Repower Your Raspberry Pi
Better Safe than Sorry
© Lead Image © iftikharalam, 123RF.com
Solar-powered projects sometimes require a parallel power supply to bridge periods of darkness. There are a number of technical pitfalls you need to avoid.
There are good reasons for using multiple sources to supply power to a Raspberry Pi. Of course, there are a few things to think about, and some electrical engineering wizardry is unavoidable. To understand how some circuits work, you will also need to familiarize yourself with the characteristic curves of a couple of components.
This article takes a look at a solar-powered weather station that repeatedly fails during periods of bad weather. You can work around this issue with a simple emergency power supply that kicks in whenever the solar module fails to deliver enough power. My first idea was to connect the voltage sources in parallel, but it is important to remember that the intent is to use them alternately. If the solar-charged battery is exhausted, the device draws its power from a power supply unit. As soon as the sun reappears, the solar panel kicks in again. This is not a parallel connection in the strict sense, but a kind of either/or situation.
Background
When you connect voltage sources in parallel, it is important to ensure that the voltages and internal resistances of the two sources are absolutely identical. If this is not the case, compensating currents will flow between the voltage sources, causing both of them to burn out. This may need some explanation.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Bottlenecks Discovered by Meta Engineers Lead to Scalability Improvements
Thanks to a small group of engineers at Meta, the Linux kernel module kernfs has been improved, which has led to some serious gains.
-
PwnEscape Poses VM Vulnerability
A guest-to-host escape flaw in Linux KVM, named PwnEscape, might be yet another means of attacking Linux.
-
Linux Mint 27 Set for a Christmas Release
The developers behind Linux Mint have announced a Christmas release, and it looks like Santa's sack will be brimming with features.
-
Is Linus Torvalds Vibe Coding?
The creator of Linux has added AI into his process for Linux kernel development, and it's more than just for debugging.
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.
-
DigitalOcean Ends Open Source Credits Program
In a change that has surprised many open source developers, DigitalOcean has decided to sunset its Open Source Credits Program.
-
Office 365 Available for Testing on Linux via Bottles
Linux users can now test the official Office 365, thanks to Mirko Brombin's work on Bottles.
-
Dutch Government Turns to Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Following in the footsteps of other European countries, the Netherlands is looking to increase its sovereign digital infrastructure with open source software.
-
Linux May Soon Work on Snapdragon X2-Based PCs
If you're thinking about buying a Snapdragon X2-based desktop or laptop, Linux may soon be an option.
-
KDE for People Initiative Calls for AI Ban in Plasma
A new community of KDE wants the project to adopt a strict no-AI policy for KDE Plasma.