not a good solution for Pi's, but I cannot remember the reasoning.
- clanrebornyes 8y ago
  It's not - it's a hack. Powerbanks aren't design for random surge in power output which is what Raspberry Pi requires. Usually used for charging other batteries.
  - u02sgb 8y ago
    Can you clarify why? Surely they are just normal batteries with a charging circuit? I'd have thought it was more a problem with "pass through charging" where the battery needs to discharge (RPi) and charge at the same time.
    - WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
      Powerbanks are designed for continous load for a trickle charge. An RPi can suck down a continously changing power input.
  - jdietrich 8y ago
    That depends on the powerbank. Many powerbanks with Quick Charge 3.0 support will supply over 4A at 5V without power delivery negotiation. It's a hack, but so is the Raspberry Pi - I wouldn't trust a powerbank for anything critical, but I wouldn't trust a Raspberry Pi either.
  - cat199 8y ago
    > Powerbanks aren't design for What particularly makes them unsuitable for this? Many things 'aren't designed' for something but work just fine in that capacity..
- ishanjain28 8y ago
  I have been using Mi powerbank 2i for my Rpis for last 9 months or so. I have had zero issues with it. The advantage of using 2i are, 1. It's dirt cheap than any other solution I found($15, I use 10k mah version) 2. I can plug RPi to it and I can plugin a charger in 2i. When the main power cuts off, It'll instantly switch over to battery with 0 downtime. I think this is called passthrough charging) 3. It can provide 2.5 or 3.5 amps(not sure about exact value) output 4. It has two ports
  - clanrebornyes 8y ago
    How many hours it lasts?
    - ishanjain28 8y ago
      I have never measured it. At worst the main power has gone down for a 2-3 hours and it lasted at least as much. I don't have a USB power meter to measure the power taken by the Rpi so I can not give you an exact number but I would guess it to be at least around 5-10 hours if not more. Edit: Someone linked pijuice project. I went to their website and according to them, Their 10k mah version lasts 24+ hours > Onboard 1820 mAh off the shelf Lipo / LiIon battery for ~4 to 6 hours in constant use! (with support for larger Lipo Battery of 5000 or 10,000 mAH+ to last up to 24 hrs +) https://uk.pi-supply.com/products/pijuice-standard https://uk.pi-supply.com/products/pijuice-standard So, I would say 2i would probably last about the same?
  - thinkmassive 8y ago
    > 2. I can plug RPi to it and I can plugin a charger in 2i. When the main power cuts off, It'll instantly switch over to battery with 0 downtime. I think this is called passthrough charging) This alone is a killer feature that’s far less common than I expected before I started searching for it. Most power banks cut off output while they’re charging, and many require physically re-plugging the device to start powering it again. I ended up acquiring a PiJuice for this functionality alone. https://github.com/PiSupply/PiJuice https://github.com/PiSupply/PiJuice

sgt 8y ago

Is a powerbank an efficient and safe UPS for a RPi? I was at some point told powerbanks are not a good solution for Pi's, but I cannot remember the reasoning.

clanrebornyes 8y ago
It's not - it's a hack. Powerbanks aren't design for random surge in power output which is what Raspberry Pi requires. Usually used for charging other batteries.
- u02sgb 8y ago
  Can you clarify why? Surely they are just normal batteries with a charging circuit? I'd have thought it was more a problem with "pass through charging" where the battery needs to discharge (RPi) and charge at the same time.
  - WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
    Powerbanks are designed for continous load for a trickle charge. An RPi can suck down a continously changing power input.
- jdietrich 8y ago
  That depends on the powerbank. Many powerbanks with Quick Charge 3.0 support will supply over 4A at 5V without power delivery negotiation. It's a hack, but so is the Raspberry Pi - I wouldn't trust a powerbank for anything critical, but I wouldn't trust a Raspberry Pi either.
- cat199 8y ago
  > Powerbanks aren't design for What particularly makes them unsuitable for this? Many things 'aren't designed' for something but work just fine in that capacity..
ishanjain28 8y ago
I have been using Mi powerbank 2i for my Rpis for last 9 months or so. I have had zero issues with it. The advantage of using 2i are, 1. It's dirt cheap than any other solution I found($15, I use 10k mah version) 2. I can plug RPi to it and I can plugin a charger in 2i. When the main power cuts off, It'll instantly switch over to battery with 0 downtime. I think this is called passthrough charging) 3. It can provide 2.5 or 3.5 amps(not sure about exact value) output 4. It has two ports
- clanrebornyes 8y ago
  How many hours it lasts?
  - ishanjain28 8y ago
    I have never measured it. At worst the main power has gone down for a 2-3 hours and it lasted at least as much. I don't have a USB power meter to measure the power taken by the Rpi so I can not give you an exact number but I would guess it to be at least around 5-10 hours if not more. Edit: Someone linked pijuice project. I went to their website and according to them, Their 10k mah version lasts 24+ hours > Onboard 1820 mAh off the shelf Lipo / LiIon battery for ~4 to 6 hours in constant use! (with support for larger Lipo Battery of 5000 or 10,000 mAH+ to last up to 24 hrs +) https://uk.pi-supply.com/products/pijuice-standard https://uk.pi-supply.com/products/pijuice-standard So, I would say 2i would probably last about the same?
- thinkmassive 8y ago
  > 2. I can plug RPi to it and I can plugin a charger in 2i. When the main power cuts off, It'll instantly switch over to battery with 0 downtime. I think this is called passthrough charging) This alone is a killer feature that’s far less common than I expected before I started searching for it. Most power banks cut off output while they’re charging, and many require physically re-plugging the device to start powering it again. I ended up acquiring a PiJuice for this functionality alone. https://github.com/PiSupply/PiJuice https://github.com/PiSupply/PiJuice