Pi Sugar 2 Pro Review - Battery Power For Your Pi4!

[@greekmanx]

I think the bottom mount makes more sense because I would consider it more flexible in that you can choose your own cooling for the pi like a ice tower cooler or something and it wouldn't prevent that

[@W1ldTangent]

I thought the same thing until I realized there are zero cases on the market for these, and I neither possess a 3D printer nor the skills to design a case to print on one if I did.

[@ninline2000]

@@W1ldTangent Yes. If you can't make your own case it's a problem for sure. However, for people that can, this is awesome.

[@SSANCHEZ1985]

This gives me the idea to hook up a Pi + LCD screen to my door with a camera attached to the peep-hole looking out, to make a bigger wider view of whats outside my door

[@AkiraChnl]

Ive always wanted to bring my Pi outside sad that we cant at the moment but, at least i have a new solution! Good to see you cover this!

[@techman5852]

What do you use as a displayed outdoors?

[@AkiraChnl]

Techman I ordered a nexdock but haven’t arrived yet so I’m just waiting

[@techman5852]

Zino Wheeze ahh nice. I’ve considered a nexdock before, but I don’t think it’d worth it for me personally. Maybe if I had a compatible smartphone 🤔.

[@kawanjalanvirtual]

@@techman5852 portableMonitor

[@alerey4363]

Great functionality with custom programming, decent standalone time, and nice low profile and magnetic pin integration wihtout soldering; will definitely buy 2 of these!

[@larrylarry1368]

I received my Pi4 two days ago and I tested it with my 10000mah power bank. I started running Blender to render a high definition graphic. It lasted about 5 to 6 hours until the power bank indicator displayed low charge.

[@Zoyx]

Can this be used as a UPS? In other words, can you keep it charged while in use?

[@W1ldTangent]

That's usually where these sort of products fall down for me. Unless it's specifically marketed as a UPS, they usually don't. Not sure about this one, he did say it only charges from it's own ports, but I don't think he addressed whether it can charge and power a Pi at the same time.

[@jasonballou88]

it does say ups on amazon

[@b00573d]

From the amazon link: UPS - Provide uninterrupted power to the pi. Support charging and discharging at the same time.

[@sugarpi42]

It can be used as UPS, it can be charged while working, after the power source down, it still works until the battery power is too low. But it can't automatically power on Raspberry Pi after the power source restore.

[@jimlynch9390]

@@sugarpi42 That's what kills it for me. I need something for unattended operation. It needs to come back up after the power returns.

[@plebetopro5786]

The PiSugar is interesting to me not for the big battery, as, like you said, they are replaceable, but because it goes on the bottom instead of the top, leaving the pi open, but also not blocking the ports.

[@im_Polyhedrons]

1:53 "made by human on earth", well that's a relief....

[@pooounderscoreman]

I think it's from the Tesla Roadster that was launched into a Mars orbit by SpaceX.

[@AndrewAHayes]

A compatible case would be nice as most people using this will be away from AC power and will need some protection for the Pi

[@SnehangshuBhusanPal]

I am looking to combine R Pi4, 7" touch screen, heat sinks, fan & pijuice or pi sugar and appropriate case. Not finding any.

[@dreddguy6454]

I like this. The ras-pi audiophile community will be very keen to know there's now a clean battery powered solution that still allows us to use our audio HAT's.

[@martianunlimited]

It looks like it does use up SDA and SCL, i wonder if the inter-board communication is neccessary, or if it is only for hard/soft shutdowns.

[@davidlection3024]

Great Review! However, manufacturers that make boards like these, need to offer a quality case to house the Raspberry PI and the add on board. It is not practical or advised IMHO to have a PI that is portable, but no case to protect it from accidental drops, or things dropped into the PI while it is running..

[@fr3847]

Make an ABS 3d printed case! Don't rely on others to do what YOU want to do! Then maybe you could sell it to others who have the same need as you!

[@FHNdavidcamp]

@@fr3847 If i had a 3D printer, i would jump on that immediately. However, I would assume that most people just don't own a 3D printer or not have access to one.

[@fr3847]

@@FHNdavidcamp that's understandable! You can however find a new mini one that could print a case for this around 100 and an even better mid tier one for 50$ more. But of course that may be a luxury for alot of people!

[@FHNdavidcamp]

@@fr3847Thank you for the info. I've been considering getting one, but curious on the quality of these more affordable ones. It's good to know that there are cheaper options out there.

[@fr3847]

@@FHNdavidcamp checkout the monoprice mp i3, you can find some for under 100 on Ebay and they're quality at printing although you are restricted to only smaller prints but this case would be perfect try printed !

