The EE mobile phone network in the UK is offering its customers a free USB rechargeable battery pack. As I’ve tested plenty of power banks in previous posts I’d thought I would see how long it could run a Raspberry Pi for.
The device itself has a stated capacity of 2600mAh which is just enough to full charge the average smartphone. It comes with a short USB cable which is intended to charge your phone or to charge the device itself from your existing wall charger.
In this case I used to connect to the Pi’s microUSB power connector.
I decided to try a Model B+ and a Pi 2 Model B. The Pi Power Estimator app on Android estimated the runtime to be approximately 7 hours.
Here are the results :
| Device | Estimate | Actual |
| Model B+ | 06:32 to 08:11 | 6 hrs 50 mins |
| Pi 2 Model B | 05:48 to 07:15 | 6 hrs 20 mins |
The details of the EE Power Bar offer are on the official EE Power Bar web page. It applies to EE, Orange and T-Mobile customers on both pay monthly and pay-as-you-go.
If your battery has run out you can pop into a store and they will swap it for a fully charged one.
EE state the battery is worth £20 but the reality is you can get similar products for £5-£10. The only cost for me was 35p for the initial text message so this really is a bargain for anyone who is already a customer.
4 Comments
Thanks for this this is exactly what I was looking for when googling Raspberry Pi 2600mah!
i am not from the UK. The device interest me, but i cant seem to find anything about ampere on the model you are testing. i own a raspberry pi 2.
The EE power bar has a capacity of 2600mAh with an output rating of 5V/1A.
http://ee.co.uk/power-bar-recall