Raspberry Pi help.
-
Hi all. First off, let me start by saying that I will not be adding all my system/version info required in this post, because I have a simple question that will not need that info (i think?). OK.
Does, or has anyone ever used an external hard drive for large volumes of games, and emulators for Retropie?
I ask this, because I feel that little computer in the pi is carrying way too much on that small sd card. Overheating is an
issue I have seen a lot. I was transferring games via my network, and I guess all the working started making it hot. I was
getting the thermometer icon on top of the screen. So, is this something that is possible? I am now building a full size
cabinet, and i want it to run smooth. Thanks.And yes, I know heat sinks and fans will help. I was just looking for info on taking the stress off of the pi's mini sd card drive.
-
Is it your SD card that's getting hot?!
If that's the case, there's probably something wrong with it. My 8GB SD card is jam packed and remains at room temperature.
-
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Running-ROMs-from-a-USB-drive
For my setup I purchased a USB jump drive with 64GB on it. This way you can just plug the drive into your pc for transfering roms, scraping and such. Process is much faster and in case my sd-card gets corrupted I have all my roms, gamelist and music on my usb drive. Currently I only use my sd card for Retropie installation and themes.
-
If you are worried about overheating, I wouldn't necessarily be. The PI will thermal throttle if I'm not mistaken to avoid processor damage. I've always used SD cards exclusively 16gig-200gig (over 30) and never had an issue with them overheating. I've only corrupted one and that was my fault.
-
@bobbycopter Nice. Thanks.
-
@RoswellWitness i have a heatsink on mine (no fan) and i have never seen the overheating symbol.
-
@GtBFilms Mine does it too when doing long transfer sessions like setting up a fresh image. I'm good for about 7gb after which point I start getting the thermometer icon and throttling.
-
I don't think changing your SD to a hard drive will solve anything. I'd be surprised if an SD card generated much heat at all. I'm guessing that most of your heat is generated from another source and you probably aren't dissipating it properly.
-
@IronAvocado Yeah. That's when I started noticing it. When I was transferring roms via my network. I am still getting a fan for it. It is in a tight area.
-
@RoswellWitness if you are experiencing overheating, then I'd probably put a heatsink and/or fan combo (this way you don't cause your pi to underclock). If you have a good heatsink, you more than likely won't need a fan. If you decide on just a heatsink, I'd stay away from the really small ones. Most people report that they do little to help.
When looking for a good heatsink, the more surface area to air that it has, the better it will work (this is why heatsinks typically have fins). I've heard people mention the flirc case here as a solid option. The reason for this is that the upper half of the case is the heatsink, so there is a good amount of surface area exposed to air (at least as far as I can tell that's the reason.
Another thing to consider is ventilation of the case. is the heat getting trapped inside, or is it allowed to leave the case?
Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.
Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.