Pi UpTime UPS is an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for Raspberry Pi computers. Pi UpTime UPS also enhances the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi. Pi UpTime UPS fits snugly on top of a Raspberry Pi making the Raspberry Pi mobile by providing a power source for extended period of time. Works with Pi-3 as well. Batteries are not included. Please add your own batteries. Pictures show unit working with the batteries. Older Pi boards (A, A-, B etc.) are not recommended and not supported. Pi UpTime UPS provides the following capabilities: 1) Battery Backup power and UPS. Pi UpTime UPS provides continuous operations for up-to 15 hours using standard 2600 mAh batteries when batteries are fully charged. Batteries take approximately 5 hours to charge. The time can be extended by using larger capacity batteries. 2) Provides steady power to the Raspberry Pi. Pi UpTime UPS protects the Raspberry Pi from brown-outs as well as power failures preventing unwanted downtime. Pi UpTime UPS accepts power input from an external power source and charges its batteries at the same time it powers clean uninterrupted power to Raspberry Pi. External power sources can be any 5V power supply, such as USB based power adapters, solar panels etc. 3) Automatic recharge. Pi UpTime UPS recharges the battery when the power comes back on after a failure. 4) Auto shutdown. Software provided with Pi UpTime UPS for download monitors the battery charge level and shuts down the Pi when the battery level is low. 5) Software. Python code provided for download for Pi UpTime UPS includes sample code for using the analog ports. Instructions are also provided for setting up the RTC. The software can be downloaded from the web at initial Pi UpTime UPS setup. 6) Very accurate, Real Time Clock (RTC). Pi UpTime UPS includes a temperature compensated RTC to make sure the Raspberry Pi has the correct time, on or off the network. The clock is accurate to a clock drift of 3 ppm - which translates to a time drift of a few seconds (less than 5 seconds worst case) in a month. Refer to the FAQ for more information on the chip used. Ideal for any time critical applications. 7) Two analog to digital conversion (ADC) ports. Pi UpTime UPS provides two analog ports to collect data from analog sensors such as voltage sensors, current sensors, stress / strain sensors and more - complementing the GPIO capability on the Raspberry Pi. The ADC chip used provides 16 bit accuracy. Refer to the FAQ for more information on the chip used. 8) Power Reset switch. Pi UpTime UPS allows a restart of the Raspberry Pi. With Pi UpTime UPS, there is no need to plug or unplug the external power source to reset the Pi. A Power-Reset switch on Pi UpTime UPS resets the Pi after a shutdown. A red LED flashes to signal the Pi reset. ADDITIONAL FEATURES 1. Industry Standard Batteries. Pi UpTime UPS uses standard 18650 rechargeable batteries instead of custom batteries. Replacement batteries are widely available. 2. Clips securely holds the batteries. 18650 battery clips holds the batteries in place. No Velcro or glue or other securing mechanism is needed. 3. Mounting holes and standoff's provide mechanical stability of the Raspberry Pi and Pi UpTime UPS assembly. This ensures the batteries or the board does not fall off. 4. Fuse and Power Protection. A temperature sensitive and current sensitive fuse protects exposed 5V and Ground ports on the terminal block for the analog ports. 5. Temperature monitoring. The battery charging chip monitors the battery temperature and shuts the charging off if the batteries get too hot. This further protects the batteries. 6. Auto shutoff - python code can shut down the system when the battery level runs low. The python code can be run as a cron job to monitor the health. See FAQ for more details. 7. Time synchronization - when on the network, the time can be synchronized using network time synchronization methods commonly used with computers. This aligns the RTC making the time keeping function very accurate. Steps are documented manually synchronize time if required. 8. Works with all current models of the Raspberry Pi, including Model 3. 9. Uses the I2C bus - allows other peripherals to work with your application. The I2C bus on the Pi is shared with other I2C peripherals. Pi UpTime UPS documentation lists the I2C address used by the ADC chip and the RTC chip. 10. On-board LED's shows the status of Pi UpTime UPS. A red LED indicates a reboot and glows when the Power Reset switch is pressed. See our FAQ for more information on other LED's. 11. Compatible - compatible with other boards. Pi UpTime UPS needs the Raspberry Pi header pins for connection. Pi UpTime UPS can be stacked up on top of other boards, e.g. Pi EzConnect for securing GPIO connections. II. Using Pi UpTime UPS and other boards (HATs / shields) Pi UpTime UPS uses the header pins of the Raspberry Pi to provide power to the Pi. As long as the other boards follow the Raspberry Pi Foundation standards