Product Review

Alchemy Power Inc. Pi-Zero-UpTime provides UPS power using one Lithium-Ion 14500 battery. Battery is not included. Many battery 14500 battery options are available on Amazon. Use flat-top unprotected battery. Recommend item model 4330202245. Install one Lithium Ion 14500 battery in the PiZ-UpTime and the Pi-Zero continues to operate when power fails or when the power plug is disconnected. The battery is charged when power is available. When power fails, the necessary power is generated from the batteries by PiZ-UpTime to power the PiZ, the peripherals attached to it and provide UPS power to USB Power Out port. The micro-USB port provides 5V. PiZ-UpTime comes with a Raspberry Pi header already soldered on it and a micro-USB to micro-USB cable. You can start using Pi-Zero right away - even without the battery (no UPS then!) When the battery arrives, plug it in and now you have UPS capabilities. Pi-Zero-UpTime is small in size, yet powerful enough to power Pi-Zero, Pi-Zero W, Pi-3, Pi-2 etc. Or any board including Asus Tinker and other boards. Test indicate a run time of around 45 minutes with the 14500 battery. Your time will vary depending on battery size and power used. If the header for a Pi-Zero is not soldered, a micro-USB to micro-USB cable (included) can power the Pi-Zero. PiZ-UpTime can be mounted on Pi-Zero or Pi-3 using spacers. Battery is monitored via GPIO 26. Sample software provided uses GPIO 26 and ensures a proper shutdown when the batteries run low. An on-board sensor measures the battery level and performs a hard shutdown when the battery level is low. A power reset switch on Pi-UpTimeUPS makes it easy to reboot the Raspberry Pi or PiZ after a software shutdown. The LED jumper shunt removed turns off the LED's minimizing the power lost.