Powering the Raspberry Pi from our 48V battery. Will it still work?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- I'm finally cleaning up the Raspberry Pi installation, getting rid of all these USB cables dangling out of the cabinet for months now. What a terrible view this was!
I was also thinking of powering the Pi directly from the battery instead of having it plugged in to a USB charger. Some of you have already suggested that a while ago. OK then, let's get started and let the Raspi move into the cabinet. But will the Wifi signal still be strong enough once the metal door is closed?
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Hi Andy. I work in prosthetics and we use Velcro a lot.
A quick tip to get the velcro to really grab on to the surfaces, apart from cleaning the surface with alcohol, is to slightly heat it with your heat gun, and the glue will melt a bit, and will grab harder. Maybe a bit off topic here, but still I think it is a useful tip.
Love your videos and been learning a lot.
All the best!!!
Hey Andy, so glad you did another video on the Raspberry Pi. I wanted to tell you that your previous Pi video inspired me to buy the pi and follow your simple steps. I have known you can run the Venus OS on a Pi for some time but you convinced me to give it a shot. Also realizing that you don't have to buy the expensive Victron USB converters makes the whole system a lot more affordable. The remote visibility it gives you of your system is awesome. So much better than having to be within Bluetooth range! Loving your off-grid journey, keep the videos coming :)
An isolated DC/DC converter is recommended - to prevent possibility of Raspberry overvoltage with 48 Vdc in case of buck transistors shorting. Or, use thyristor+fuse based "crowbar" protection circuit (fuse in "+" from DC/DC out with short-circuiting thyristor after that fuse), at Raspberry's input, with zener-based circuit, that "fires" thyristor in case of voltage rising past zener's opening voltage.
What would be the typical value zener diode in this situation? I guess 5.1 V is too close?
@@daskasspatzle2396 Instead, may be use an LM431 precision adjustable zener as in Wiki crowbar protection circuit article?
@@daskasspatzle2396, 5.6 V zener will be sufficient. So, thyristor will be opened at approx. 5.7 - 5.8 volts, which, IMHO, will not damage 5 V chips during opening of thyristor..
This sounds reasonable, thanks :-)
Hi! Great video! Just a note. I saw that you where tryuing to get a solderd cable in the screw-terminal. You should never do it like that. The connection in the screw-terminal will get loose after some time. (There is no flexible part in the screw-connection). Bare stranded-cable is fine.
Glad that you are having some luck with that particular buck converter; I bought two of them to run my vapor tight LED overhead fixtures and they didn't even last 2 weeks. One stopped working and the second kept tripping the 10 amp DC breaker taking out my general and security lighting circuit. My input voltage hangs around 55 volts and output at 28 volts drawing in the ballpark of 0.75 amps; thank goodness I purchased them from Amazon and was able to exchange them for another version that have heat sinks on all of the FETs. Those two fixtures have been running 24/7 in my garage for almost a year now.
Hey Andy, I've greatly enjoyed watching your progress as you get your garage off grid! This is my first comment, and it's on your comment around voltage rating for fuses. You were concerned about arcing within the fuse itself. In normal air I believe arcs are generated 1cm per 10kV. This may reduce with greater humidity. Of course being safe to handle is another thing as sometimes 12v fuses have both sides of the fuse accessible (not completely insulated) so they can be tested without removal. I think you decided to use mcbs in the end, which I think is nicer/more solid/handleable solution, anyway.
Hi Andy.
The buck converter could also get hot, maybe in vertical position the air flow would be better.
Cheers.
I ordered these and had really bad luck with all of them. It was really bad, like burn down your house bad.
@@jamess1787 yes I was also concerned about the fire preparedness.
The buck takes 0.15A and doe snot even get warm, so all good. It's a 10A device so heavily over rated for the draw of the Pi.
There is an alternative image for the RPi called the Venus Large Image, this has Node-Red built in which allows some added functionality. IRC I have two buttons that allow Reboot and Shut Down from the Node-Red Dashboard.
Thank you.
Hey Tony! How about YOU make a Video on how this works??
Hi Andy, there is a 58 volt range of Midi fuses and they also do in-line fuse holders for them. The smallest I've seen is 30 amps though, so not much use if you only want a 10 or 15 amp fuse.
