Battery powering Pi

[waggythegeek]

Is there a way for me to hook a battery to my pi's gpio pins so that the pi can run off of it for about an hour or two unplugged, and it will charge when it is plugged in?

[Aniallation]

AFAIK there is power input through the Pi's GPIO but there's no output nor charging circuitry for recharging a battery.

[waggythegeek]

AFAIK there is power input through the Pi's GPIO but there's no output nor charging circuitry for recharging a battery.

Alright, so what about if I used one of those portable phone chargers to operate it for 3-4 hours?

[Aniallation]

Alright, so what about if I used one of those portable phone chargers to operate it for 3-4 hours?

Sure, why not. That'd probably be the best and easiest solution.

[KemoKa]

Alright, so what about if I used one of those portable phone chargers to operate it for 3-4 hours?

That would probably work fine, but just make sure it's a beefy one - Raspberry Pis don't like operating on less than a couple of amps. They'll do it, but you won't have a fun time.

[Azgoth 2]

I have a 3200mAh battery (5V, max 2.1A output) and it runs my Pi for about three or four hours.  Granted, it's an original Pi B, so it has a lower max power draw (1A vs 2A for Pi 2s), but it still works for a little while.

 

If you have a battery pack, just make sure it's got the right amperage output.  But be wary: I don't know if most battery packs are designed to work as PSUs for things like this.  A phone charger or a battery pack might not provide a stable 5V 2A, since you don't care about that when you're just charging a battery.  This might only be a problem if your Pi is doing some really heavy-duty stuff and drawing nearly the max current, though.  As long as your battery pack is rated for a little more amperage than the Pi's max draw you should be fine.

[waggythegeek]

I have a 3200mAh battery (5V, max 2.1A output) and it runs my Pi for about three or four hours. Granted, it's an original Pi B, so it has a lower max power draw (1A vs 2A for Pi 2s), but it still works for a little while.

If you have a battery pack, just make sure it's got the right amperage output. But be wary: I don't know if most battery packs are designed to work as PSUs for things like this. A phone charger or a battery pack might not provide a stable 5V 2A, since you don't care about that when you're just charging a battery. This might only be a problem if your Pi is doing some really heavy-duty stuff and drawing nearly the max current, though. As long as your battery pack is rated for a little more amperage than the Pi's max draw you should be fine.

I have the 2 b+, will your battery pack work for me? Can I have a link?

[Azgoth 2]

I have the 2 b+, will your battery pack work for me? Can I have a link?

I don't know for sure, but it probably will.  I weirdly can't find it online, but it's a 3200mAh, 5V, 2.1A battery pack.  You can probably get something comparable or better at, like, Target or any electronics store.

[waggythegeek]

I don't know for sure, but it probably will.  I weirdly can't find it online, but it's a 3200mAh, 5V, 2.1A battery pack.  You can probably get something comparable or better at, like, Target or any electronics store.

 

So any battery pack will probably work? are there any well-known brands?

[Azgoth 2]

So any battery pack will probably work? are there any well-known brands?

As long as it's 5V and at least 2A (preferably a tiny bit higher just for wiggle room).  The brand on mine is Tylt, but I don't know offhand of any other brands.