Does anyone have a suggestion for a good power converter to go from a 12V DC battery to a USB-C cable with 3A of charge to power the Raspberry Pi 4? I bought one with the brand “Konnected” that says the output is 3A, 5V (15 Watt), but it just doesn’t seem to give enough power.
I’d like to avoid using an inverter and then the AC power adapter – so much power is lost in the conversion.
Thanks,
Derek Morningstar, M.Sc., PWS
Myotistar
(226) GOT-BATS
Hi Derek,
Is this the model you purchased? Amazon.ca
There are several models which are similar to this which I’ve tested and I haven’t had an issue with them yet. The first one I tried is from a more reliable source: https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/dfrobot/DFR0884/14824983
I like to have a USB multimeter on hand for troubleshooting USB connections: Amazon.ca
It may also be a problem with the Charge controller or connections, rather than the buck converter.
Lucas
Thanks Lucas,
That’s exactly the one I got. I don’t have a USB multimeter (but I should get one) and I am not using a charge controller with this setup, just running straight from the battery for testing (before I spend money on a better battery).
Derek Morningstar, M.Sc., PWS
Myotistar
(226) GOT-BATS
Is it possible you have the polarity switched accidentally? I see the red wire from the battery is connected to the black wire on the DC converter.
If not, I wonder if there’s an issue with the battery (low voltage) or the connection using the wire nuts.
Try reading the voltage using a regular volt meter from within the wire nuts with and without the RPi plugged in.
