As a long-time enthusiast of home automation, I’ve always been on the lookout for reliable ways to keep my setup running smoothly, especially during power outages. Recently, I decided to experiment with adding a battery backup system to my Raspberry Pi 4 setup, which runs Home Assistant. I stumbled upon a compact UPS solution that seemed promising, but it came with a twist: its output was 5.0V instead of the recommended 5.1V for the Pi4. As someone with a background in electrical engineering, I was curious to see if this would work.
I connected my Pi4, along with a Z-Wave USB controller and a SanDisk USB SSD, to the UPS. After crunching the numbers, it seemed like the setup would be well within the UPS’s capacity. To my delight, everything ran smoothly for several days, both with and without the UPS plugged in. However, I noticed a minor issue: the red power indicator on the UPS would occasionally blink, indicating an under-voltage condition. Despite this, the system continued to function without any noticeable problems.
This experience has been both enlightening and a bit puzzling. I’m curious to know if others have had similar experiences using a 5.0V UPS with their Raspberry Pi setups. Have you encountered under-voltage indicators, and if so, how did you address them? I’d love to hear your insights and tips for ensuring a stable power supply for home automation systems.
For those considering a similar setup, I recommend carefully calculating your power requirements and ensuring that all connected devices are within the UPS’s capacity. It’s also worth experimenting with different cables to minimize voltage drops, as I did with my 6’ USB cable. While the blinking indicator remains a mystery, the overall reliability of the setup has been impressive, and I’m excited to continue refining it.