Sorry if the system information is vague I have the Raspberry pi 3 and I’m just thinking about the fact that this doesn’t natively come with a cooler but if I want it to run things like networked lights, being able to start my networked PC etc. it really needs to be always on. As it doesn’t have any native cooling I was wondering how hot it would get, whethe it would be safe to have always-on and what steps could be taken to mitigate it (I know that there are cooling systems available for the Rasp-Pi but I also know that small fans can be noisy).
Are there any other solutions to them being hot or do they run a lot cooler than I’d imagine?
Raspi clocks down automatically when the CPU temp is reaching 80°C.
I have alot of services and rules running, and never had problems.
My RAM is about 50% most of the time and my CPU Temp is about at 45°C.
So don’t worry
But you can, of course, use a GPIO fan if you want, they’re quite cheap!
You can monitor the temperature with the systemInfo binding.
The raspberry pi runs up to 80c if my memory serves me right and then the system will shutdown.
I have several of them running all the time without cooling and the warmest one gets is about 45c.
A simple aluminium radiator glue to the processor with heat conductive tape should be more than enough.
The cooling kits for raspberry pis IMHO are just a gimmick unless you plan to overclock the little beast to death.
If your interested, you might be able to cycle the fan using a few rules with the GPIO and SystemInfo binding. I assume it’s a 5v fan so a simple transistor circuit may be need to for switching.
Thanks everyone. From what’s said I’ll just go with running my usual Pi setup, if I get worried about the heat at a later date I can always re-case it.
