AQEX qUPS-P-SC-1.3 supercap UPS HAT @Raspberry Pi

What is it?

Power outages are no longer a threat. The qUPS-P-SC can handle short interruptions without an unexpected stop. For extended outages, it provides the critical time your Raspberry Pi needs for a graceful shutdown. Long-lasting, maintenance-free, environmentally friendly. Operates reliably across a wide temperature range.

Why did you make it?

To create a UPS solution for Raspberry Pi or compatible product, which is durable, has low carbon footprint, and can be used in harsch environment. As the battery is the bottleneck of the tradional UPS solutions for these requirements, we have chosen SuperCapacitor for energy storage. It has extra high charge cycle rate, and wide operational temperature range. It is much greener product.

What makes it special?

Flexible and easy to use UPS for future proof and sustainable solutions. It can handle attached projects, which require customization.

Industrial Ultra-High Capacity Supercapacitor UPS for Raspberry Pi

Official Product Page: https://aqex.eu/qups-p-sc-raspberry-pi-ups-hat-with-supercapacitor.html

1. Product Concept & Strategic Advantages

The qUPS-P-SC is a professional-grade, battery-less power protection solution engineered for the most demanding Raspberry Pi applications. In industrial environments, traditional battery-based UPS systems represent a significant failure point due to limited cycle life, chemical degradation, and extreme thermal sensitivity.

The qUPS-P-SC eliminates these risks by utilizing a massive 100F - 120F supercapacitor array, offering a virtually unlimited cycle life (>500,000) and maintenance-free operation for over a decade. Whether deployed in remote IoT gateways, edge computing nodes, or outdoor automation controllers, the qUPS-P-SC ensures data integrity through intelligent power-loss detection and automated safe shutdown procedures. Its wide operating temperature range (-40°C to +65°C) and robust Offline topology make it the definitive choice for mission-critical infrastructure where downtime or filesystem corruption is not an option.

2. Comprehensive Technical Specifications

Design Note: The Offline topology ensures almost zero power loss and heat generation during standard operation. A momentary (<1ms) voltage transient occurs during power failure; however, the Raspberry Pi's internal regulation easily filters this, ensuring zero system instability or reboot.

3. GPIO Communication & DIP Switch Setup

The qUPS-P-SC features a flexible GPIO Bank Selection system via onboard B1-B2 DIP switches (2) to prevent hardware conflicts with other HATs or peripherals.

• PFO (Power Fail Out): HIGH = External Power OK / LOW = Backup Mode active.
• LIM (Limit): Signals that the capacitor energy has reached a critical low threshold.
• SHD (Shutdown): Command from RPi to UPS. Pull LOW after OS halt to cut output power.

4. Control & Runtime Optimization

Input Level Threshold Adjustment (Potmeter):

Tune the exact voltage point where the UPS triggers the transition from external power to supercapacitor backup. This is critical for:

• Long Input Cables: Compensating for voltage drops (IR drop) in industrial wiring.
• Weak Power Sources: Preventing premature switching during minor voltage ripples.

Adjustable Detection Thresholds (DIP)

A precision potentiometer allows for manual calibration of power-fail detection and switching levels. This empowers engineers to:

• Maximize Backup Time: Fine-tune the "empty" threshold to extract every joule of stored energy.
• Compensate for Voltage Drop: Adjust for resistive losses in long or thin input cables.
• Filter Power Noise: Prevent false triggers during the high-current bursts typical of Raspberry Pi 5.

Visual Diagnostics (LED Group)

5. Intelligent Power Management (IPM)

• Safe-Start Logic: Prevents the Pi from booting until the energy level reaches the "High" (Green LED) threshold.
• Anti-Reboot Loop: Actively prevents "zombie" restart cycles during brownouts or low-energy states.
• Shutdown Guard: Ensures the OS halt process completes even if external power returns mid-process, preventing filesystem corruption.

6. Operational Dynamics & Runtime (120F)

*Note: Final runtimes can be significantly extended via user-calibrated threshold settings and software optimization.

7. Scalability & Software Support

• Modular Expansion: Supports qUPS-P-EX extender modules (EX450, EX900, EX1700) via the dedicated capacity interface.
• Software Support: Native C++/Python qups-guard daemon for background monitoring and automated safe shutdown.
• Repository: github.com/aqexhu/qups-guard

HW Version: 1.3 | Released: 2024
Manufacturer: AQEX Electronics | aqex.eu