Suggestion for a power boost, stable UPS

Support
1

Hi all! i have some issue with my RPI 3 and before to place an order i would ask to the forum an help.

PROBLEM:

Connected to a wall jack, i supply my Raspberry 3 with a genuine AC/DC converter, but when i push the light switch of my room (relè activation), the RPI reboot itself everytime.
Maybe there is a power drop on my Electrical line, i had try with an external UPS between the wall jack and the RPI but it happens the same.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:

This board maybe can help me to get a stable current during this drops?

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/powerboost-1000-charger-rechargeable-5v-lipo-usb-boost-1a-1000c

With the helps of these battery:

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/lithium-ion-battery-pack?variant=23417820487

Thank you for all the helps as possible!

2

The Powerboost 1000c can only supply 1A out. That may be a bit iffy with a Pi 3B. A 3b will draw almost half that just at idle. https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/faqs/#topPower
This may be a better option, https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/mp2636-power-booster-charger-module Its good for up to 2A out.

3

What else do you have connected to the Pi 3B? It shouldn’t be rebooting like that, especially when on an UPS. What lighting is in use in that room, incandescent, fluorescent, etc?

4

Before thank you for the help! I appreciate it a lot, because its a weird issue, but im almost sure it depends all from my electricity stuff (maybe a bad installation).

My arcade module is this:

http://supercoin.blogspot.com/2018/05/icecade-il-piccolo-progetto-raspberry.html

Made by myself, the output connection are only an HDMI and sometimes a LAN cable (but it happens also without it), a keyboard encoder (IPAC) and a led light (12v connectet to GPIO, non always on).

This happens only when i turn on the light who are controlled by a Relay and not when i turn on the light with the normal switch.

Light are mixed.

I think the UPS its made for high voltage and current, not suitable for controlling small drops of voltage.

5

Ok, how does this relay circuit work? Remote control or just a switch etc.

The PC UPS takes the ac line voltage (120V AC here in Canada), changes it to a DC voltage (probably 12V DC) and uses that to charge a battery. The battery then feeds an inverter that changes it back to 120 V AC. If line voltage fails the inverter just keeps running on the battery with no interruption until the battery runs low
.
The powerboost does basically the same thing, it’s just all DC voltages. 5V DC in to charge the LIPO battery. The battery then feeds an up converter to get 5V out. If the 5V in stops the upconverter just runs off of the battery until the battery runs down.
In both cases spikes or voltage drops on the input side should not get to the output side. That should be all filtered out.

I have a hunch the relay is creating an EMF pulse that’s not being suppressed? That or your getting interference from what ever turns it on and off?

6

Relay works without remote, there is only the pushbutton who switch light on and light off when pressed.

Yes i think there is some peak when the putton its pressed, if there is a way to measure it with a tester i can dissolve all my doubt.

I had measured only the tension in the wall jack, when the pushbutton (relay) is pressed no variaton of Voltage were detected.

So i think there is a current drop or peak. The same job about the Voltage is made by the Ampere, with tis powerboost?

7

You’ll never see a voltage spike with a voltmeter. It will happen way to fast. You’d need an oscilloscope or data logger to see it.
Is the button and relay part of the light itself, or external? I’m wondering why there is a relay in the first place?

8

BUTTON ----> RELAY -----> LIGHT

All the parts are single, but i think they are a part of all the same circuit of the first floor of my house; for that reason every button with relay i press this reflect the issue at jack in the wall where the RPI is connected.

9

May I ask what country you live in? I’ve never heard of this type of setup before?
Here its just switch > Light? Both are rated for 120 V AC.

10

You may have to install an AC Line filter (EMF filter) between your Pi and the wall outlet.

11

Italy, im not a Electrician and this setup is made before from unknowing people (maybe not Electrician itself).

Here the voltage are rated for 220V.

12

I think you may have to get hold of a qualified electrician, or get an EMF filter like I mentioned above.

13

I never hear about that, can you provide me a link? because i do not know the italian name of this tool.

So are you thinking the booster didn’t help me too much to avoid this issue? because it would be more “nice” for this poject put all inside of the toy, to travel everytime with an “extra” tool to plug in the wall jack. :D

14

https://www.bing.com/search?q=ac+line+filter&form=EDGSPH&mkt=en-ca&httpsmsn=1&refig=e5cfae5aa8084718b77221ff363c88e8&sp=1&ghc=1&qs=AS&pq=ac+line+filter&sc=4-14&cvid=e5cfae5aa8084718b77221ff363c88e8&cc=CA&setlang=en-US

You could try the PowerBoost. I have several 1000c’s in use here, none are running a Pi 3B though. Pi Zero’s and an A+. Those Pi’s are all running headless with no display, keyboard of mouse.
What I’m saying is, if the UPS didn’t stop it from rebooting, the Powerboost likely won’t either. If your going to drive a 3B and a display, the 1A limit of the PowerBoost likely isn’t going to be enough. You’ll get power brownouts etc. It might not even boot up.

15

Thank you again…

I found this:

http://www.apc.com/shop/uk/en/products/APC-Essential-SurgeArrest-1-outlet-230V-United-Kingdom/P-PM1W-UK?isCurrentSite=true

Not too expensive for a test and with a good brand, i will try it and after show the result here!

16

Looks Ok to me. Price is right. Hopefully it solves your issue.

17

OMG check what i have found…

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=162634

Yes i had omiss the RPI have some wires who controll two different scripts, and two dedicated buttons who came from the GPIO.

It was wrong to say there is only a reboot, yes it happens this but if i temporary cut off the scrip from the boot up, nothing happens when i press the buttons of the light.

ITS THE SAME CASE DESCRIBED IN THAT LINK.

Now i check a way to modify a script or the cable connected to the GPIO.

18

That just reminded me of an issue I had on my portable Pi with a PowerBoost on it. I have a button wired to a GPIO PIN to do the shutdown. os.system(“sudo shutdown now -P”) via a python script. Using just the Pi’s internal pullup it would shutdown when I plugged my power supply into the powerboost. The power spike somehow got detected as a button press? I used this circuit to fix the issue.

Debounce-RC-2
Debounce-RC-2.png759×481 6.91 KB

Now it works as its supposed to. It only shuts down if I actually press the button.
I have the same button wired to GPIO to do a shutdown on other Pi’s with a powerboost and they work fine without the extra resistors and just the Pi’s internal pullup. I have no idea why that one Pi with a powerboost did what it did? Its an A+ and the others are all Zero W’s. .

I have buttons wired up to the RUN pins on a couple of my Pi’s. Non of those have rebooted or started up on their own, that I know of?

19

I have two python scripts; one its the same of yours for the SHOUTDOWN and the other for the ROTATE MONITOR;m both controlled by buttons.

I have checked now this issue happens also if i leave one of them active, if i leave the shoutdown this quit and viceversa.

I didnt made by myself the scripts so im waiting my friend to take alook on these, because i would avoit to put another circuit inside the control panel, only because there is no more space availabe. :D

20

Mine goes something like this

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO


GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)  
GPIO.setwarnings(False)
GPIO.setup(5, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down = GPIO.PUD_UP)  

def Shutdown(channel):  
os.system("sudo shutdown now -P")

GPIO.add_event_detect(5, GPIO.FALLING, callback = Shutdown, bouncetime = 2000)