[@mikejf4377]

The power brick that you referenced, check Anker, I’ve got a 22,000Mah one. There are birds that allow you to add 18650, 4 at a time. Use a old laptop battery to get your 18650’s. Looks very nice video. Keep up the good work. There software is very nicely done. I think they will come out for a case soon for this like many others do.

[@ThannMan]

Its great that its in the bottom, because you can still put a hat on top! Also, its cool the sugar has a Real-Time-Clock, so it can update the pies clock on boot.

[@ein57ein]

wow! I REALLY like that. The battery could even be mounted outside the case so you can swap out. Would be interesting if you could use it as a battery back up in case of power loss.

[@pooounderscoreman]

It does seems like the Sugar 2 Pro can function as a UPS but cannot be set to turn on once power is restored.

[@ein57ein]

@@pooounderscoreman NICE!

[@nickhenley8040]

@@pooounderscoreman perhaps this could be added in a revision? That would suit my needs as well.

[@HerrBlauzahn]

You hit the subscriber milestone of 512k, nice.

[@jerededmons4313]

it is a HAB that uses *plastic* screws in the boards passthrough bolting locations.. it makes me wonder 2 things. Why plastic.. Did they not properly dress the power planes of the board? And does this eliminate case mounting and stacking of bolts?

[@geektoolkit]

I got one of these for a min arcade cab I'm building...it's kind of frustrating. That button for shutdown means that you have to route it to the case if you put it inside of something. Then once you hit it to turn the pi off, how do you turn the pi back on? Also, turning the pi off doesn't turn the screen I have off, so I have to solve that. This is great for their limited use case, but I'm struggling to use it for things that slightly go outside of what they designed it for. That said, huge thanks for this review, because you have one of the few videos that shows the full UI and how to install it (really all of your videos are top notch, and I appreciate them. My frustration is at the product, not your channel, and I"m saying this to warn others if they are trying to do what I'm doing)

[@mbrownz71]

Would it be simple to use a remote push momentary switch for start up and shut down? I understand soldering may be required.

[@paulgray1318]

That USB battery bank pack - does it do passthru? As in can charge and power the output at the same time and with that - act as a cheap little UPS buffer for those winter second power drops. [EDIT ADD] I love that this connects below the Pi - keeps top free for heatsinks/cooling fans and more so - other hats unencumbered - that rocks.

[@STORMFIRE07]

Can you recommend some cases to be used along with this battery?

[@W1ldTangent]

Sadly there are none, just the 3D printed designs they have.

[@Tweak42]

If you skip using the base or print your own, the Argon Neo and the upcoming Cooler Master Pi case 40 might work. See ETA's review of both cases. Cooler Master is supposed to release their 3d design files so you could design your own bases.

[@pilabs3206]

It's a very good implementation. The battery on the bottom is bc of heat.. having a battery receiving that amount of heat would be really risky and probably they decide to put it on the bottom bc of that. Great product it seems

[@DarrenCurrie.]

1:53 looks like it has a convenient OFF and NO switch for power.

[@SchoolforHackers]

Yes, OFF and NOT OFF.

[@craigwilliams564]

How do you add a Solar panel to this? Can you simply solder on a 5V solar panel or does it need to go through a charge controller first? It does say you can do this by soldering to the QI input, but no instruction on required spec.

[@handy-capoutdoors4063]

I like this over the pi juice hat. With it under the board it means a hat can be installed at the same time

[@squalazzo]

how does it perform in case battery goes completely flat? waits for battery to reach a suitable charge, or what? and what about autopower on in case of recharge, so to have an unattended setup in case one is far from the device?

[@Tom-jd1rm]

Would be interesting to know if the Wesserstein Solar Panel would keep that battery charged up? I use one for my cameras and have NO problems.

Great review. Is it possible to add a solarpanel to this setup? Guess I would need a battery with more juice together with the solarpanel.

[@DigitalIP]

So does this mean we could use a DIY 18650 power source with that PCB using a 2pin connector? Granted it wouldnt be as pretty, but it would allow for a bigger battery pack

[@todddelozier8172]

I wish there was a better solution to the pi sense hat. The 4 gets too hot for it to be accurate. I modified my build to include a fan, but it didn't help.

[@edward_yuen]

Any plastic case which we could used for cover/protect PiSugar 2 Pro + Raspberry Pi 4B together ?

[@NewAgeDIY]

Why is it that every time I’m working on a Pi project and I need something to complete it, a long comes ETA with just the right item to finish it? Thanks again for making my day!