OK, thanks. I'll have a look a round and see what others do. I may just go with the fuses I have . Have blown the 5A fuses of the battery connection to my console a few times, no trouble at all 😉
Love your videos Andy, just been binge watching to catch up. One thing you should not do is put soldered cable ends in a screw clamp. The solder fill 'cold flow' under the pressure and the connection will become loose. Best to use a ferrule or just bare copper strands. Just incase you didn't know.
Run it about 5.1-5.2v. That is within spec (up to 5.25v), reduces the current in the r'pi onboard power supply and gives a bit more margin for plugging in USB devices. Also, you need ferrules on the cable for those clamp connections. (I actually feed in the 5v via the GPIO pins so I avoid the skinny usb wires.)
What clamp connections? From the power supply?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia the ones on the dc-dc converter.
@@Sylvan_dB Yeah, right...The terminals don't open enough for that.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia ferrules come in many sizes. I've some ferrules for tiny earbuds wire. Almost cannot see the hole, they look more like the v. needle they poked me with recently. Other ferrules I can fit my thumb into (for 4/0 wire, whatever size that is in mm2).
Great work! You should search google for "raspberry shutdown button". Very easy to make.
Thanks Peter!
I would recommend on the buck converter that you set the output to 5.1v and not 5.0v as the raspberry pi will likely be giving you an under voltage alarm when it's running as the voltage sag may be bringing it down slightly. Be careful to not exceed 5.2v
i found that i bought the same one from ali.. what a nice idea for the 55v bank.... didnt see the whole specs for 60v.. wanted it for solar on one panel when have a spare for phones and others
I use a Victron Orion DC/DC converter to convert to 12 Volts (actually it is set to 13V, converting from a 12V system). The advantage is, you can run a lot of 12 Volt equipment like your router, LED lamps, USB 12 V Adapters, etc. on that converter and you are able to use this cheaper fuses or fuse boxes also.
Right, I look into this as I got some 12V LED lights as well which I want to connect.
You can use fuses from a fork lift. They have a higher dc volt rating. They are similar to the glass type from old cars.
You got the idea with the heat shrink for the module on-line? Never took a look at the Bluetooth module of your beloved BMS?😎
Really liked this video, although I’ll be connecting up their smart shunt to an mpp solar off grid inverter and using the solar assistant software. DIY the cable though but can you correct the link you have on your website for the JST 4pin cable - it should be a male cable so it can join the female end of the usb/serial cable. I ordered it without thinking of the core electronics site and assumed I had made the mistake. Easy solve with some header pins but annoying to have to do.
With the fuses it is a bit difficult. You might want to look at some Mini-ANL fuses, but many of them are only rated at 36V.
Another option would be Victron MEGA-Fuses which are rated at 58V, but these are quite a specialty product.
The easiest option are DC breakers, while a bit clunky.
Andy you didn't get your beloved Spirit level out for the install! great video thanks!
It is actually straight, just the video looks crooked 😂
You can get higher voltage rated “auto” style fuses for 58V, 80V and even 125V. The 58V ones work just fine with the standard fuse holders you have. You can probably find local suppliers by just searching for “high voltage auto blade fuse”, but mine came from a company called OptiFuse.
Thank you, Ian. Much appreciated!
You can get USB keystones, and panel mount keystone holders, would give ya much easier and modular cable managment
I'm not happy with either or. A nice little enclosure/box with all the stuff in it would be nice, a 5V DC input and 10 USB ports... Something for a future project...
14:13 -> Why are there so many USB RS485 adapters?
The RS485 is a bus to which many devices can be connected at the same time and each can transmit and receive.
I had to smile when you were talking about the "final setup". You are aware that there will never be a "final setup", aren't you? 🤭
These things are never finished, that's almost the point 😁
It's always the final step of the day. I must have cut this out somehow...
You're so right, been off grid for nearly 10 years now.
Fact is you never stop learning, never stop playing, never stop finding new gear, new ways of doing things.
Solar never stops giving.
Cool! yea the voltage is too high for those 32v fuses. You need a medium voltage fuse block. That is super cool for powering everything directly from DC. That is what I always like to do!
You might want to feed a 5v mini UPS for the Pi, seeing as though you 'play' with the batteries so much!
I'm really liking your videos. If I could make a recommendation it would be to take off those side panels and attach them to the top cover. It makes sure you don't lose them and gives it airflow 24/7. The addition of a heatsink might help is unnecessary unless you're making it do something intense. IMO
Thank you. I've got some heat sinks coming in. The Pi does not really get that warm after all, so it's more for piece of mind.