for connections, Pi UpTime UPS will work with these boards. Pi UpTime UPS currently can only be the last board on the stack i.e. no more boards can be stacked on top of Pi UpTime UPS, as the header pins are not extended on Pi UpTime UPS board. This is done to protect the header pins from accidentally connecting to the battery connectors on the board. Pi UpTime UPS, along with Pi EzConnect allows a two board stack which makes the Pi mobile. By default, we ship the larger, 40 pin connector which works with the Raspberry Pi+ (models A+, B+, 2, 3). However, by changing the header connector, all Pi models are supported. Mounting holes on Pi UpTime UPS align with the mounting holes on the Pi. Using an on-board 11mm stand off available on ebay and other places. Pi UpTime UPS can be mounted securely on the Pi. IV. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. Can I charge my phone or other USB device from Pi UpTime UPS batteries? Yes - the Raspberry Pi has USB ports which provide power and using these USB ports, it is possible to charge a USB device or a phone. Please keep in mind that the run time will be reduced. Note - not all devices can be charged from the USB ports on the Raspberry Pi. The current (amps) provided by the Raspberry Pi may not be sufficient to charge some devices. For example, some models of the iPad require a high charging current (2.1A). When an iPad is plugged into the USB port, it does not charge. 2. Will the Raspberry Pi work as the batteries recharge? The electronics on board simultaneously powers the Raspberry Pi system and charges Pi UpTime UPS batteries. If there are no batteries installed in the battery clips, only power to the Raspberry Pi is provided. The Raspberry Pi system has priority over the battery charge current - so your Pi system will always operate as designed. 3. If the external power fails, will the USB devices connected to the USB ports on the Pi continue to receive power from Pi UpTime UPS batteries? Yes - the power is available to the Raspberry Pi board. For example, if you have a cellular modem adapter on the Raspberry Pi, it will continue to operate as long as the battery has the necessary power. When the battery runs low, with no external power, the shutdown sequence is triggered. 4. Will Pi UpTime UPS work with other boards? Yes, as long as the other boards follow the Raspberry Pi Foundation standards for connections. 5. Do you plan to add relays or other things to Pi Uptime UPS? If you have thoughts or ideas on how to enhance the boards or make them more useful, please send us an email. We would like to listen to what you have to say. 6. What is the warranty on the board and what does it cover? Warranty is for 90 days (3 months) and covers all parts and repair labor. If there are any issues, mail the board back to us with the purchase receipt or a copy of the receipt. We will mail you a replacement. 7. Where can I get additional standoff's (spacers) for the boards? Many sites sell those. An example of such a site is the Adafruit website and the recommended standoff is the Brass M2.5 Standoffs for Pi (11mm). 8. Can I use the Raspberry Pi power port (micro-USB port) to charge the batteries and to power the Pi? No, you have to use the micro-USB power port on Pi UpTime UPS. If the existing Pi power port (micro-USB port on the Raspberry Pi) is used, the Pi will power up, Pi UpTime UPS batteries will not re-charge the batteries after a discharge cycle. 9. Do you plan to sell Pi UpTime UPS with only one battery instead of two? Not at this time. If there is a demand for a single cell board - we will consider it. Please let us know if you would like a board with a single cell and other functions e.g. an 8 channel A-D converter. Also let us know what other functionality you would like to see added to this board. 10. Will Pi UpTime UPS work with only one battery? Yes, the available operating time will be reduced approximately by half. The electronics on board are flexible enough to charge one or two 18650 batteries. 11. How is the shutdown sequence triggered? Python code is provided to monitor this. This code is usually run as a "cron" job. Documentation is provided to show how this can be setup to monitor the system automatically. In the code, there are two defined values: (1)lowValert - the low Voltage alert value. When the Voltage falls below this value, an alert is sent. (2)lowVshut - the Voltage at which the shutdown sequence is triggered. In the Python code provided, when the battery voltage reaches approximately 3V (lowValert), the low battery warning is triggered to all logged in users using the "wall" command. When the battery voltage reaches 2.9V (lowVshut), the automated shutdown process is triggered. The unit shuts down in about two minutes once the alert is seen. All of the above parameters can be reprogrammed using the program sources provided. 