Issues we personally have with Raspberry Pi’s as battery life problem solvers

Explaining computer tested Raspberry Pi battery running time

Data from Explaining Computers

Pi 4Pi 4Pi zeroPi zero
battery10’000 mAh batterylead acid 12V 7 A10’000 mAh batterylead acid 12V 7 A
min load battery life (hrs)1540.158.5187
  • they need a5 volt power supply

issues we personally have with these devices:

  • We did a first test with a Raspberry 3 at minimal load and had a running time in idle of about 4 hours. This duration is much shorter than that of Explaining Computers. How can this be explained?
  • To power a Raspberry Pi 4 for more than 24 hrs we need a lead acid 12V 7 A battery which weights 2.0 kg, but who carries around a 2 kg battery if there are other options available?
  • an alternative is the Raspberry Pi zero 2w, but we do not have any data from Explaining Computers about this device
  • a first test of the MRIS showed that the Raspberry Pi zero 2 runs more than 24 hrs with a 10 000 mAh power bank
  • the Raspberry Pi 4 is unavailable Switzerland
  • the Raspberry Pi zero 2 w is unavailable in Switzerland
  • price for Raspberry Pi zero 2 w increased from 15 USD to more than 100 USD within a year
  • Raspberry Pi zero 2 w is not very powerful compared to competitors of the same size