Raspberry Pi 5 is an excellent solution for prototyping mobile robotics. However, the issues appear when you try to use power-banks and batteries in order to deploy Raspberry Pi 5 remotely on a mobile robot.
One of the main "issues" with Raspberry Pi 5 is that it is a power-hungry device which requires 5.1V and 5A. This is a non-standard power requirement since most standard USB-C type of adapters and power-banks provide 5V and 3A. You have to do all sorts of converter acrobatics to provide stable 5.1V and 5A, or you have to purchase a custom designed lithium-ion battery adapter. These custom adapters might be unstable, and you have to be very careful dealing with lithium-ion batteries.
Instead of doing all this, you can simply purchase a lightweight power bank with a standard AC outlet, and use the standard Raspberry Pi 5 adapter, and you are good to go. There are affordable 20,000-30,000 mAh - 80W power banks that weigh only 1-3 pounds on the market. Since they are lightweight, a smaller mobile robot can easily carry them, and in addition, you can use them to power-up a camera, lidar, etc.
Here is a YouTube tutorial on how to couple Raspberry Pi 5 with a power bank and how to test the power bank such that it meets the current and power requirements:
Aleksandar Haber PhD
Raspberry Pi 5 is an excellent solution for prototyping mobile robotics. However, the issues appear when you try to use power-banks and batteries in order to deploy Raspberry Pi 5 remotely on a mobile robot.
One of the main "issues" with Raspberry Pi 5 is that it is a power-hungry device which requires 5.1V and 5A. This is a non-standard power requirement since most standard USB-C type of adapters and power-banks provide 5V and 3A. You have to do all sorts of converter acrobatics to provide stable 5.1V and 5A, or you have to purchase a custom designed lithium-ion battery adapter. These custom adapters might be unstable, and you have to be very careful dealing with lithium-ion batteries.
Instead of doing all this, you can simply purchase a lightweight power bank with a standard AC outlet, and use the standard Raspberry Pi 5 adapter, and you are good to go. There are affordable 20,000-30,000 mAh - 80W power banks that weigh only 1-3 pounds on the market. Since they are lightweight, a smaller mobile robot can easily carry them, and in addition, you can use them to power-up a camera, lidar, etc.
Here is a YouTube tutorial on how to couple Raspberry Pi 5 with a power bank and how to test the power bank such that it meets the current and power requirements:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8kT0...
1 month ago | [YT] | 11