Retroflag NESPi case Lightning bolt/Undervoltage warning Easy fix! Mackertop 3Amp Power brick!
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So for those not aware, the company Retroflag released what, in my opinion, is one of THE best Raspberry Pi cases ever! It's basically a near perfect replica of the NES Classic. In terms of looks, plastic quality and features, it's pretty High-Quality. I've even had some friends over that were fooled thinking it was an NES Classic, until they looked closer and saw the Retroflag logo.
Problem is, this case is also pretty infamous for it's pesky Lightning Bolt/Undervoltage warnings. The theory being that, the wiring used in it's construction isn't up to spec to carry the power needed for the Pi. Not sure how much truth there is to this.
Long story short, back when i first bought this case a year ago, i was still in the process of building my own personal, glorious Recalbox image. A project i recently completed and now it's time to get down to the gaming, right? Wrong. Constant undervoltage warnings no matter what i do, and Pi throttling CPU power back, neutering my gameplay experience. I thought maybe i had a defective Canakit 2.5A power brick and heard others fixing this problem, simply by buying a stronger power supply.
(3) different power bricks later, two of which were 3Amps or over. Failed. Just when i was ready to chuck this case in the garbage, i came across the Mackertop 3Amp power brick on amazon and numerous reviews saying it fixes the lightning bolt icon. So i gave it a shot and Perfect! Undervoltage warnings GONE. Even when overclocking to the max 1375Mhz in Recalbox. Better yet, i tried loading and playing back stuff on an External Western digital hard drive that is powered entirely through USB port. Handled it like a champ! No undervoltage warnings or CPU speed throttling, even when overclocking and using a USB powered hard drive.
Just a heads up for my Fellow NESPi fans. Here is the Amazon link for the Mackertop 3Amp power brick i'm using:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KV11CAE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3FP44VCEWOMG8&psc=1
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@skullgrin
Since last year Retroflag release the NespiCase +, that corrected the yellow lightning.
So, there's no need to buy a new power supply.
However it's recommanded to use a 3A one because it can even help to run better some heavy games.
Anyway, thank you for you feedback and have fun !
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@gaetan
Actually back when the NESPi Plus case got released, someone asked Retroflag on amazon if this was fixed and they said no. Here's the link to their response: https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/TxEZFY5OPS4O8Q/ref=ask_dp_dpmw_al_hzaBesides, even if it was fixed? By that point there were a zillion owners of the original NESPi like myself that didn't want to throw out perfectly fine cases if there was an easy fix.
Also i may be alone in this but, i were experiencing the undervoltage problem even back when i had a more conventional case, that plugged in directly (although not nearly as severe as when i had the NESPi case). That's why i thought my first Canakit 2.5Amp Power Supply might've been defective. This pesky undervoltage issue is so common, even among non-NESPi owners, that i'm thinking its a design flaw with the Raspberry PI 3 itself.
One of the new features of the Raspberry Pi 3B+ that caught my eye, is it's supposed to have an "improved power management" system. Although i don't own a Pi3B+ yet so i can't check for myself to see how it performs.
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Darn. I see now i accidentally posted this in the wrong area. It should have been in the "discoveries" section. So i just reposted it there. And was looking to delete this topic afterwards but, can't because it already has replies. Mods, help me out here! lol.
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@skullgrin do not create duplicate topics, otherwise it will be considered spam.
Topics can be moved.
