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I've been trying to make my own lower-cost power supply for the Raspberry Pi (my cellphone wall adapters don't provide clean enough 5V power for the Pi 3B+) with a 12V wall wart I have laying around and a spare switching regulator.

I have the switching regulator set so it outputs 5.23V while unloaded, but upon being connected to the Pi, the voltage sags to ~4.7V. Given that the target input voltage range for the Pi is ~4.9-5.1V, how high is it safe to set the switching regulator in order to ensure that even its sagged voltage is within the range? Could I safely go to 5.5V unloaded voltage?

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    Why not just buy the official power supply? raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply
    – CoderMike
    Commented Feb 9, 2019 at 20:28
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    @CoderMike I'm looking to use parts I currently have. I'd like to use stuff I already own rather than purchasing the stock unit.
    – ifconfig
    Commented Feb 9, 2019 at 21:15
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    I would not risk the higher voltage - you may kill your Pi. The amount of power the Pi draws varies depending on what it is doing, sounds like your switching regulator can 't cope or is of poor quality. Cheaper to by a quality psu than a new Pi.
    – CoderMike
    Commented Feb 9, 2019 at 21:38
  • I was looking for a quantitative answer... There isn't any resource to go to for such a request?
    – ifconfig
    Commented Feb 9, 2019 at 23:13
  • yes, as long as you see ~5V on the pi’s power input. they can endure 5.8V, though some USB peripherals may perish.
    – user2497
    Commented Feb 10, 2019 at 2:33

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The voltage requirement for all model Pi's is 5V +/- 5% (min 4.75V, max 5.25V) which is the USB standard.

Raspberry Pi Power Limitations

As noted by a Raspberry Pi moderator:

if your power supply peaks above 5.25V, it may damage any USB devices connected to it.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=216219#p1329717

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