Hey everyone! I recently built a NAS using a Raspberry Pi 4, and I'm experiencing some issues with it rebooting unexpectedly during high CPU loads. The setup runs off a 19v laptop power supply, which I've divided into a 5v line and a 12v line with two XL4015 buck converters. They should technically handle the power needs since the supply can deliver up to 240w, but I still run into reboots, especially when the NAS does intense processing with a cloud photo storage solution I'm hosting. I've checked for undervoltage warnings, tried different power supplies, swapped out the buck converters, used thicker wires, and even did a clean OS install—but nothing has worked so far. I'm out of ideas and could really use any insight you might have into what could be going wrong. Thanks!
4 Answers
For what's it's worth, even though you're pretty set on power supplies, don’t overlook potential faulty wiring connections. Sometimes intermittent issues can arise from loose connections or poor soldering, which could cause reboots during heavy loads. Just food for thought!
Check if your XL4015s are the standard models or if they have a constant current option. If they have a current limit set below 5A, that could be why you're facing these issues. Regular ones without any limits might suit your needs better!
Have you thought about adding capacitors to your setup? The XL4015 boards are decent, but their capacitors can be a bit small for handling sudden power spikes. I had similar issues with LED setups before, and I had to strap a 470-1000μF capacitor close to the load to smooth things out. It might help with the reboots you're seeing during CPU spikes!
It’s crucial to have a solid power supply, especially with a setup like yours. I recommend trying those extra capacitors for smoothing out current spikes. Also, double-check the total power consumption of all your components; maybe the Raspberry Pi needs its independent power source to handle the load better!