I am using the pi ac 90-240v AC strait to 48v dc system and working fine. I am using and my laptop with 2 displays from the dc 48v and they working if the brightness are low. I find many appliances with 90-240v ac supply that working on a 48v dc system without inverter.
Great video. I use the pi4, but unfortunately the numbers from the charge controller on the pi4 image is not accurate. I also use a old android phone to compare values. I like your setup. Just a thought, get a new case with the heat sinks and fan included. Keeps it cool for sure
Aren't there any heat issues with the converter in a plastic bag?
You speak about the second battery. How will you handle the fact that one battery coud discharge quicly in the second if their voltage is different and it can destroy the BMS is A is too high during discharge ?
Both battery banks are in parallel, so there is no voltage difference at all.
The individual BMS connected to each bank will monitor the current and shut off if that gets too high. It will disconnect this one bank in case of a fault.
Thanks Andy
No worries
Seems these don't tend to last at higher voltage, but some 5v phone chargers will work at 48v, although intended for 120-240vac, it is rectified, then bucked, some work with much lower voltage, so it should work with your 55v range..
You can SSL connect from your pc to your raspberry pi with an SSL program. You can give shutdown command from there in command line.
I think you mean SSH, not SSL?
@@JeremyAkersInAustin yep. Threw myself a curveball there. Sorry, Andy. Tried to be helpful.
Wich raspberry pi did you uses, there are lots of difference in those.
Kind regards from the Netherlands
You can use a app on your phone to connect via SSH and issue the shutdown command.with a single button push tonshutdown the 'pi'. Not raspi...
Well, if it's not a Raspi, then... 🤷♂️
@@OffGridGarageAustralia just 'pi'
ANDY!!!
Please take a temperature reading of that buck convertor, I bought 6 of the same kind from aliexpress (bucking 50vdc to 24vdc and ~0.5-1a). Each module that I ran quickly hit 63*C, and over an hour hit 70*C. Got really concerned when one module was running at 90*C after a 3 hour test. Tested on 3 different temperature devices, 1 IR and 2 multimeter temp sensors.
Check the IC temps!!!!
I did, it stays cool, nothing get hot, not even warm. There is only 0.15A going in.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia definitely not even half of 10A as advertised... Good for your purpose I guess!
Where did you buy bus, that splits cable? Or how did it calls
Andy, I have followed the Venus OS on a PI you did. Used the buck converter as it was always dropping a controller input or the shunt input on the display. Adjusted to 5.1 volts. Still have dropping of input to the Venus display. Did you keep the buck or did you go to the Victron cables? My run length is from bus bars to buck converter to pi about 10 inches max. I have to reboot, or unplug the usb and replug multiple times a day.
Actually I meant did you keep using the JST 4-Pin Male Header Cables or go to the Victron cables? Sorry. Thanks.
So you are OK with the Raspberry Pi having a constant draw on your battery? What about vacations? Perhaps an on/off switch to the buck converter?
Yes, I'm super cool with this. Before that it was running from a USB charger from the inverter anyway, so this is actually more efficient. It draws 3.5Ah per day from the battery. All base loads in the garage pulling 25Ah all in total in 24h.
Tthe easist way to get shutdown on your pi is with guimods. The best way of installing that I found is to start from scratch with a fresh install from the github page download, once installed you also gain the option to add in a gpio shutdown from pins 34 and 36 (GPIO 16 and gnd)
Great, thank you.
After some thinking: While it seems to be a cheap idea at first glance, there are good technical reasons why buck/boost converters should really only be used inside an electronic device to generate different voltages, BEHIND a "real" power supply with galvanic separation, overvoltage control, over temperature control and current limitation. If it fails, it will shut down by design. While a simple buck/boost converter will in worst case make a short circuit, which means all the input voltage and power directly to the output.
Please search for a real 48V DC-DC PSU (Power Supply Unit). It may convert the 48V to 12V the save way (with all safety functions). Use it directly for your fans. After that, you can than use the 12V to feed the buck-converter to generate the 5V, or whatever other voltages you need. So you have the safety of a real PSU, and the fun of cheap buck/boost converters. ;-)
Yeah... in a fault situation, the buck converter will just fail and don't deliver power at all any more. But, there is a certain risk...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia No, in a fault condition a simple buck converter tends to have a shortend MOSFET. Which means the input voltage goes directly to the output. And the current is limited by the ohms resistance of the inductance only. In worst case, it will not blow the fuse, but set the converter and the raspberry on fire. In contrary a real PSU will shut down by design.
