Beginners • Re: IRF520 MOSFET Module control via PI

I recently purchased a Raspberry Pi 5 with the intention of using it for hobby projects and potentially for work. However, my experience has been deeply disappointing. Many libraries, including RPi.GPIO, do not seem to be compatible with this model. If anyone has successfully managed to get these libraries working, I would greatly appreciate your insights.

Where have you looked for information? It was well flagged from Day 1 that the Pi5 had new hardware which was not compatible with older GPIO libraries, together with the route map for Pi5 GPIO libraries. Documentation is here.

I expected a certain level of community support and development when choosing the Raspberry Pi, based on its reputation and the vast resources available. Unfortunately, this support has been lacking, and the stability issues have been frustrating.

You only arrived here three days ago, and this is your first post. This is the home of Pi community support, so it's not the support that's missing -- it has been you! Welcome, I hope you find what you need here, and we can soon correct your impression.

Out of the 30 projects I attempted, only the HC-SR04 and DHT11 sensors worked as expected. PWM libraries and MOSFETs, such as the IRF520, have been problematic. Specifically, when connecting the IRF520 MOSFET to the PWM-controlled fan, the fan operates at only 1.5V, which is far from adequate. This raises the question: why can’t the Raspberry Pi 5 handle this correctly?

The Pi5 can handle PWM fans just fine, as it does with the case fan and active cooler. Who suggested an IRF520? Its VGS is too high for proper switching by a 3V3 source. You need a different MOSFET.

In summary, the Raspberry Pi 5 has been a significant letdown. For those who are keen on coding and project development, this device has proven to be unreliable and problematic. If you are considering buying it, please proceed with caution. Based on my experience, it may not be the best choice for those seeking dependable performance and robust community support.

There are things for which the Pi is not the best choice. You'll find some uncovered on this forum. But it will do everything you've mentioned as problematic, and comes with class-leading community support. But you need to engage with the community to get support!

Statistics: Posted by davidcoton — Fri Sep 13, 2024 9:02 pm

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