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I recently won a raspberry pi, and decided to buy the Elecrow 7" touch and the 9 layer case for my raspberry pi. The case works great, and the fan runs without problems off of the 5v+ground GPIO pins. When I hook up the display, however, I get the lightning bolt low power icon in the corner of my screen. (The display uses HDMI for picture and a micro usb to usb cable for backlight). Is there a better way to hook the display up? I am using an iPad charger as the power source b/c it provides around 2 amps. What are my options?

If connecting the display to the GPIO pins is an option to fix this, would it be possible to also run the fan?

PS: To run the display, I added the following text to the end of my config.txt

max_usb_current=1
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=1
hdmi_mode=87
hdmi_cvt 1024 600 60 6 0 0 0

If it helps anything

Minebomber
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    It is NOT a "low power" icon, it is low voltage. I am surprised; I use Apple PS, and have found they are better than most. Before anything else I suggest you check your cable; most cables cause excessive voltage drop. See Raspberry Pi Power Limitations – Milliways Jun 02 '17 at 02:31
  • There is no point in max_usb_current=1 on a Pi3. This only works for Pi2. – Milliways Jun 02 '17 at 02:33
  • @Milliways I have one of these laying around. I am using a different thinner, cable. Could the linked one give me better results? I don't have access to an outlet right now, or I would test it – Minebomber Jun 02 '17 at 03:10

2 Answers2

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As I see it you have at least three options:

  1. get a better power supply,
  2. power the screen's backlight from a powered USB hub,
  3. you may be able to remove the fan (though you should monitor the temp both with and without the fan first, as some Pi's run warm especially when in a case).
Steve Robillard
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  • Which power supply do you recommend? I assume I would need the beefiest one there is. – Minebomber Jun 02 '17 at 02:03
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    Shopping recommendations are off topic here per the site's FAQ, but the Pi foundation makes one that meets the recommended spec for a Pi3 (2.5 amps and 5volt). – Steve Robillard Jun 02 '17 at 02:17
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UPDATE: I found a charger from my Xiaomi phone that provides 5v at 2 amps, and paired with a Motorola SKN6378A Micro USB Data Cable, it seems to function normally. It was just my power supply and cable. Thanks everyone!

For future users:

If you experience low voltage warnings, check you power supply (make sure it is at or above 2A), and check your cable. A thick, shorter one preforms better than an ultrathin long one.

Minebomber
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