The HAT

After a week of watching the postman pass our letterbox on his e-trike yesterday he finally stopped and delivered the Raspberry Pi Jan had ordered from the UK.  It was the final component for my latest Raspberry Pi 5 project.

A desktop computer has a motherboard.  When a sub-board is plugged into the motherboard the sub-board is usually called a daughterboard.  It's slightly different with a Raspberry Pi.  The added sub-board is referred to as a HAT (Hardware Added on Top).  

In my case the HAT is actually a "Bottom Board" and fits underneath the Raspberry Pi.  The new HAT will enable me to convert the Raspberry Pi storage from a micro SD Card to a NVMe storage module.  The latter is much faster and more reliable.

(Clockwise left to right) NVMe M.2 512GB storage module,  Raspberry PI 5 with heatsink and fan. NVMe Bottom Hat

I made several trial assemblies before being satisfied with the final configuration.

 

After starting the Raspberry Pi the operating system was transferred from the micro SD Card to the NVMe module.  Next, I needed to change the Boot configuration file to ensure the computer would boot from the new Bottom Hat.  Then the Raspberry Pi was then turned off, the micro SD Card removed, and the system restarted.  

Wow…. It is so much faster!

The plan is to use it  to replace the existing energy hungry desktop computer, which is our dedicated network media server. 

The current heatwave has meant each time there has been a slightly cooler day I've gone for a training bike ride.

 

I've been attempting to establish what distance I can potentially cycle with assistance from the lithium battery.  To date I've been able to cycle 80km using less than 50% of the battery capacity so I should be able to travel 160km with the 19Ah battery.   Yesterday I purchased a 40Ah battery from Aliexpress which will be delivered to the UK.  Based on my current experience it should be good for 360km or more.

The other outdoor tasking I've been working on is a modification to the sockets on the outback camper trailer.  There are four external Anderson sockets.  One on either side of the trailer as inputs for the portable solar panels.  The third is a 12V outlet and the fourth is the input for a 12V battery charger.  

When the sockets were initially installed I tried to complete the task "on the cheap" by just using the Anderson plugs.   This hasn't proved to be a successful as I want.  Despite me sealing the back of the plugs with silicon the fine Australian bulldust gets into the terminal area at the front.   I've now purchased four Anderson plug mounting enclosures in an effort to resolve the issue.

 

The task is taking longer than expected because I've discovered it's only comfortable to do the work early in the morning and just before dusk.  The rest of the time it's just too hot!