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I power my RPi 3 from a Meross strip and I often get the small yellow lightning bolt in a corner that indicates that the RPi is underpowered.

I know that this can lead to all sorts of issues with the execution of programs, data corruption etc. And that the solution is to have a better PSU and/or cables.

My question: can this also damage the hardware of the RPi itself?

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Undervoltage may cause your PI to crash and that might result in repairable disk or file corruptions. However data may be lost in files written to these files so its not ideal.

Whilst its unlikely to damage your hardware its not a desirable occurrence.

It may not be your Meross strip that is causing the issue.. If you have a number of Usb devices plugged into your PI they will all draw power and that in itself can cause under voltage.

If that is the case you can use a powered USB hub so that the devices are powered away from the RPI3.

Undervoltage is very common with multiple or high current USB devices connected ..

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  • I am aware o the possibility of a crash but so far it works without problems. This is just the backend of a home dashboard so there is nothing sensitive there. I do not have anything plugged into the USB ports and I do not think that the quality of the USB outputs in the strip are stellar. I will also check the cable no what I think of it - but in any case the dashboard is running fine for a few weeks and its load is very stable. My main concern was about possible hardware damage due to prolongated undervoltage.
    – WoJ
    Commented Sep 7, 2021 at 9:16
  • As the saying goes 'Your milage may vary' I had a RPI4 work perfectly for weeks and then one day it constantly crashed and restarted. The under voltage warning is just telling you that it might cause an issue. Its not desirable situation but if your Pi is stable and its not critical if it does fail then its no an issue. IMHO Its unlikely to cause any permanent problems with your hardware..
    – Simon Banks
    Commented Sep 7, 2021 at 9:24

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