How to connect Witty Pi 4 L3V7 correctly to Raspberry Pi 4?

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Hi!

I want to put the Witty Pi 4 L3Hi!V7 with a battery (for UPS function) on my raspberry pi 4 (8GB RAM).

My setup consists of :

Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB RAM)

A heat sink that is stuck to the raspberry pi 4 CPU. I had the raspberry pi 4 in a aluminium FLIRC case before which worked really well with the heat sink but the Witty doesn’t fit in that case, hence I bought the bigger case which is now plastic (see case details below, I couldn’t find an aluminium case but enough to fit the pi and the Witty) and I just left the heatsink stuck on the Pi CPU (please let me know if you think it’s better to take off the heat sink).

A 32 GB micro SD card for the raspberry pi 4

The Witty Pi4:

https://core-electronics.com.au/witty-pi-4-l3v7-rtc-power-management-for-raspberry-pi.html

This battery for the Witty:

https://core-electronics.com.au/polymer-lithium-ion-battery-2400mah.html

This larger case to make sure the pi, the Witty and the battery all fit in:

https://core-electronics.com.au/pi-hut-modular-raspberry-pi-4-case-black.html

2 of these spacers to make the case high enough (one spacer isn’t enough):

https://core-electronics.com.au/modmypi-modular-rpi-2-case-10mm-spacer-black.html

This header from Jaycar so that the Witty fits on the Pi:

https://www.jaycar.com.au/stackable-header-for-raspberry-pi/p/HM3228

The header fits, it is just quite high which is I think a good thing because it provides more space for air circulation around the raspberry Pi CPU because the high header means that the Witty UPS and it’s battery sit up higher, giving a bit more breathing space for the Pi CPU.

I wanted to check if people here think this setup (as shown in the photos) with this header is fine.

That was my first question.

My other question is in regards to how to connect the power supply to the Raspberry Pi 4 once the UPS is connected to the battery.

The Witty didn’t come with a manual and when I went to the website of the QR code which was on the witty packaging, it also didn’t show clearly how to connect the power. I’m just unsure because the Witty has its own USB C port.

I found a detailed manual for the Witty online here(but unsure if this is the correct manual for that Witty model):

https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-files/5705/WittyPi4L3V7_UserManual.pdf

In the section explaining the setup for all raspberry pi models except the model zero it says on page 11 (see where arrow points in screenshot) this manual states in bold and red writing :

“Please do not connect power supply to the Raspberry Pi directly because Witty Pi will power your Raspberry Pi via the GPIO header and that is how it performs the Power Management.”

However, this doesn’t make sense to me because this would mean I would have to bring the USB C cable from the power adaptor INSIDE the Raspberry Pi case and there is no opening big enough.

So my 2 questions are basically:

1. Is my current setup for the Witty with the header shown in the photos correct?

2. Can someone provide the link to the correct Witty Pi 4 L3V7 setup manual or tell me if I need to connect the power supply to the raspberry pi 4 OR to the Witty Pi 4 L3V7?

Thank you very much for all your efforts and help, it is really much appreciated! :+1:

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Firstly, the stacking header is to allow a stack of HAT boards by connecting another HAT to be placed on top of your Witty HAT. The manual has a couple of photos showing how it should be connected.
Specifically you should have the pins coming through and sticking out above the Witty board. It looks as though that would still allow airflow around the CPU. This may also mean that you don’t need so many spacers.

Secondly do NOT connect power to the Raspberry Pi’s power socket. Instead connect power to the Witty’s USB socket, and the Witty will supply power to the Raspberry Pi through the GPIO connector.
The Pi Hutt modular Case is not designed specifically for Witty Pi, so I would be very surprised if it did have a hole at the appropriate place for a USB cable going to the Witty Pi. Sorry, but I think you are going to have to mangle the case or a spacer to make an opening.

The Witty Pi is made by uugear, and their Witty Pi L3v7 page has lots of useful info and a link to the manual (v1.03). Core Electronics Witty pi L3v7 page has a link to v1.02 of the same manual.

Hope this helps.

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Hi Donald!
Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I now know that I was looking at the correct manual. So in regards to the case I have, do you know if there is another case on the market which would suit the Witty Pi 4 better (where I don’t have to cut a hole in the case to put the USB-C cable inside to plug it in the Witty Pi 4)?

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Sorry Roman, but there are many RasPi cases on the market, and I haven’t done anything with Raspberry Pi for some time so not up-to-date.

Since it is made by uugear I would suggest you go to their website, their Forum and (making sure you click on the magnifying glass for the forum), search for keywords like “L3V7 case”

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Hi Donald,
Thank you for this advice, I will do that.
Thanks to your tips with the manual my Witty Pi 4 is now working fine, I sorted out all the interface issues with the manual and Claude AI helped me a lot too to give me the right commands. I cut a small hole in one of the 2 spacers to feed the usb-c cable through which also provides a bit more ventilation to the Pi. I tested it with the power supply pulled out for 1 hour and it was getting power from the battery, so really happy!!

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