[@calebfranks7825]

Is there a case that is comparable with this battery when installed as shown?

[@LPandika]

Pi Sugar + controller (Saitake) + the new 7" lcd you reviewed = awesome portable gaming handheld. Please try to mixed them up.

[@Daniel-xc8nf]

Will the Pi Sugar Pro 2 fit in the 7" enclosure? If so I possibly have my own tablet with the pi, thats exciting! Considering the Raspad cost $248 AUD.

[@noahwiedel4077]

If you took the battery off would it fit inside that 7” touchscreen case? It could potentially make an interesting mobile pi4 setup if you relocated the battery

[@JeffHagedorn]

Why wouldnt this be compatible with the PiZero seems to use the same gpio pins..

[@ETAPRIME]

They make one specifically for the zero, this would work, and it would probably be just fine with only 2 mounting screws but this is designed for the bigger pi’s

[@icns01]

Nice video, much appreciated. 👍 One thing though, I would definitely use an anti- static wristrap connected to a ground when handling delicate electronics like this. Much better and less costly to be safe than sorry.

[@icns01]

@Danefrak Well by discharging yourself before handling, you are still taking some precautions. The problem is, the video gives the impression that you can just handle this w.o. taking any precautions to prevent or eliminate esd (electro static discharge). You can ruin some electronics easily by doing that.

[@dim008on]

Good afternoon! Will pisugar 2 plus or pisugar 3 plus work together with POE HAT (A-E revision)?

[@stevelawson8077]

With proper standoffs, would this fit in a 7" display case? How long would the battery life be in that scenario? Looking for a fully portable DIY retro gaming solution.

[@CraigMullins1]

If I shit down the battery at 5% is that going to screw with the life of my battery? Should I be shutting down at 50%? Does it mattery with this battery type?

[@pooounderscoreman]

Never shit down the battery ; But yes. Usually with these batteries, the recommended range is 30-90% charge for maximum lifespan. Also, cooler is generally better for longevity.

[@vfletes1]

ETA Big Bunny Prime does it again..awesome.

[@josealdemar7555]

this will be a nice upgrade to my pi3 Frankenstein "handheld" clipped to the 8bitdo I saw you make a while back.

[@AndroAnalisis]

Nice video as always!

[@galdakaMusic]

What is the best case for Rpi4 + Pi sugar + SSD? How to integrate with HA in Hassio?

[@Crussader87]

This is exactly what I was looking for, is there a way i can get the percentage of battery left in retropie?

[@AllaunSilverfox]

Does anyone know if this will work inside a SmartiPi Touch 2 ? Like, are there any issues with it fitting or causing heat problems? I want to use it in my car in conjunction with a VESA suction mount so I can avoid replacing the entire stereo system in my car.

[@brandonstevens6886]

What would the safety be in something like a handheld equipped with this? This seems like a great product but LIPOs are not the most safe option. Great video btw and congrats on 500k subs!

[@ImranMYousuf]

Did you find any case that would support plugging in a AC/DC power source to the PiSugar 2 Pro from outside the case?

[@remediosarnel18]

Great Review! However I'm a bit puzzled. Is it fully uninterruptible? Like, can it be used as a UPS like the pijuice?

[@IRWPD]

Cool, this a great looking battery. Can see it being used with lots of projects.

[@MAD450r2]

Is there a case thats fits it all, but doesnt cause it to run hot?

[@NikhchansGaming]

6:48 isnt that a bit underwhelming? just 5 hours at idle? Its not even powering the display. So just 5 hours?

[@TheOleHermit]

Well there goes another $50 on my SBC gear. Thanks?🤔 Actually, Pi Sugar 2 Pro looks like a great solution for greater portability. I prefer it being mounted on the bottom, otherwise, it would obstruct the GPIO header as well as the much needed RPi 4 heatsink and/or cooling fan. Shame that they don't offer a bottom half case. But, DIY shouldn't be a big deal. My heatsink/fan already has the top covered.😎

[@kevincampos6394]

anyone know what im doing wrong, i get no power, does it charge with the C port or micro usb? i reseated the board to make sure i got it right but cant seem to make it work, when i plug it to the C port i get blue light, but nothing from the micro, leaving it plugged in to the C port didnt seem to charge, leaving it on the micro now to see if it makes a dif.

