Silicognition LLC

1,762 orders since Jan 07, 2015

Longmont, CO, United States of America

Ships from United States of America.

Custom Work Available

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Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.84)

Documentation: (4.55)

Shipping: (4.73)

Communication: (4.75)

All Reviews

Chase | June 2, 2017

Great product

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I needed a product like this for a Raspberry Pi arcade cabinet. I wanted to be able to flip a switch and turn off the monitor, speakers, etc. without hard-powering the Pi down and potentially damaging the file system. It's super easy to set up and you can get it working in about 10 minutes.

Jean-Jacques | May 26, 2017

An effective power button and UPS

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Provides the two essential functions that are lacking in Raspberry Pi :
- Power button, a hardware to shutdown the Pi.
- UPS with safe shutdown when power is missing for too long time.
Very easy to install, very easy to setup.
I strongly suggest to buy a suitable case.

Nicolas | May 25, 2017

Very good :)

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

The device works great, doing exactly what is expected. Only a little stability problem: the battery is physically not holded enough. Might be improved in coming versions.

June | May 22, 2017

Base behavior a little weird, mechanical support not great

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Without the drivers installed, the base behavior of the addon board is a little weird -- literally no way to turn off the pi without the drivers installed. Additionally, the mechanical support of the addon board is very poor. It feels like the control board might easily break, and there's limited support for the battery enclosure to be anchored to the pi. Overall, though, it gets the job done, given you provide some form of additional mechanical support for the addon around the pi it's attached to (ie: the LiFePO4 Pi case).

Alan | April 21, 2017

This new version for the Pi3 works perfectly!

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I am using LiFePOwered Pi3 to provide uninterrupted power for a boat navigation system. Install of hardware and software was a snap, and the battery life is as advertised.

Great product!!

Thomas | April 12, 2017

Perfect Raspberry Pi 3 UPS

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Best Raspberry Pi 3 UPS I could find around the net. Most commercial Pi3 UPS systems use LiPo batteries which are not as safe as LiFePO4 batteries. Easy installation and good communication with the maker! Also reasonable shipping prices to Germany.

Raman | March 28, 2017

My application required special work...

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

The support however was amazing and helped me get there. I purchased to run this on LibreElec, that requires some tweaking so beware but it work well now. I'll be sharing my notes with the seller shortly and hopefully he can update his docs to help others.

Arthur | March 24, 2017

LiFePO4wered/Pi - excellent product

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

Patrick you have designed something really special here.

The LiFePO4wered/Pi was easy to install and configure with clear and concise documentation.

Its a shame I can't order a case from Marty as he doesn't ship to Australia.

I am close to having an acrylic case of my own designed. Will send you links soon.

Dj | March 24, 2017

Set it up, forget about it.

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

I got this to connect to my rpi zero security camera. Here where I live power goes out occasionally happened to corrupt my last security setup, so when I found this product I was pretty excited. The power has gone out a couple of times since I installed it, and from what I can tell it works perfect! I haven't had to turn my pi back on, and I haven't seen it offline, what more could you ask for?
Would buy again.

Daniel | March 20, 2017

An excellent power supply for an Rpi3

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I have been able to power my Rpi3 with a 7" touchscreen display and an Arduino Mega. Everything has been working very well. The unit's designer has been excellent to work with to handle questions I have had. I would definitely recommend to anyone needing rechargeable UPS for their Pi.

Nicolas | March 15, 2017

Excellent

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

Parfait pour tous les projets mobiles ( ou pas). Fini les corruptions de cartes Sd. Bravo et Merci.

Nicolas | March 15, 2017

Excellent

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Parfait pour tous les projets mobiles ( ou pas). Fini les corruptions de cartes Sd. Bravo et Merci.

Tim | March 9, 2017

Great product

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I bought the LiFePO4wered/Pi3 to use with a dash cam project for my car. I also bought the case available. Everything installed fine, but I found myself wishing for a little more concrete directions for how to install it right out of the box, and what to expect. Other than that it has worked very well. I took the small fan from my previous Pi case and installed it in the new case, running off the GPIO extender from the UPS with no problem. Very pleased.

D H | Feb. 28, 2017

generally pleased. will be buying another one

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

The physical mount would benefit from going all the way to the other end and hard mount to the hole on the rPi. At present it really hangs (and it does, heavy battery) off the top 8 GPIO pins and one mounting hole.

Don't let that stop you though, i merely glued a couple of stand offs to the battery casing.

Installation is quite easy, most n00bz shouldn't have any worries.

CREATE a .SH to do your configuration and put it on the OS SD card. Call it at boot time from /etc/rc.local. Its easy to do and if you balls up the config you can edit the file elsewhere, boot and reconfigure the board.

I did send them a request for defaults after i ballsed up one of the config settings (fixed as per above) but then i realised all the defaults are in the documentation. Still, i never received a response from the support email which was disappointing but ultimately...neh.

Response from Silicognition LLC | Feb. 28, 2017

Hi Hamish,

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get my response. I did answer your email on Feb 23, unfortunately Gmail has the nasty habit of throwing my emails in the spam folder. Not much I can do about it...