@@peterpetersen6024 The last two bucks I fried had a high impedance so noting came through at all. But this might be different every time depending on the case...
What model your raspberry as the newest one have a power pins to install a fan we did this to my mates ran so much cooler eBay got a kit heatsink and fan
Hi Andy. Great videos as always. How about using the USB slots off the PWM controllers to power the RasPi. It will also be a visual aid of the battery volatge without using the phone or app. However it will mean that you'd have to install it in your metal enclosure. 😉
I'm concerned about a fire starting from the heat shrink buck converter setup and burning down the off grid garage. 😭
What PWN controllers, John?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia the ones you had started with some time back long before you got the victron.
AM i right in thinking if I use a raspberry pi I dont need to get a MPii GX i can jsut get the normal MPii?
Absolutely correct!
you might wont to go 5.25v with my raspberry pi's i tend to get alot of low voltage warnings when voltage is below that
Yes! Somewhere between 5.1v - 5,25v depending on the length of the USB-cable.
@@alexanderpetterson7625 mine are as short as possible with as fick of wire as i can find on a usb cable i run a 3.5 inch screen and sdr on my rpi3
Hmmm, I measure with the USB power supply I had it connected too and it never complained at 4.95V. The buck converter stays very stable at this low current draw.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I wonder if the config file has the low voltage warning to off at dead on 5 volt I would get warnings even at boot and when usb cable was tested it could handle 3 amps
Hey OGG i had an idea for you but its prob only something i would do. But my idea is having a small mini computer fan build into the Ras P cover blasting right into the compartment of the circuit board cooling it enough to not have to add a heat sink which may or may not be enough cooling you need .One thing that may make it not a so good idea is; if the fan causes RF and interferes with the units normal operation? That i have no idea if it would or not??
You've got nice buck converter for the pi if anything goes wrong it will juice up the raspberry.
I hope everything is good 👍
If anything goes wrong it will juice up a lot more than just the Pi. I'm aware of that. What's the alternative in you optinion?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia there are lot more if you search it here on TH-cam, Orange pi zero!
Farnell do auto fuses at 58v
OK, thanks, I'll have a look.
get rid of the step down transformer. It's gonna get stinking hot, especially when you are on the high end on the input and low end on the output. Also the shrink wrap will make it worse. I would run the pi off a USB if you can, I'm sure you got some on the inverter or something.
It's pulling only 0.15A and does not even get warm.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia .15A at 50 volts or stepped down? Just keep an eye on it.
.
I am worried about a 55V to 5V converter. If it fails it could dump 55V on to your PIE!
Do you have any protection in case this happens.
Hi from France, Don't you think it's "risky" to rely on your battery bank to power the "brain" of your setup ?
Personally i think it could be a better idea to power it trough an independant power source ...
Anyway, thanks for the time you spend to share your "journey" trough "the free Kwh world" ^^
Hi Florent, the Pi is nothing than a logger for all the data. All systems will run just fine without it.
You certainly do not need to worry about 50V on the 32V fuse links. They are perfectly safe.
Great video, congrats.....
Thank you!
About the fuses... What type do you want to use? There are several 58V rated fuses available. From small to big, like miniOTO, midiOTO, maxiOTO and megaOTO. For all types you can get single fuse holders or multiple fuse holders. In our cars with 48V systems we use Midi fuses in a fuse block which looks a little bit like the VO2216 from Votronic. prevent-germany.com/votronic-hochlast-sicherungshalter-5-fach-mit-deckel-fuer-kfz-schraubsicherungen-und-hochlast-sicherungen
Similar fuses and fuse holders should be available in Down Under.
There are also fuses in ATO-style with 58V ratings, but you will also need a 58V or higher rated ATO fuse holder. For example something like the Littlefuse 178.6152.0042. Or you can build / solder your own, which would be much cheaper, because most pcb fuse holders are rated for 80V.