[@hiimsimon_]

Hi @ETA PRIME ive a quick question. Firstly i love the video! So i purchased this for my raspberry pi 4B, installed no problem, but i then attached a respeaker 2mic hat, then the respeaker stopped working? Is this because they are sharing some GPIO pins? Any help would be apperciated! :D

[@SysAdmin42]

With a USB Solar Panel this could easily be a cool thing for a Camera Box

[@paullee107]

Hey eta, I hope you’ll reply: I do love how these boards connect right to the pi & will use this one for a build that is right fitting. However, usb battery packs are so cheap- like $5 for 10,000 mah. Why would one ever use anything other than a usb battery pack? I’m not knocking this product. I like it. Just asking, because it seems like a usb battery pack is perfect- don’t connect it at home, on the go just plug it in. Are there benefits to this that I’m missing?

[@Thatdavemarsh]

The safe-shutdown is the real benefit. Making the Pi aware that it is about to shut-down ensures that the OS can properly tidy up and close files/etc before the lights go out. Many of these boards are designed as UPS so that the Pi keeps running if the power goes out for a period. Using just the battery pack usually means that you have to power cycle to remove the pack as many don't support charge and run at the same time. (my two cents)

[@NewAgeDIY]

Dave Marsh has really made a case on why it’s very important to safety shut down your Pi. Of course running off a battery pack will work as long as you are aware of amount of available power. I have killed off a few SD cards by not paying attention.

[@Thatdavemarsh]

@@NewAgeDIY I run all my "production" RPis off of either a M.2 Sata or SSD Sata - I'm done with the dead SD card. The breaking point was when my PiHole shut down the house for the family when I was out...

[@paullee107]

Dale Marcell I wonder if there’s any way to monitor an external (usb) power supply - and use scripts to shutdown when needed. I suppose for ups, while connected to mains, a script could be made to shutdown after a mains interrupt.

[@Linser22]

I’ve been looking for a good battery solution for my Pimoroni Picade. Does anyone know if this supplies enough power to power the Pi 4, 10”LCD, 256 USB 3 Stick, and the PiCade hat. Also I hope it doesn’t interfere with the GPIO pins the hat is using. Actually the fact that it lays under the Pi makes this very appetizing. Thanks for the video!

[@AquaawesomeYT]

Does this work on orange pi 5? Thank you in advance, I’m working on a pi based handheld.

[@NewAgeDIY]

This battery will work great for a Trail-Cam setup. MotionEye0S works will for this type of project. I printed out a water protected case that will keep everything dry. I normally put my cameras up high so people don’t borrow them.

[@paulchisholm66]

Do you have any details on your trail camera projects? Could you set one up to recharge from solar panels? Thank you for your time.

[@juxuanu]

Maybe I use this as a UPS for my media home server

[@nickhenley8040]

Perhaps this could have a revision done where it will wake the pi up upon power re-connection?

[@iljacoveliers5834]

This battery seems great, but for a handheld project with a 7" screen it's nearly impossible to build it in a case and have access to the on/off switch. Sure you can place the raspberry Pi (Pi 4), at the back of your case, so you have access to the on/off switch, but for audio you need the 3.5mm jack, so you would have a cable sticking out of the case and go back in the case to the speakers. Sure you can get some sort of audio HAT, but then you wouldn't be able to cool the Pi or place heat sinks. PiJuice isn't an option either, same problems. So a battery powered handheld without the technical knowledge is turning out to be very difficult.

[@Atalas5]

first thing that actually came to my mind on seeing this: Will this work for that Raspberry Pi 4 portable emulation rig you've been tinkering with tin the past? Looks far more portable and less weighty than the battery back-ups like the one you mentioned in the video.

[@PhG1961]

A really cool product and an awesome video ! Well explained and entertainted.

[@scotth.hawley1560]

How do you get it to trigger the Pi to shutdown gracefully when the power goes out?

[@jacekpiterow900]

Any idea what can I use to power Pi4 automatically after power restore? And shut it down on power failure of course :)

[@michaelventarola7100]

Could I attached a solar panel to this to charge he batter?

[@sgttoe9763]

Love your videos! I was just looking at the Pi Zero version on Amazon and there are a lot of one star reviews on parts breaking. You still having good experience on the build quality?

[@EmptyTeacup]

got the pisugar and working. has anyone tried using power restore setup from its web gui? how does that work? and also how can I power up the pi after the 2 tap shutdown without doing the on/off switch action?

[@kevinthomas4170]

I want a case for pi sugar and the 3.5 monitor. Which one is going to work? Thank you

[@kevinthomas4170]

Now, July 1, 2021, the raspbery pi 4 can be powered by a cell phone battery charger, explaining computers mentioned a buck converter with a 12 v batery, as well!!!! but no sbc case, as i wanted

[@beauslim]

This is a really nice design. Battery units that install on top of the Pi interfere with hats and displays.

