The Raspberry Pi 5 finally launched towards the end of 2023, and the upgraded SBC is flying off the shelves. If you’re rushing to pick up the new Raspberry Pi 5, don’t skimp on the accessories that can help you get the most out of your Pi.
Let’s take a look at eight Raspberry Pi 5 accessories that can help you unleash the full potential of your mini-computer.
1.27W USB-C Power Supply
The Raspberry Pi company has released a new 27W USB-C power supply capable of supplying enough power to keep the Pi running smoothly, even when connected to high-power peripherals such as hard and solid-state drives.
This new power supply can also be used to power other USB-C Power Delivery-compliant devices due to the presence of other built-in power profiles such as 9V, 3A; 12V, 2.25A; and 15V, 1.8A, all limited to a maximum of 27W.
The official power supply is currently available for sale or pre-order from all approved retailers for about $10. If you would rather not get a new power supply, you can use your old Pi 4 power adapter as long asyour power demand remains minimal.
2.Raspberry Pi 5 Case
The Raspberry Pi 5 remains in the credit-card factor of previous Pis but has a slightly tweaked port and interface arrangement that renders oldRaspberry Pi 4 casesincompatible. The all-new case for the Raspberry Pi 5 is priced at $10 and uses the same color scheme as the official Raspberry Pi 4 case.
It offers some usability and heat management improvements over its predecessor, such as an integrated cooling fan assembly and a modular, four-part design that makes it stackable and allows HATs to be mounted on top of the fan assembly using standoffs and header extenders.
3.A Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler
The Raspberry Pi 5 has a much more powerful processor than the Raspberry Pi 4 but still doesn’t require active cooling for normal workloads. According to theRaspberry Piwebsite, the Raspberry Pi 5 will run cooler than a similarly loaded Raspberry Pi 4 under typical loads. Also, a throttled Raspberry Pi 5 will still run faster than a Raspberry Pi 4!
However, running heavy loads for extended periods may lead to throttling as the processor’s speeds are limited to prevent excess heat. In this case, you will need to get an active cooler for the Raspberry Pi 5. Luckily, Raspberry Pi has an official, dedicated cooling solution for the Pi 5.
The official Active Cooler is a clip-on, anodized aluminum heatsink combined with a temperature-controlled blower fan, and it has pre-applied thermal pads for heat transfer. Two spring-loaded push pins are on the Raspberry Pi 5 for mounting the cooling fan. The cooling fan is available for $5 and is much better suited for overclocking than the case fan due to its superior cooling performance.
4.External Sound Card
Sacrifices had to be made to retain the credit card factor of the main Raspberry Pi line, and the headphone jack was a key one. It will scarcely be missed, though, as it never was one of the Raspberry Pi’s shining features. Audio signals are processed via pulse width modulation in the Raspberry Pi 4, making the jack prone to noise and distortion and unlikely to output high-quality audio.
With the headphone jack gone, there is more reason to buy an external sound card to output audio from the board. you’re able to opt for a USB DAC or a DAC HAT connected to the 40-pin GPIO header. Raspberry Pi sells its own DAC board known as Raspberry Pi DAC Pro (formerly IQaudio DAC Pro), featured in our list of thebest HATs and add-on boards for your Raspberry Pi.
There are still pads on the board to output composite video, and HDMI audio is an alternative to an external DAC.
5. Raspberry Pi 5 PoE+ HAT
Power over Ethernetallows you to power your Raspberry Pi 5 and provide network connectivity over a single Ethernet cable. It simplifies cabling and is particularly useful for remote industrial applications. To use Power over Ethernet, your Ethernet connection must have power-sourcing equipment installed. The PoE HAT takes the voltage from the Ethernet cable, around 48V, and converts it into 5V, which the Raspberry Pi can use.
The PoE+ HAT incorporates a planar transformer in the PCB layout and uses an optimized flyback converter design to maintain high efficiency across the entire output power range from 0W to 25W. The PoE+ HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 will be available in early 2024.
6. Official M.2 HATs
Early reviewers of the Raspberry Pi 5 have noted the single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface, the first of its kind, on the board with great glee. PCIe will enhance the storage capabilities of the Raspberry Pi, allowing for the connection of M.2 Solid State Drives (SSDs) for faster data access and storage. This can be useful for building a NAS or a high-performance server.
The PCIe interface is exposed via an FPC connector rather than a slot, so you’ll need either one of the M.2 HATs set to be released in early 2024. These adapter boards will convert between the connector and a subset of the M.2 standard, allowing users to attach NVMe SSDs and other high-speed peripherals.
7.Official Camera and Display Cables
The Raspberry Pi 5 comes with two 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers that you can use to connect either two CSI cameras or two DSI displays or one of each. You can’t connect your Raspberry Pi 5 to a Raspberry Pi camera module using your old ribbon cables as it uses smaller MIPI connectors.
There are two different cables as well as a dual-purpose one that can be used to connect cameras and displays to the Raspberry Pi 5, and they are available in lengths of 200mm, 300mm, and 500mm for $1, $2, and $3, respectively.
8.RTC Battery
The Raspberry Pi 5 has also become the first ever Raspberry Pi to feature an onboard real-time clock module. This paves the way for different applications such as remote monitoring projects, clock projects, and other precise timing projects. The real-time clock can be powered by either an external supercapacitor or a rechargeable lithium-manganese coin cell battery.
Raspberry Pi sells a Panasonic LMO coin cell with a two-pin JST plug and an adhesive mounting pad for just $5.
Your Raspberry Pi 5 Can Be Even Better With the Right Accessories
The Raspberry Pi 5 can now be purchased directly from certified retailers, starting at $60 for the 4GB model. The above accessories can help you unlock the full potential of your Raspberry Pi 5, whether it’s for improved performance, protection, connectivity, or functionality.
