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I want to make my device portable and looking for portable power. I read in the specification that my Raspberry Pi 2 Model B needs 5v and 1.8A output for work. I have a number of power banks that have next outputs: 5v and 1A, 5v and 1.5A and can buy 5v and 2A or 5v and 2.1A. But I can't find 5v and 1.8A. Powerbank with which output is better for my Raspberry Pi 2 Model B? Is it enough my 5v and 1.5A or I have to buy more?

RredCat
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  • If the Pi2 Model B need 5V and 1.8A to work then anything less than that will not work. Luckily for you the Pi2 Model B does not need 1.8A to work. You need to look up volts and amps to understand what they mean. – joan Jan 04 '16 at 21:06
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    Maybe this helps your decision http://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/q/39255/19949 The Pi alone is not going to use 1.8A and the expected uptime of the system is very important to consider wrt the capacity of the power bank. – Ghanima Jan 04 '16 at 21:10
  • The amperage does not have to match an exact number. But the voltage must. The worst that will happen if you do not have enough amps is it won't go on. So for the 5V packs, just plug it in and see. 1.5 A should certainly be enough. – goldilocks Jan 04 '16 at 21:18

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As others have mentioned, you only need the right voltage (4.75v to 5.25v), but you need the right amperage for your workload. For example, I recommend getting a power supply rated 2A and above for heavy computation and an external hard drive. A phone charger rated for 1A or a bit lower will be sufficient for a Pi monitoring temperature around the house.

The Pi will only draw the current it needs, so a high-amperage power supply is not really a problem.

Aloha
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