Pi-BB-RPS, Bread Board With Redundant Power for Pi

Pi-BB-RPS provides Redundant Power Supply capability. Second power is the micro-USB power. Power is switched seamlessly between these two sources. Priority is given to power source with higher power Voltage.

DC 5V and 3.3V is generated on the board. The 5V supply is provided to Pins #2,4 on the 40-pin HAT standard header. The board thus provide power to a Raspberry Pi via the 40 pin header or from USB out port. The mounting holes make it ideal to mount Pi-BB-RPS as a HAT.

USB power-out port provides 5V output power. Other USB devices such as another Raspberry Pi, Pi-UpTimeUPS board, some other USB devices (e.g. battery power bank, phone, LED light etc.) can be powered from this port. Using a Pi-BB-RPS with Pi-UpTimeUPS HAT can create a High Availability (HA) Raspberry Pi system.

Features

• Redundant Power Supply: Provides seamless transition from one power source to another in case of a power failure. There are two power sources: DC 7V to 24V (via the terminal block) and the micro-USB power port.
  • Power switches over from one power source to another when power failure is detected.
  • Power status information via GPIO 21 on Raspberry Pi. GPIO can be disabled removing the jumper.
• Power Supply Status: GPIO 21 indicates which Power Supply is active. GPIO 21 = 1 indicates DC 7V to 24V power supply in use. GPIO 21 = 0 indicates USB power supply in use.
• High Wattage Power In: Power from terminal block is a minimum of 7V to a maximum of 25V, 2.5A (24V maximum recommended.) Ideal for use with a 9 V, 12 V (hobby power supplies), 19 V (portable/lap-top power adapter) or 24 V power adapter.
• Power Out: Provides 5V USB OTG capable power out and 3.3V/700mA power out. 3.3V is independently generated on Pi-BB-RPS board offloading the 3.3V power supply on the Raspberry Pi.
• Breadboard: More than 80% of connect-points of a Half -Size breadboard offering 25 columns x 10 rows or a total of 250 points. Five connection points are available for each column, for a total of 50 columns, making it convenient to attach any peripherals, break-out boards or electronic components.
• Raspberry Pi Header: Includes a 40-pin Raspberry Pi header soldered to the board. Also includes a mirrored header. Pi-BB-RPS also follows the HAT guidelines. This allows Pi-BB-RPS to be connected to a Raspberry Pi as a HAT or to a flat 40 pin cable (e.g. using a Adafruit Cobbler). Mirrored Raspberry Pi header allows access to all pins on the Header - including all GPIO's on the Raspberry Pi
• USB Power powers everything: Power the Raspberry Pi, 3.3V bus, 3.3V out, USB-out, 5V bus with any one power supply being active. This includes the USB power or the DC 7V to 24V power.
• Breadboard spacers: Standard 0.1 inch or 2.54mm spacing - makes it convenient to attach resistors, diodes, Integrated Circuits (IC), circuit holders etc.
  • Arduino style connectors can be soldered onto the board to make it possible to connect to Arduino boards.
  • Arduino style connectors can be attached to create a bread board for use with jumper cables.
• Dual layer: Solder on top layer or bottom layer. Makes soldering and adding components easy.
• LED indicator: LED indicates when power is on - either from the USB source or the DC source. Disconnect the LED jumper to turn Power LED off.
• HAT Specifications: Same dimensions as a Raspberry Pi. Mounting hole matches the Raspberry Pi HAT specifications, allowing Pi-BB to be mounted securely on top of the Pi. Same dimension as a Raspberry Pi-3 or a Pi-2.
• Uses: Use with a Raspberry Pi or standalone for prototyping work. Use it as a 7-24V DC to 5V DC converter. Use it as a RPS for critical devices. Use with a battery bank for UPS power.

Redundant Power Supply Capabilities

• DC 7V to 24V, 2.5A power Input and the 5V USB power are the two power sources.
  • Primary source is determined by which power supply has a higher Power (Voltage).
  • Secondary power is in standby mode when Primary is on.
• GPIO 21 indicates which power source is on.
• Secondary power or stand-by power, consumes very little power.
• When power fails on first source, the second source continues to provide power. The switch over happens when DC Power-In fails or falls below 6.5V
• Power sources can be a battery bank, solar panels, DC power adapters etc.

Pi Models Supported

By default, we ship the larger, 40 pin connectors which works with the Raspberry Pi+ (models A+, B+, Pi-2 and Pi-3, and other vendors adhering to the HAT standard). Pi-Zero is also supported, as long as a 40 pin header is soldered onto the Pi-Zero. The mounting holes for the standoff for Pi-zero are such that only two standoffs can be connected.

Older models of the Raspberry Pi with a 26 pin header are not supported.

Recommended Accessories

• Standoffs are not included, so we recommend a 19mm or greater standoff of your choice as this board overlaps the USB and ethernet ports unlike most HATs.