🔋 Power
Batteries and power: capacity, safety, hotspot PSU.
Power is a common and underrated cause of instability. The Raspberry Pi is fussy about voltage drops: a cheap PSU or a thin cable causes undervolting, and the hotspot freezes. And the Li-ion batteries in radios demand respect: real capacity is lower than advertised, and swelling is a direct hazard.
Here is how to choose a clean PSU and cable for a hotspot, add a UPS, and how to handle batteries and 18650 packs safely.
Radio batteries: Li-ion and Ni-MH, capacity, safety
Real vs advertised capacity, proper charging and storage, and most importantly — Li-ion safety (swelling = hazard).
PowerPowering a DMR hotspot: clean PSU and UPS
The Pi is fussy about power: how to beat undervolting, pick a PSU and cable, and add a UPS/PoE for a stable hotspot.
PowerPowering from 18650 cells: capacity, BMS and safety
Off-grid power for a radio and hotspot using 18650 cells: real capacity vs fakes, a mandatory BMS, over-discharge protection and Li-ion safety rules.
PowerSolar panel for a hotspot: an off-grid node in the field
How to power an MMDVM hotspot from the sun: panel, charge controller, battery and overnight sizing. An off-grid DMRhub network node at a cottage or in the field.