raspberry pi power & cooling mods

It\'s a bit embarrassing to admit that there are ten Raspberry Pies doing all kinds of work at home, but that\'s to say, I just bought another one, so I think it would be a good idea to record my standard Pi changes and share them as an Instructure.
I added these mods to most of my Pis
They allow Raspberry Pi of any model to be powered from a backup power supply, otherwise it will be stuck in the drawer --
Being able to use unwanted power supplies should save you a few pennies, and this arrangement can also provide useful power supplies for other devices such as relays.
The cooling module makes the use of display and camera connectors more difficult, but can stop Pi throttling when over-locking or doing processor-intensive work.
Generally, access to the GPIO connector is not hindered, but you must be careful to place the fan. . .
For ease of readability, I split the structure into two parts-
The first part includes the power transformation, the second part cooling the fan and the addition of the radiator.
The possible novelty of the second part is the use of a 12 v DC fan powered from the 5 v DC output of the voltage regulator.
Using a 12 v fan in this way is to provide a cooling effect with a little noise reduction, a feature that is required when using RasPi (
As an OSMC Media Center)
In our living room, because my partner can hear the drop of pins at the edge of the well, almost any distance you want to mention. . . .
Please note that I am trying to cover the details as widely as possible, but some basic electronic skills are necessary such as welding, using a multimeter, etc.
So I apologize if the following is too simple or assuming too much --
Of course, any and all constructive comments are welcome!
Parts: Tools: * Notes on power supply selection: important parameters are output voltage and power.
You need to provide about three volts more on the input of the LM2596 regulator than you need on the output, so for the 5 v output that the Pi needs, you need to input about 8 v.
I would recommend a little more to determine, so the 9 v minimum above.
For some models of this regulator, the maximum voltage you can use is about 35 v, which is higher for other models.
I stick to 30 v at most.
The power supply also needs to be able to provide enough current to the Pi (
For current requirements for different models of Pi, see here).
The link says you need a power supply that can provide at least 2 power supplies. 5A for a Pi 3.
However, the LM2596 is a switch regulator, so you need less current than this as long as the voltage provided is proportionally higher.
To calculate the power you need, calculate the power that is derived from the Pi and consider the conversion loss in the regulator (eg)
5 v @ 2 is required for Pi 3.
5A, so its power requirement is 5x2. 5 = 12. 5W.
Multiply this by 1.
1 you will get 12 given the loss of the regulator. 5 x 1. 1 = 13. 75W.
Once this number is reached, it\'s never a good idea to use the power supply with a capacity of 100%, so I\'ll add a margin of at least 30% to make sure it doesn\'t get too hot and expire too early.
To make it easier for everyone, here are the minimum supply current requirements for different voltages, based on the calculation above: Pi 3: 9 v/2A; 12v / 1. 5A; 15v / 1. 2A; 19v / 0. 9A; 26v / 0. 7A; 30v / 0.
6 api B & 2B: 9 v/1. 5A; 12v / 1. 1A; 15v / 0. 9A; 19v / 0. 7A; 26v / 0. 5A; 30v / 0.
4 API zero and zero W: 9 v/1. 0A; 12v / 0. 7A; 15v / 0. 6A; 19v / 0. 5A; 26v / 0. 3A; 30v / 0. 3A(
For completeness, the latter is included)
Positioning regulator as shown in the figure.
The input pad should be on the same side of the chassis as the power connector of the Pi.
If you are also installing the fan, locate it as shown in the figure.
Please note that since the shell cut often gets in the way, you can only use up to three of the fan\'s four screw holes.
Also note that this fan mod is not appropriate if you need to use the camera or display connector (
Unless new cabling is used).
Make sure that the regulator mounting hole closest to the edge of the case is above the gap between the two USB socket stacks of the Pi (
So there\'s no foul on the screws-
For photos of installing the regulator, see step 4 where you can see the position of the screw).
Use fine permanent marking to mark the position of the two regulator mounting holes on the chassis and, if required, the fan mounting holes and fan airflow holes can also be marked.
Pour the top of the box over and support it on a piece of wood. Use a fine (1. 5mm)
Drill the pilot hole where the last step is marked. Use a 2.
5mm drill holes to widen one of the holes and check the selected self
The tapping nail can be screwed in without too much effort.
Expand the size of the hole if necessary.
Once you are satisfied with the size of the hole, just drill the other one out and adapt.
Install the regulator using the bracket-
Fall off and self-tapping screws as shown in the photo.
Please note the screw position between the two USB connector stacks.
As shown in the figure, weld the equipment wire to the DC power outlet and insulated it with a heat shrink sleeve.
Let\'s say you have a standard power supply where the forward voltage is on the internal connector, weld the red line to the short label, and weld the black line to the long label (
This assumes that the long label is connected to the outside of the socket-
But check it with a multimeter).
If the polarity is opposite, weld the red and black wires to the opposite label.
Push the other end of the wire under the regulator board into the input pad of the regulator, as shown in the figure (
Again, red to ve, Black-ve).
If you have a sacrificed micro USB lead, cut it off so you have about 180mm of the cable connected to the micro USB end.
Use a thin wire and multimeter in resistance mode to identify which wires are connected to the positive and negative contacts of the micro USB connector (
See picture above).
Red and Black are commonly used colors in ve and-USB leadsVe connection (
Sometimes marked as \"vcc\" and \"gnd\" respectively \").
Cut off other wires (
Usually white and green)short.
Put a heat shrink sleeve on them and the outer sheath and shrink appropriately.
Push the cutting end under the regulator, peel off the red and black wires and weld them to the regulator\'s ve &-
The output pads for ve are respectively.
If you are brave (like wot I woz)
, Use the bare connector to form your own USB lead.
As shown in the figure, weld the wire to the USB connector pad and cover the joint with a thin layer of hot glue. when set up, slide the 1/4 \"heat shrink sleeve over as shown in the figure.
Shrink the sleeve with a hot gun, and glue will play a role in relieving pressure (hopefully! ).
As mentioned above, slide the other end of the wire under the regulator and Weld to the output pad.
It\'s always a good idea to double check the polarity of your connection --
Use a multimeter and some thin wires to verify that the USB pin is properly connected to the regulator.
Before inserting the output of the regulator into the Pi, the output voltage needs to be set.
Connect the power supply to the regulator DC input socket and turn it on.
There is a blue LED on the regulator that should light up immediately.
If there is no and/or smoke smell, disconnect and (if you\'re me)
Hang your head in shame.
You may get away with it, but it\'s hard to say if there\'s some smoke.
Check the wiring carefully and try again after rectification.
Hope the LED has appeared. . .
Adjust the potentiometer on the regulator using a small screwdriver (
Blue Box with brass screws on top)
Until the multimeter reads below 5. 1v.
Reduce the voltage counter-clockwise, the voltage changes are usually more than you expected
Don\'t despair if you want to see the effect.
Power off and connect the output of the regulator to the Pi.
You\'re ready for action!
Parts: Tools: Use the marks on the Chinese and foreign shells of step 2 to drill three mounting holes in the same way as the regulator (ie)
Drill the pilot hole with 1.
5mm drill and widen one of the holes with 2. 5mm drill.
Test Self-suitability
Tap the screws and if all goes well, drill out the other two holes.
Otherwise, holes should be enlarged if necessary.
Use a fret saw or a Dremel replacement to cut out the plastic holes to allow the fan airflow.
Clean the edges with files if necessary (
If my experience can be learned, the use of electric tools inevitably produces melted plastic, which is painful to clean up --
So I prefer fret saw).
Supply the fan to the mounting hole and carefully screw it into the selftappers.
The fan should be installed in a position under the side of the label so that the airflow is directed into the Pi.
I\'ll also position it so the wiring doesn\'t get close to the regulator right away, so you can play with some slack wires.
Rotate the fan manually to check that there is no catch.
My experience is that when powering from 5 v dc, the rest of the fans in the parts list are all self-starting except one.
In this case, I found that running the fan from 12 v dc would relax it for about 5 minutes and then be fine at 5 v.
However, fans from different manufacturers may behave differently, so you may have to start the fan manually
It should then be possible to continue running.
If this is not the case, as long as your voltage is 9 v to 12 v, you can still choose to connect the fan to the input of the regulator and you can accept the increase in noise.
Cut off the fan connector and leave enough wires to reach the regulator.
You can cut the yellow wire further because it is not used in this type of application.
Use a small piece of casing as shown to insulate it and prevent it from getting in the way.
Route the fan wiring and welding under the regulator to its output pad (
Red to positive, Black to negative).
There is a lot of information on the internet about where (and when)
Add radiator for Raspberry Pis.
Here is my personal approach.
As far as I know, the advice from the Raspberry Pi Foundation is that unless you overclock, you really don\'t need to add a radiator to any model of the Pi.
However, I found that when trying to play the H265 video, the Pi 3 gets rather hot and can self-suppress if not cooledpreservation.
In this case, Broadcom SoC (
Large chip above the Pi table)
It\'s the hottest weather, so it\'s worth a visit.
Based on some of the suggestions I can\'t find the source at the moment, I will also put the RAM chip radiator at the bottom.
I\'m not interested in the smaller LAN chip as it doesn\'t seem to be that hot.
So, for business
Peel off the cover plate from the radiator and carefully place it on the top of the SoC chip.
Use a hot glue gun, as shown in the figure, carefully add some glue to both sides of the radiator.
I used a lot of my Pis on their side so after a while the radiator will fall off
Glue helps to prevent this.
To date, the glue has not been sufficiently softened in use to lose its integrity (
It melts around 120 °c, so it shouldn\'t Melt! )
The process of installing the radiator on the RAM chip is the same, unless you have to cut off some of the grill at the bottom of the chassis to allow enough space.
Please note that it does not cross the border of the case. . . . That\'s it.
I hope this note proves useful and/or informative.
If you find any errors etc.
Please let me know and I will be happy to edit accordingly.