Think Do-It-Yourself Computing, Think Raspberry Pi! Such a phenomenon this mini-computer has been! From the Pandora’s Box of Projects that is Kickstarter we bring you one of the most innovative applications of the Pi which has already raised £120,111 so far with more than 2000 backers- The PiJuice.
The PiJuice serves the purpose of making the Raspberry pi self-powered and portable. It also offers a set of inspiring and affordable guided projects for fun and learning in the real world such as Pocket Pi, compact camera or an awe-inspiring Pi games console. What’s even more amazing is the fact that its creators have gone a long way by making the Raspberry Pi renewable powered using solar energy. It should be noted that Raspberry Pi sales recently shattered 5 million mark.
They claim to have developed the most affordable and efficient solar solution for the Raspberry Pi ever. In the process they have been able to make a completely autonomous self monitoring system capable of being used for camera systems, weather stations, off-grid desktops, taking inputs from wind turbines, thermo-electric plates and what not.
Features of PiJuice:
- Onboard 1400 mAh “off the shelf” Lipo / LiIon battery for ~6 hours in constant use! (with support for larger Lipo Battery of 5000 or 10,000 mAH+ to last up to 24 hrs +)
- Full UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) solution.
- Integrated RTC (Real Time Clock)
- On board intelligent on/off switch
- Low power deep-sleep state with wake on interrupt/calendar event
- Programmable multi-colored RGB led
- Full power management API available to Raspberry Pi OS with auto shutdown capability when running low on batteries
- Raspberry Pi HAT compatible layout, with on board EEPROM for easy plug and play operation
- Low profile design, to fit inside lots of existing Raspberry Pi cases!
Further Details
Even without any power input or internet connection, the real time clock (RTC) present on the board will let one to determine the time easily. The micro-controller(MCU) chip present alongside the RTC will enable a true low power deep sleep state , an intelligent start up and shall also manage soft shut down functionality.
What’s more , one shall always be able to keep track of the charge levels with the built-in tri-colored RGB LEDs and since the PiJuice will use up to just five of the GPIO pins (just power and I2C), the rest are free to diversify your project even more.
Read more about PiJuice here on KickStarter.
Also read: Microsoft Announces Free Windows 10 for Raspberry Pi 2
Found the PiJuice amazing? Tell us your thoughts below.
Stay tuned for latest technology news from fossBytes.
Get your own Raspberry Pi 2 here:
