Overclocking P3 B+ with ControlBlock

[nh81]

Does anyone have experience in overclocking the Pi3 B+ with ControlBlock (rev2) installed on top? Is overheating and throttling a problem?

If necessary to connect the ControlBlock away from the Pi what kind of wiring solution (connectors) would be the best?

Old post asking the same without any resolution: Re: Overclock with Controlblock

What did you end up doing @SuperPitendo and @m2306 ?

Thanks!

[petrockblog]

If you need to connect the ControlBlock away from the Pi I have recently released the ExtensionBlock, a GPIO extension add-on board that maybe might be of interest for you.

[nh81]

@petrockblog Thanks mate! But I've already bought the ControlBlock since it offers everything I need for a 2 player arcade button + joystick setup.

Can you please confirm that I can connect it to the Pi with 2x13 jumper wires such as these?

Thanks!

[petrockblog]

No probs :-) Yes, that should also do it.

[nh81]

@petrockblog Perfect :) Thank you for the fast replies!

[m2306]

I can’t get to my Pi now and wont have time to test for some time. Here’s what I can tell you atm. I overclocked as much as I could but it was less than many others say they can get out of their Pi. I have small heatsinks inbetween the the Pi and the controlblock. I haven’t played the most demanding stuff for long periods of time and I’m not forcing overclock but I have never had issues with heat.

[nh81]

@m2306 Thank you for the info!

[SuperPitendo]

Hey @nh81 :)

I havent touched my pi since a year cause my setup is finished (for the moment) and now I am focused on my gamelists :)
But I give my best and try to recreate as much as I can.

Pi 3 B+ heat issues
Overclocking is useless, if the pi heats up to high and starts throttling. A known issue of the Pi3b+ is that it gets pretty fast a high temperature. You can set a higher value but beware of overheating damage.

Go to:
/boot/config.txt
Add code:
temp_soft_limit=73
(Default temp_soft_limit is 60)

Overclock settings
After some frustration and a lot of tries :D I think the following code was good.
(I have a text file with 2 overclock settings. I cant remember wich is the better... but I this code worked...)

arm_freq=1500
gpu_freq=500
core_freq=500
sdram_freq=500
sdram_schmoo=0x02000020
over_voltage=6
sdram_over_voltage=2

Actually anything should work fine but there is the biggest issue (in my case) and it depends on your build.

The heatsink system
I love the active/passive-dual fan cooling system but it doesnt fit between the pi and controlblock. I used the dual fan heatsink already before I used the controlblock, so I took away the fans and just used the passive heatsink. At least it is a lot bigger than the regular passive heatsinks you can buy.
Like @petrockblog said, check out his "ExtensionBlock". Looks like this allows you to have the controlblock attached and having space for a big cooling system.

Sadly it is not a solution for me... I have not the space for adding the ExtensionBlock. Take a look at my build. Maybe it will fit in the upper right corner, where my pidrive is. But due to the space/fan-issues I quit the overclock project.

Another issue I ran into was the power consuption. Anything that you plug in to your pi has an impact on your currency. As you can see on the picture. I have an extension cable between the power cable and the pi and also I use the pidrive (but for this I build in an I/O switch, cause I just use it if I wanna watch my fave movies).

I hope this was helpful for you.

[nh81]

@SuperPitendo Thank you so much for all the info and effort. Much appreciated!