I'd also like to point out that the settings can be saved in flash so you don't really need to run a script at every boot.

Thanks for the review!
Patrick

Richard | Feb. 27, 2017

A great solution for a RPI UPS

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

It works well and does what they said. It does tie up I2C bus, which is a hassle if you want to use that. A header for the power connector would be nice for a remote switch.

Konrad | Feb. 23, 2017

Essential Raspberry Pi Add-on, great customer support!

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Looking for a compact and portable battery pack/power supply for my Raspi Pi's (3, Zero), i found this little gem.

On top of its compact size and focus on more safety (intrinsically safe material), it combines the UPS with a charger unit AND an on/off-button for safe shutdown. This three very useful functions combined in one compact, well thought unit makes the LiFePO4wered-Pi kind of unique.
I could not find anything like it on usual webshops for raspi-stuff.

I ordered the LiFePO4wered-Pi3 device for powering a Pi Zero, getting the well developed software (avail. on github) installed worked like a charm.
Shipping (foreign country) was done really fast and without any problems. The unit arrived packed safely.
Contact to the seller was perfect, even weeks after the buy.

Peter | Feb. 23, 2017

Great little UPS -plus- LiFePo4-charger -plus- on/off switch

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

Looking for a compact and portable battery pack/power supply for my Raspi Pi Zero, i found this little gem.

On top of its compact size and focus on more safety (intrinsically safe material), it combines the UPS with a charger unit AND an on/off-button for safe shutdown. This three very useful functions combined in one compact, well thought unit makes the LiFePO4wered-Pi kind of unique.
I could not find anything like it on usual webshops for raspi-stuff.

I ordered the LiFePO4wered-Pi device for powering a Pi Zero. I had some inquiries regarding the installation of the software, the seller/shopowner replied within hours and helped me to sort things out till the device worked. great contact and customer service.

Shipping (foreign country) was done really fast and without any problems. The unit was packed safely.

Mike | Feb. 17, 2017

Outstanding in every category.

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

This may be the best seller/product combo that I have dealt with for a very long time.
I don't think the seller could have performed better, I really don't.
Outstanding communication.
Shipped extremely quickly.
Extremely good documentation.
Hardware worked as described in every test I have done so far.
Software install was very easy, and each step worked as described.
I pride myself on be very critical of products and communication, and I will point out any good or bad points, so a better job is done next time.

Brendon | Jan. 27, 2017

The RPi product I've always wanted

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I was pretty excited to find this product on tindie since I've long been looking around for UPS options for a mobile RPi. This goes beyond my expectations with the software agent that supports clean shutdown.

It feels like a professional and complete product. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and so far no issues at all. Very happy and I've recommended it to colleagues.

My only suggestion is for the maker to offer companion cases - I would definitely have added some to my order. There is another maker on Tindie offering cases to house a Pi + LiFePO4wered but he doesn't ship to my country. For now I've hacksawed an existing case :)

Alastair | Jan. 19, 2017

Great UPS solution

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

Using it as a UPS on my Pi3 and it was a breeze to set up and it offers great backup for a system that should have resilience against flakey power

Alan | Jan. 10, 2017

An On/Off switch and No more corrupted filesystems...

For LiFePO4wered/Pi3

I have this hooked up to a Pi2 being used as my backup Flightaware ADSB receiver while evaluating it. As it works GREAT, I will shortly be getting another one to use on my main Pi2 receiver that is mounted outside the house. I really dislike it when I'm working on the house and turn off circuit breakers and accidentally suddenly power off my Pis, potentially corrupting their filesystems and creating more work - especially for the one I need a ladder to reach.

The LiFePO4wered/Pi3 works great. I did have to adjust some of the thresholds, as when running the ADSB software pulls enough power that out of the box it would go into "shutdown/reboot" cycles when I turned on autoboot and tested removing the power. So I just raised the "auto boot" threshold since I'm willing to wait a bit for more battery recharge after the power comes back on. With the Pi outside on a ladder, I'm more interested in reliability and predictability (not having to get out the ladder) than I am about availability (exactly how many minutes/year it is up). Especially since if I really lose power at the house, the switch and router will also lose power, so there isn't much point in the server(s) running.

Was easy to install the driver following the instructions, but it did take some work to figure out good thresholds for the auto-boot that would ensure the battery was recharged enough to avoid re-shutdown when the PI was drawing power, but not so high that it would never auto-boot. But a few practise runs with pulling the power and watching Vbat and we got there...

I'm rating "communication" as a 5, though I din't really have any communication.. but I din't need any so that's great, right?

Alastair | Dec. 28, 2016

Great concept, but not beefy enough for Pi3

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

Was going to use it on an ADS-B setup that I have running on a Pi Model 3 but it's not powerful enough to charge and run the Pi at the same time and then not useful as a UPS.

Stephen | Dec. 13, 2016

So Good I ordered more

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

This is a great enhancement for the Pi both with the touch button but also the ability to program and control based on power. It was so good I've ordered more along with the USB version for a couple of other projects

George | Nov. 28, 2016

Serious awesome sauce!

