Hi crew! I just wanted to check if it is fine to put 2 headers and 4 spacers on the raspberry pi 4 (8GB RAM) with the Witty Pi 4 (for UPS functionality) ? The reason i want to do this is that this would allow me to put the Battery for the Witty Pi 4 outside of the case and it woud not sit on top of the Witty Pi 4 and obstruct the air hole at the top of the plastic modular case. Please let me know if this setup would be fine or if you think there are any issues with this. Thank you.
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Hi @Roman301231,
Could I just clarify what you mean real quick when you say spacers are you referring to stand-offs for the HATs?
As for the Headers, you can get extra tall headers that will allow you to stack HATs on top of each other. You just need to be careful that the pins being used by each HAT aren’t going to overlap or you might need to do some configuring to get it working.
As for whether it would work with the case, I would need to see the case to know for certain. Could you send through an image or a link to the case that you are using?
Hi Jane!
Thank you for your reply.
I mean these spacers:
https://core-electronics.com.au/modmypi-modular-rpi-2-case-10mm-spacer-black.html
and this is the case that I got ( I already have 2 of the above spacers currently).:
https://core-electronics.com.au/pi-hut-modular-raspberry-pi-4-case-black.html
This is the header that I already have (which is already quite tall):
So to be able to put the Witty Pi 4 battery outside of that modular case, I would need another one of the same headers as above (in the jaycar link) or one extra tall header which is as tall as two of the above headers. Plus I would need another 2 spacers to make the modular case high enough. Then, with the Witty Pi 4 battery being outside it would provide plenty of air circulation around the top of the case (see link above) and the Witty Pi 4 battery won’t obstruct the ventilation holes of the case.
So you mean I could get an extra tall header which would then mean instead of using a second header, I take off the first header and just put on the extra tall header? I had a look online but I cannot find any header to fit the raspberry pi4 which is taller then the one in the jaycar link above…perhaps you can share a link or website where i can buy such an extra tall header?
Thank you!
Hi again Jane,
I just saw your link to the header. With that height of the header I would still need 2 of those headers (from your link) to be able to put the Witty Pi 4 battery outside of the case. Would that be ok to stack 2 headers on top of each other and then have the Witty Pi 4 on top, so on the second header?
Hi @Roman301249,
My only real concern with this approach would just be providing enough standoffs to keep the Witty stable.
There should not be any issue with using multiple stackable headers. I’ve had multiple HATs stacked on top of each other and they have all worked fine.
Hi Jane,
Thank you for that -yes, keeping it stable is maybe an issue. I might have to put some stabilising plastic brackets in with some hot glue where the “unsupported” parts of the Witty Pi 4 can then rest on. Good to hear that otherwise there should not be any issue with that idea.
Even though, the CPU temperature of the raspberry pi 4 had never gone above 49 degrees Celsius. The AI said that a temperature below 60 degrees C is totally fine for the Raspberry Pi 4. So perhaps it might be fine to leave the setup as it is with the battery sitting on the Witty Pi 4. What are your thoughts?
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Generally most CPUs can handle temperatures up to 70 degrees and even 80 degrees for short periods of time. The Raspberry Pi won’t start throttling until 85 degrees Celsius.
Obviously cooler temperatures are better but if the battery being inside vs outside is not going to meaningfully make a difference to temperature.
Now, if you were going to use that extra space to install some passive or active cooling devices, that might be a different story.
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Thank you for your help, Jane!
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