12. Why is a Real Time Clock (RTC) needed? The Raspberry Pi does not have an on-board clock. It depends on the Internet and time synchronization services available in the OS. The Raspberry Pi uses time services on the Internet to synchronize its clock. If the internet is not available, the time will drift. If the Raspberry Pi is used for applications where time is critical, it is important to have a RTC. 13. Are all RTCs similar? No, cheaper versions of the RTC drift a lot i.e. lose the time accuracy quickly. Low drift RTC chips maintain the clock time very accurately - typically a few seconds drift per month. Pi UpTime UPS uses a chip with a temperature compensated crystal and a high accuracy RTC (less than 3 ppm clock drift). 14. If I do not need the RTC, can I get a Pi UpTime UPS without the RTC? No, not at this time. We would love your feedback as to whether we should eliminate the RTC function from the board. 15. Can I get just a RTC board for the Raspberry Pi? Yes - there are many RTC boards available for the Pi. The cost will vary depending on the accuracy of the clock. An example of such a board is available from Adafruit, Pi Store as well as from other suppliers. 16. Does a Raspberry Pi need a Power Reset Switch? When the Pi is shutdown (using the shutdown command), the easiest way to reboot the Pi is to unplug and plug the micro USB power connector. With Pi UpTime UPS connected, there is power available to the Raspberry Pi from Pi UpTime UPS batteries. Without a Power Reset switch, one way to reboot the Pi is to disconnect the power as well as the batteries. To prevent this tedious sequence, a Reset Switch is provided on Pi UpTime UPS. The Reset Switch disconnects the power source (as long as the switch is pressed) and then makes the power available to the Pi, triggering the reboot sequence and lighting the LED reset indicator. 17. Does the Reset Switch affect the RTC? No - the RTC continues to get power from the batteries when the Reset Switch is used to power up the Raspberry Pi. RTC accuracy is not affected. 18. How long can the RTC operate with the Pi shutdown? For a few years. The RTC consumes a fractional micro amp to keep its functions active. At that power consumption, the clock should last for a long-long time. In our labs we are still awaiting that event. It could be a few years. Calculations show that once the shutdown sequence is triggered, the RTC could be active for at least five years with fully charged batteries. 19. What batteries are included with Pi UpTime UPS? No batteries are included with the Pi-UpTime. Please purchase your own batteries. Recommend you purchase good quality Samsung or LG cells. 20. How long will it take to charge PI UpTime UPS? It depends on how much the battery has been discharged. A fully discharged 18650 battery (with the discharged cell voltage around 3V or more) should charge to full capacity in approximately 6 hours (at approximately 1.2 Amps.) 21. Can I use unprotected 18650 cells? Yes you may. Please make sure the batteries do not discharge below 3.0 V. If they do, they may cause harm to the Operating system or to the device. Best if you set the shutdown threshold V to be 3.1 V. This provides enough power to reboot the Pi. Note - some protection circuits may interfere with the charging. If the "fault" situation arises (see FAQ #27) please reset that by simply pulling the micro-USB charger out and plugging it back in. Be careful - it may cause the computer to reboot if the batteries are not charged sufficiently. 22. Why is battery protection needed? Some USB devices connected to the Raspberry Pi may continue to drain the power even after the system is shut down. This could drop the voltage of the battery below safe levels. If the battery voltage drops below 2.8V Pi UpTime UPS does not convert the power form the batteries any more. Only when the external power is available, will the Raspberry Pi reboot and Pi UpTime UPS batteries start charging. 23. Do you plan to create an enclosure for the Raspberry Pi and Pi UpTime UPS stack? Not currently. You can adapt the Ice chassis for the Pi for this or print one using a 3-D printer. 24. Can we replace the 18650 batteries with higher capacity units? Yes. We assume that the people doing this are responsible and can do that independently. Also note that higher capacity batteries will take longer to charge. They will also increase the run time. 25. Can we replace the batteries when the battery life is over? Yes. This was one of the key factors for choosing the 18650 batteries - batteries with high power capacity and batteries which are widely available. We want to make sure you can use Pi UpTime UPS for a long, long time. 26. What method is used for charging the batteries? The electronics use the "Constant Current followed by Constant Voltage" (CCCV) method for charging the 18650 batteries. There is a lot of literature available on the web for the CCCV charging methods and why this method is critical for batteries. For software program downloads and other information visit Pi UpTime web site piuptime dot com.
By clicking "Accept All Cookies", you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
