Powering Raspberry Pi 3 + Official Display with anker switch power bank

Question

There are a ton of questions posted similar to this but not quite this from what I had found, and I'm looking to understand this a bit more.

I have a Raspberry Pi 3 as well as the official 7" display. I can power it with no issues using a 5V/2.5A plug in power supply. I'm looking to be able to power it on the go.

I have an Anker Power Core 20100 Switch Edition (https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powercore-20100-nintendo-switch-edition/A1275S11). It has 2 power output ports:

A USB-C output rated at: PD Output: 5V=3A / 9V=2.6A / 15V=1.6A A standard USB port output rated at: Standard Output: 5V=2A

I expect that 5V/2A might not be enough to power the pi + display.

So really, two questions: 1) Is there harm in me attempting to use the 5V/2A and see if that's enough current to power my scenario, or would this cause issues? 2) If I get a USB-C to USB standard port adapter, then use a USB cable to plug from there into the Pi (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Adapter-Converts-Resistor-MacBook/dp/B01AHKYIRS), would that affect the power output and drop the max current?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Firstly, there is no risk of harm to the Pi - the worst you will get is a low voltage warning.

Frankly these products are not ideal for powering the Pi.

They are designed for charging smartphones.

The current ratings are meaningless - these depend on the phone and the charger negotiating a protocol - which the Pi CAN NOT do as it doesn't even have data pins on the connector.

They MAY work - but you need to test.

Answer 2

So if anyone stumbles across this, I did get this to work. The USB Standard output at 5V,2A produced a low current lightning bold warning on the top right of my display. So I ordered the below USB-C to Micro USB cable:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LONQ7R6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's specifically rated for power output of up to 5V, 3A. I plugged it into my battery and the other end into the pi, and it worked just fine. Ran for about 3 hours and maybe drained 20-25% off the battery supply.

Neither the battery nor the pi were hot to the touch and it performed well.

This is not intended to be a permanent solution for me - I'm just using it for one night for a halloween costume - but it does appear to work properly.