The Raspberry Pi is a low power board that can be powered a few hours or a few days with batteries, and the easiest solution is probably to use a USB power bank connected to the micro USB port of the board, but the solution is not really integrated. That’s where PiJuice comes into play. It’s a HAT compatible module that connects nicely to the latest Raspberry Pi boards with 40-pin header (A+, B+ and B2), and include a 1,400 mAh battery that can be used as UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), an RTC, and more.
Key features of PiJuice HAT:
- 1400 mAh Lipo battery, good enough to last up to 24 hrs in constant use. 5,000 mAh batteries are also said to be supported.
- Full UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) solution
- Integrated RTC (Real Time Clock)
- On board intelligent on/off switch
- Low power deep-sleep state with wake on interrupt/calendar event
- On board intelligent micro-controller (MCU) with custom firmware
- Programmable multi-colored RGB LED
- Raspberry Pi HAT compatible layout, with on board EEPROM for plug-and-plug support
- Low profile design to fit inside most R-Pi enclosures
- Optional 6W solar panel
A power management API available in order to let the Raspberry Pi shutdown cleanly when the battery is running low. A desktop GUI will also be developed so that users can choose when to wake/sleep, customize the signals to the on-board multicolored LED and more. You could also use the module with older Raspberry Pi Model A and B, but cables are required, making the solution not quite as neat for those.
The project has four days to go on Kickstarter, and the developers have already raised over £65,000 out of the £10,000 aimed for. The early bird rewards are all gone, but you can still pledge for PiJuice board for £24 (~$35) including the battery, project guides and stickers, and you can go solar with a £60 (~$89) pledge. Shipping is £5 and £10 to most countries for respectively the basic and solar kit, with delivery scheduled for June 2015.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Why has any kind of UPS stayed so expensive compared to a (low end) computer?
Batteries and power management circuitry do not come cheap.
Also RasPi is being made in millions of units, not thousands
@brah
So… why are there $50 Android phones. And $100+ Z3250 PCs with Batteries and power management circuitry?
FYI, rewards are finally being shipped to backers of the original Kickstarter campaign these days… 3 years later.