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

I needed a battery backup for a Raspberry PI that is being integrated into an All-Sky camera rig to watch meteor showers when I am sleeping. A Raspberry PI can corrupt it's SD card if it suffers a power failure without being shut down. So, I needed a UPS-like solution that would enable the camera to survive short outages and shutdown safely if the outage is longer term. The LiFePO4wered/PI covers all those bases and has the ability to start back up when the power resumes and the battery has enough charge to support being booted and shutdown immediately. (Like those cases where the power company tries to restore power and it fails. I live in the boonies, so power can be unreliable in bad weather.) The driver provides a lot of control over how the UPS features work. This is a well thought out product and works great.

Murphy | Nov. 24, 2016

Perfect little power supply

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

It installed, powered up, performed exactly as described. One thing to keep in mind. This works best on a pi zero. With a Raspberry Pi 3 version B running at 30% I found that the batter could not keep up with the demand. On a pi zero it works to perfection. Well worth the cost.

Doug | Oct. 27, 2016

Battery back-up for the Raspberry Pi plus

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

An excellent solution to power outage failures, the LiFePO4wered/Pi is great. Plus the off/on switch you need. Plug it onto your Pi and stop worrying. Excellent support if you need it.

Brian | Oct. 27, 2016

Worth purchasing

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

I have only one suggestion: make it easier to completely turn off the battery. If the device is attached but not being used or charged I'd like to be able to turn it off; like when it's going to disconnected for several days. Other than that, I like the device and will get at least 1 more.

Tone | Sept. 21, 2016

Great small Pi-UPS

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

It is compact and it does all it says it does :D
I found that those heatsinks are a must (maybe not in arctic environment :D )

Great product!

Earl | Sept. 19, 2016

Great product -- Solves a problem keeping Pi running

For LiFePO4wered/Pi

I have this in place on some home automation systems. Keeps things running across power outages, and brownouts. First simple, solid solution I've found. Works right out of the box. Very simple install. Tried other solutions, all were more complicated to set up, physically larger and fail to work in all cases. This one solves my problems nicely! Only issue is to find a case it will fit in.

Response from Silicognition LLC | Sept. 19, 2016

Thanks for the review Earl!
As for the case, I'm working on solutions for that. Another Tindier will hopefully be able to provide a case that fits the Pi with the LiFePO4wered/Pi soon! :)
You only gave 3 stars for documentation, any suggestions on what I should improve?

Michal | March 9, 2016

The only solution for LiFePO4 backup power

For LiFePO4wered/USB

My 2 LiFePO4wered units arrived quickly to Australia. It is good value for money, however the plastic 14500 (AA) battery holder is of poor quality. It is too small for the battery provided and will most likely brake after some use. It is not a huge concern to me as I was going to use a larger capacity cell anyway in my project. I am now testing the unit with a boost-buck 5V converter and solar cell to make a solar powered project. Keep in mind that LiFePO4 is the only lithium battery I would deploy outdoors in Australian conditions - LiPos or Li-ions are simply not safe and prone to overheating which could lead to explosion - not what you'd like! I have been exchanging emails with the maker and he is working on other versions so stay tuned!

Response from Silicognition LLC | Nov. 1, 2016

Thank you for the feedback Michal! I have not heard of any case where the battery holder actually broke, but I'm happy to let you know that I have since switched to a better holder that fits the cells very nicely.

Paul | Feb. 3, 2016

Excellent - convenient and power-efficient

For LiFePO4wered/USB

Excellent. Nicely convenient cell voltage at 3.3V means you often don't need a regulator to power MCUs, sensors, and other modules. That lack of regulator means even less power wasted on what is already quite an efficient cell arrangement. The 4-pin breakout header gives the cell terminals and also the D+/D- signal lines from the micro USB port, making this a convenient module to add USB support to your product that has an easy recharge ability there too.

I've already used several of this holder-based module, and I'm using some of the newer smaller solder-tag variant for situations where I don't need (or want) the removable cell. I've no doubt I'll continue to order many more in time...

Paul | Feb. 3, 2016

Excellent - convenient and power-efficient

For LiFePO4wered/USB with tabbed LiFePO4 cell

Excellent. Nicely convenient cell voltage at 3.3V means you often don't need a regulator to power MCUs, sensors, and other modules. That lack of regulator means even less power wasted on what is already quite an efficient cell arrangement. The 4-pin breakout header gives the cell terminals and also the D+/D- signal lines from the micro USB port, making this a convenient module to add USB support to your product that has an easy recharge ability there too.

I've already used several of the holder-based versions of this module, and I'm using more again of this now smaller variant for situations where I don't need (or want) the removable cell. I've no doubt I'll continue to order many more in time...

Paul | Sept. 18, 2015

Good product!

For LiFePO4wered/USB

Tested with an ESP8266 module and the battery lasts much longer than a standard LiPo battery. Voltage regulation is good and produces a smooth 3.3V consistently

Response from Silicognition LLC | Sept. 24, 2015

Thanks for the review Paul!
Looks like you thought the documentation was lacking, care to share what you'd like to see improved? Thanks! :)

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