[@coz7386]

Lipo or lithium? is too expensive 5000mah for $50? I mean is power bank better

[@ansyarh5747]

Yap same $50 this expensive, i choice powerbank with $20-30 can give me 10.000mah

[@saincx0m9]

it also gives a pcb , and the battery is replaceable

[@АлексейДмитриев-ш1ф]

@@saincx0m9 power bank is easier to replace, and it always has its own case

[@saincx0m9]

@@АлексейДмитриев-ш1ф ah alright thanks for letting me know

[@АлексейДмитриев-ш1ф]

@@saincx0m9 welcome :)

[@legan1773]

Nice Video. Nice PI Sugar 2 :D

[@tastybrains]

It just clicked that it mounts to the bottom of the board! Wow. I've been looking for a solution like this for a while

[@isaacdestura7495]

Are there any existing cases that this can fit inside?

[@dawidrosinski5107]

If It's only be able to charge from pi and have status icon in os bar.

[@imashikda]

I need a case for it.. to use with the 3.7 display

[@Niko-te3wp]

Finally i can create my raspberry pi 4 phone

[@ttt-sq6ou]

Would it be possible to make this work with a pi 4 and something like the ice tower

[@greenprotag]

Now we need a case that can take a small blower style cooling fan/ heatsink and this battery assembly... and maybe a VESA bracket OR maybe a screen?

[@DoryanTheCritic]

That would be nice, with the screen option that is. The "pi‑top [4] DIY EDITION" will offer a keyboard and screen accessory, so I can't wait for ETA Prime to make the review of it once it launches in late September.

[@retrogamingnmore2513]

how do you charge this thing from the usb-c or from the micro usb?

[@juanrodriguez825]

I think it's perfect I have to get one. Thanks for sharing.

[@toddcoello6461]

That's awesome. I might get this and try it with my 7 inch screen

[@sgrisafi]

Can you get a bigger battery and can you use a solar charger for it.

[@DigitalJedi]

I'd love to see one of these that can sit on standby until my pi loses power, then kicks on to keep the thing running for a little bit until regular power can be restored.

[@pooounderscoreman]

I think you can have a power supply plugged in to both the battery and the Pi while running and the battery will stay full.

[@tonyl4590]

So. Looking at your setup, the monitor is being powered by some other means which makes the pi battery pointless. Anyways at that price you could get a much higher capacity Power Bank.

[@MobileDecay]

I believe the monitor can be powered by a battery bank.

[@STORMFIRE07]

Which power bank can continuously supply pi while power bank also getting charged by an external power supply?

[@TheZemog666]

closer and closer to making PiPhone that runs android or linux

[@ETAPRIME]

I just received the PinePhone, I’ll have a video up in a bit

[@kevincampos6394]

i have a 3b, should still work right?

[@mk500]

I really like the bottom mount design. With a little dremmelling, I bet you could make many plastic cases compatible with this (but it would sit external to the case). Also you still have full use of any pi hats you desire. This makes it useful for say a wireless e-ink project where you need it to wake up and update from time to time. And you could buy spare batteries and swap them out in a snap. Will the board charge the battery without being connected to a Pi? (say I want to charge a spare with a second board)

[@sugarpi42]

Yes, it can charge the battery without being connected to a Pi, and it can change the battery while Pi is working!

[@quarteratom]

Can you install the software without the shitty anti-security always-on web interface?

[@akseawolf6941]

Can the Pi Sugar 2 Pro support a larger 3.7V 10000mAh Lipo Battery Rechargeable Lithium Polymer ion Battery Pack with JST Connector?

[@sugarpi42]

It can use most of 3.7V li-battery. But please pay attention to the positive and negative poles

[@akseawolf6941]

@@sugarpi42 Thanks for the info!

[@zacp6339]

Would this work with an Ice tower on top?

[@solanumtuberosa]

I wanted it till you said bottom mounted. This will probably interfere with hdmi mounted displays.

[@TomS_FoX]

Wow that looks great! Should help with making projects mobile.

[@sanody555]

Hi keep it coming friend I love it

[@haj4975]

@ETA PRIME do u got the news about the switch emulator for android? It's fantastic! Please make a video on it.

[@drunkengaming4782]

This and I found a monitor that attaches to the gpu pins and is rather small touch screen it will be gloruous

[@benjones7848]

Would this work on Raspberry Pi Zero?

[@2e0txe]

All Raspberry PI's have the same GPIO layout so technically yes. However the screw mountings only two would be usable.