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2014-07-15, 07:46
(This post was last modified: 2014-07-15, 07:47 by Ned Scott.)
I bought 6 of them from MCMElectronics in the US, in order to get free shipping (orders over $200). At the time (sunday night) they only had the 8GB noobs SD card bundle available, but I found a 15% coupon online by searching google, so the price per Pi was only $34. I figure I'll keep one and then sell the others on ebay for $40, which is what they cost without coupon, and pays for the one I keep :D
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Power supply of the B+?
I am wondering if the improved power supply (switching circuit) handles the 5V line in addition to the lower supply voltages?
The B is very sensitive to voltage drops in the cable from the power supply to the Pi, especially for the Ethernet subsystem and it has been a major PITA for me when using Pi. Over-the-counter micro-USB cables are often lacking in wire area leading to the actual voltage on the pi end being just 4.6V or even lower when using a PSU that actually delivers 5V or above. All due to the cable, but hard for a normal user to know when buying one.
So it would be a great improvement of B+ if they have addressed this higher voltage issue as well.
Is there any indication of an input voltage range that will make the Pi guaranteed to work?
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The power LED goes out when voltage drops below about 4.65V so it's easy to diagnose a bad power supply.
The ~30% less power usage means some borderline supplies become usable.