The combination of decent performance and low power draw makes Raspberry Pi single-board computers perfect for all kinds of portable, battery-powered projects. If you have an idea for a project like that, then this guide will walk you through everything you need to know – from selecting the right Pi model to choosing displays, batteries, and input devices.
Content
- Choosing the Right Raspberry Pi for Your Portable Project
- Powering Your Portable Pi
- Setting Up Your Portable Pi
Choosing the Right Raspberry Pi for Your Portable Project
When building a portable Pi setup, power consumption is essential since it directly affects battery life. Here’s what you can expect in terms of power consumption for the current Raspberry Pi lineup:
| Model | Power Supply Needed | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | 2.0A | Light computing/IoT |
| Raspberry Pi 4 Model B | 3.0A | General purpose |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | 5.0A | Performance-intensive computing |
The Raspberry Pi 5 is currently the most powerful model available. Unfortunately, it draws significantly more power than other models, so a special source of power is needed to make it run.
If you are planning to make your Raspberry Pi portable, we recommend going with the Raspberry Pi 4 since it offers a good balance of performance and power efficiency. With its quad-core processor and capable GPU, it handles everything from web browsing to coding with reasonable responsiveness while being possible to power using a regular power bank.
But if you’re building a data logger or a simple field computer, the Pi Zero 2 W will most likely be a better fit. It draws significantly less power while still providing enough processing power for basic tasks and offering Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPIO connectivity.
Powering Your Portable Pi
All Raspberry Pi models operate on 5V (the standard USB voltage), but they require different amounts of current (measured in amps). We have shown the various ways to power up a Raspberry Pi, and here are the things to take note. When selecting a power bank or battery solution, you need to consider both voltage and current since their product gives you the total power in watts (Power = Voltage × Current). For example, a Pi 5 needing 5V at 5A requires 25 watts of power.
Here are three reliable power solutions, each suited for different needs:
Waveshare UPS Module 3S
The Waveshare Uninterruptible Power Supply Module 3S uses three 18650 lithium batteries (you’ll need to buy these separately) to deliver a stable 5V at up to 5A, which is perfect for even the power-hungry Pi 5.
Image source: Amazon
I particularly like its I2C interface, which lets you monitor battery voltage, current, and power in real-time – super useful for projects where you need to keep track of power consumption. It also has comprehensive protection circuits to prevent damage from overcharging, over-discharging, or short circuits.
PiSugar S Pro
For Pi 4 or Pi Zero users who want a sleek solution, the PiSugar S Pro is hard to beat. This 5000 mAh battery pack is specifically designed for the Raspberry Pi family of single-board computer and attaches directly to the bottom of your board.
Image source: Amazon
The PiSugar S Pro outputs 5V at 3A, which is perfect for the Pi 4 and less demanding models. It even includes a programmable button that can be used to trigger custom actions. Just note that this model doesn’t provide battery level information through software.
Standard Power Banks
If you’re running a Pi 4 or a less power-hungry model, many standard USB power banks can do the job just fine. Look for ones that can output 5V at 3A, like the LOVELEDI 15000mAh power bank. These are often the most cost-effective solution and have the advantage of being useful for other devices too.
Image source: Amazon
However, here’s an important warning about power banks with Power Delivery (PD) support: While these can deliver 25W or more (technically enough for a Pi 5), they achieve this by increasing voltage above 5V, and the Pi needs its power delivered at exactly 5V, so they wouldn’t work.
Setting Up Your Portable Pi
With your power source ready, connecting it to your Raspberry Pi should result in an automatic boot. Now comes the interesting part: figuring out how to interact with your portable Pi. There are several approaches, depending on your specific needs.
If you’re aiming to create something similar to a laptop or a portable gaming console, you’ll want to connect a display and input devices directly to the Pi. For displays, the official 7″ Pi Touch Display is a solid choice since it draws power directly from the Pi itself, simplifying your setup. For something larger, USB monitors with built-in batteries like the ASUS ZenScreen 15.6″ can work well since they don’t increase the total power requirements.
Pi Touch Display
However, you might not need a dedicated display at all if you plan to connect to your Pi remotely via SSH. For many tasks, especially data collection or server management, console-only access through SSH is perfectly sufficient. If you need a full graphical desktop environment, then you can set up either VNC or xrdp for remote desktop access.
For internet access, you can simply configure your Raspberry Pi to automatically connect to a mobile hotspot created using your smartphone, and then use Tailscale to enable secure remote access from any device. That way, you can even connect to the Pi from your smartphone using a mobile SSH or VNC client.
That’s all it takes to build your own portable Raspberry Pi. Of course, even the mighty Pi isn’t always the best tool for the job. If you need more processing power, a more polished experience, or a more convenient form-factor, a dedicated laptop running Linux might be a better option, and we have a guide dedicated to helping you pick one.
Cover image by David Morelo.
David Morelo –
Staff Writer
David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application. His interest in technology started at an early age and has only grown stronger over the years.
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