My project aims to run a COMPACT and portable OpenCV object tracker, linked to a motor driver, 2600mAh 3.7V battery booster/charger, driver and single motor for about 30 to 60 mins. I have estimated the power specs of your relevant components as follows: Pi3B+ 500mA, Camera V2-8 250mA, motor driver (internal)?, mini gear motor - idle 80mA to stall (rare) 800mA, 3.7V to 5V step up booster loss 100mA. So I estimate the total consumption to be 1-2A.
This is my first Pi project, will your Small Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo SKU: CE05825 be able to set up my Pi with your Pi Foundation PiTFT - 7" Touchscreen Display for Raspberry Pi SKU: CE04459?
Would your type 18650 3.7V 2600mAh battery be sufficient for this project?
My Python-OpenCV object tracker currently runs on a 2009 Asus laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 with NVIDIA GeForce G 102M 512 MB) at 230 fps. What do you guess the fps will be on the Pi3B+? (I am hoping for 20 fps)
First off, what a cool sounding project! You can use any standard keyboard and mouse with a Pi (ours included). They should all âjust workâ, just like on a normal PC. I think that you will find that the Pi 3B+ takes about 1.2A to run, and the touchscreen display about 1A. That battery is much too small for this project, some mental math sees this being able to power your device for 30-45 minutes.
I recommend the Powerboost 1000 charger, and this battery:
The PowerBoost may stuggle for the top-end of this project (but should be fine given it can go up to 2-2.5Amp), another idea that comes to mind is to use a JBHiFi-type phone battery pack, but something that supports up to 2.5Amps. Most of them will âchargeâ and âdrainâ at the same time, but some donât (so itâs worth getting that cleared up before you buy)
Thanks for your advice, your 6000mAh battery size is bigger than I hoped for, so I will first try 2x 2600 mAh in parallel. I suppose I will have to experiment with battery size vs life.
And it seems that I will also have to experiment with CPU speed and algorithm vs fps to see if this project is feasible. I will let you know how it goes; I do not have experience in electronics or computer vision!
If you connect two lipo batteries in parallel, they must be equally charged when connecting or it will suddenly discharge one of the cells. You will also not be able to charge them when wired in parallel, they will need to be charged separately or the cells could become become imbalanced/overcharged which could destroy your batteries or cause a fire.
Further to your advice in April about using the Powerboost to run just a Pi 3b+ plus a camera, it seems the 1000C cannot convert enough current. I donât have the space for a JBHiFi-type phone battery pack. I have now ordered the 1000 Basic and the Pololu U3V50F5 (unfortunately without charger) in the hope these will suffice. Any other ideas?