Bei den Sicherungen musst Du keine Angst haben. David Poz hat es getestet und es ist kein Lichtbogen entstanden. Aber ein Video in dem Du sowas testes und herausfindest wie viel Volt nötig sind um einen Lichtbogen zu erzeugen das wäre schon ziemlich geil.😁 Beste Grüße
Hahaha, koennte ich ja mal machen ⚡
We did you get your positive and negative bus bats from.l? I have been looking for dinner like that for sometime
Hi Andy,
ich seh gerade du hast den selben Fehler gemacht wie ich damals, diese USB zu TTL Wandler sind wahrscheinlich Mist, öffne mal dieses hellblaue Gehäuse und schau ob dort Optokopler verbaut sind, bei mir waren damals keine verbaut, ich dachte ist ja halb so wild, es funktioniert, ich hatte 4 Stück an einem USB Hub, 3 Stück von dem hellblauen und ein originales Victron, ich zog den Stecker des Hubs aus dem Raspi und drei Laderegler starteten neu, der eine mit original Dongle blieb aber an, ich habe dann einen Kreuztest gemacht und das ganze nochmal an einem anderen Laderegler probiert und siehe da, nur der mit Victron Originalkabel blieb an. Jetzt hab ich doch das Geld in die Hand genommen und alle Laderegler mit orginal Victron Kabel am Rpi laufen. Ich kann es dir nur auch empfehlen lieber 22Euro pro Kabel ausgegeben als die Laderegler zerschossen. MfG sagt ein 5Kwp Inselanlagenbetreiber ;)
Ah, jetzt weiss ich erst was du meinst. OK, muss ich mal nachschauen. Danke fuer den Tipp!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Die Datenleitungen haben sozusagen eine galvanische Trennung auf den Datenleitungen und können bei Störungen keine Spannungen in die Laderegler bringen, was diese dann zu Fehlfunktionen oder Neustart zwingt ;)
@@OffGridGarageAustralia So oder so ähnlich wird das Innenleben aussehen www.az-delivery.de/products/hw-598-usb-auf-seriell-adapter-mit-cp2102-chip-und-kabel
und so ähnlich sollte es aussehen
www.amazon.de/Demarkt-High-Speed-Isolation-Stromversorgung-Optokoppler-TTL-Ausgang/dp/B06Y62DNJQ
Hum très bonne idée ! bien...
Once you calibrate the output voltage, put a dab of nail polish on the adjustment screw onto the plastic to one side to lock it in place. Otherwise vibration from the inductor or the case can slowly cause the output to change. Its usually better to get a buck converter with a dedicated 5V output like this instead. Note that I am not advocating this particular product, just giving an example.
smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MBP7X94/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A28ZWXW3ZSVNZU&psc=1
Bare boards for power supplies to digital electronics are a bad idea just in general. It is very easy to accidentally blow something up and smoke the RPI.
It is also a good idea to fuse all taps off of any high energy source to just a bit over what the device is expected to actually draw. There are lots of choices for fuse blocks or simple inline fuses here so whatever works for you. In this case, a RPI 4 + a few USB devices might need up to 3A or so, so a 500mA inline fuse on the 48VDC input to the buck converter is reasonable.
-Matt
It's possible that the Pi is using OverlayFS which will protect it from corruption.
Could be. I will add a little switch to the pins so I can shut it down via that. Putty is too much work...
Small, 48vdc fuses are a challenge. :(
raspberry pi are known to overheat, especially in their brand case. You might consider downclocking it or using a better casing
Or consider taking off the panels as I said?
Yes, and the ambiant temperature in the big box must also be low enough to evacuate the heat. It is hard to tell; we'll see in the summer.
What version of the raspberry pi do you use?
I believe he said 3B+ in the earlier video. That’s what I bought and it works great.
@@ssyoumans Oki I have a pi4 8gb IT dont Work with Venus os, I need to get a 3b+ then
There is a beta out now for the Pi4. Search on Google for that...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I have tryed that but it only support Up to 4gb ram om the 8gb is says update the software om the pi
Genau das selbe "mistding" hab ich auch am raspi........ musst aufpassen das wird sauheis das teil
Meins wird noch nicht mal warm. Es kann ja 10A liefern und im Moment zieht der Raspi nur 0.9A.
Why not use a resettable circuit breaker?
I’ve had horrible experiences this DC to DC converters. Personally I’d never trust one to power my pi4. Just sayin.
You are a great beautiful man
What is not acceptable is the camera CONSTANTLY going out of focus.
BOO!!!!
looks good