Support

Do you have a question or a problem? Write to us using the form below – but most difficulties on the road are related to the power supply.

Message to support Power supply and hardware

Frequently asked questions

Which cameras and cards are supported?

All cards with a DCIM folder that appear as USB mass storage – via a card reader or directly from the camera. Tested with Insta360 X5 and GO 3S, Ace Pro 2 and DJI drones.

What is the difference between COPY and MOVE?

COPY copies the DCIM folder and verifies every file with SHA-256; the card remains unchanged. MOVE then verifies again and only then deletes exclusively the captured files on the card.

Does SD Migrator need internet?

No. The Pi provides its own Wi-Fi hotspot, and the tablet connects directly. Internet is only needed for Cloud backups and updates.

Which power supply do I need?

One that really delivers 5 A at 5 V (Raspberry Pi 27 W power supply) – or better, a UPS with 12 V input. Many power supplies and power banks only deliver 3 A at 5 V; then the camera and SSD on the Pi get too little power. Details under Power supply and hardware.

Power supply and hardware

SD Migrator copies memory cards to SSDs, renders videos and uploads to the cloud – often all at the same time and on the motorcycle. To make sure no copy is interrupted, the Raspberry Pi 5 needs more power than most power supplies and battery packs deliver. Here you can read why, which supply works and which hardware we use ourselves on trips.

The challenge

The Pi 5 wants 5 V and 5 A. Only then does it deliver a combined 1.6 A to its USB ports. If the power supply reports less, it limits all USB devices together to 600 mA.
Watts on the label don't help. Even power supplies, power banks and motorcycle sockets rated at 65–100 W almost always deliver only 3 A (15 W) at 5 V. The high power is only available at 9, 15 or 20 V – which the Pi doesn't use.
Cameras charge when plugged in. An Insta360 GO 3S draws a high charging current over USB. With 600 mA the Pi then switches off all USB ports every few seconds – including the SSD that is currently being copied to.
A powered USB hub doesn't solve this on its own. In our tests the GO 3S triggered the Pi's overcurrent shutdown even on a hub with its own power supply.
Rendering costs extra. When editing and rendering, the Pi itself needs 10–12 W. If the voltage drops, SD Migrator reports "Undervoltage" – and drives can disappear in the middle of copying.

SD Migrator shows voltage, power and USB overcurrent in the status bar and warns you in good time. The software cannot prevent a voltage drop – that is the hardware's job.

Our recommendation – a UPS with 12 V input

Instead of connecting the Pi directly to USB-C, a UPS (Geekworm X1205) sits between every source and the Pi:

accepts 9–18 V via a 5.5 × 2.1 mm DC socket – i.e. directly from the vehicle electrics or a 12 V power supply,
supplies the Pi with 5.1 V at up to 6 A – enough for the Pi, SSDs, card reader and camera,
buffers every changeover (ignition off, replugging) with two 21700 cells and shuts the Pi down cleanly when the battery is empty.

Because the UPS powers the Pi without USB-PD, the Pi has to be told once that 5 A is available: PSU_MAX_CURRENT=5000 in the EEPROM configuration (sudo rpi-eeprom-config --edit).

Note: When using the UPS, never also plug a power supply into the Pi's USB-C socket – power only via the UPS's DC socket. And never 20 V: the X1205 tolerates a maximum of 18 V.

How to power the Pi correctly

Via the HEX ezCAN (BMW)

Motorcycle

12–15 V (DC) USB / 5 V Control wire not enough

The HEX ezCAN provides switched outputs that turn off with the ignition – the vehicle battery is never drained. The Pi gets its own channel with 12 V and a 5 A fuse directly to the UPS; camera chargers and battery packs are connected to the USB-C sockets in the tank bag and at the rear. That way everything charges during the day for the evening, and replugging a charger doesn't disturb the Pi.

Keep the run-on time in the ezCAN short (about 10 s) – the UPS takes over immediately when power is cut.

Directly at the battery

Motorcycle

Without an ezCAN you can also connect directly: 5 A fuse as close to the battery as possible, then a relay switched by an ignition-switched positive, and from there 12 V to the UPS.

Never to permanent positive: the Pi needs about 5 W even when idle. Overnight that is around 5 Ah – a 9 Ah motorcycle battery will then no longer start reliably. In the evening and at night, therefore, the battery pack powers the Pi, not the motorcycle.

Powerful 230 V power supply

Hotel and home

With UPS: a 12 V / 5 A power supply with a 5.5 × 2.1 mm DC plug directly into the UPS – the most stable source, Pi and cell charging at full power. On the road, any USB-C charger of 45 W or more with a PD trigger cable set to 15 V also works.

Without UPS: only the official Raspberry Pi 27 W power supply (5.1 V / 5 A) directly on the Pi. It is practically the only widely available power supply that offers 5 A at 5 V.

Battery pack without a socket

Camp

A battery pack that offers 12 V or 15 V via USB-PD (e.g. Anker 20K / 87 W) is connected to the UPS with a PD trigger cable. The packs charge during the day while riding. When the pack is empty, the UPS cells take over; when they are empty too, the Pi shuts down cleanly.

Rule of thumb: one pack (~45 Wh usable) is enough for one night of cloud upload or for rendering a 30-minute video – doing both in one night is tight.

SSDs only – no spinning disks

Use only SSDs as targets (USB SSDs or NVMe in an enclosure). Conventional hard drives with spinning platters draw many times more current when spinning up and don't tolerate the vibration on a motorcycle – on a bike SSDs are standard anyway. SSDs, too, are best connected via the USB 3 hub, not directly to the Pi.

What doesn't work

Power supply with 5 V / 3 A

Only enough for card reader and one SSD. A second SSD or a connected camera triggers the overcurrent shutdown – then all USB devices briefly drop out, including the drive currently being copied to.

Battery pack with 5 V / 3 A and two external drives

Collapses under load: undervoltage, a drive drops off USB, the copy aborts. This happened to us on a tour – since then we only use the UPS solution.

UPS with a 5 V-only USB-C input (e.g. Geekworm X1200) on a 3 A source: the cells don't charge, under load the UPS discharges – after a short time the Pi switches off hard.
Pi on a USB-C splitter together with camera chargers: when a device is plugged in or unplugged, the socket renegotiates the power and the output briefly drops out.
Spinning hard drives – inrush current too high, too sensitive to vibration.
Permanent positive of the vehicle battery without a relay – the battery is flat in the morning.
20 V trigger cable on the X1205 – above the permitted input voltage.

Our hardware

These parts run on our own travel Pi or have been ordered for the switch to the X1205. Prices are guide values (as of October 2026); we receive no commission.

Base system

Raspberry Pi 5, 8 GB approx. €210
Computer With fan or Active Cooler – it runs at full load when rendering.
Geekworm X1001 + 1 TB NVMe SSD (e.g. SanDisk Optimus 5100) approx. €13 + €190
System, staging storage for copies and previews Boots directly from NVMe, no SD card in the Pi.
RTC battery holder with ML-2020 rechargeable cell approx. €5
Clock keeps running without power Important for correct timestamps without internet.

Power

Geekworm X1205 (UPS, 2 × 21700) + X1205-C1 case approx. €57 + €18
Buffer, clean shutdown, 9–18 V input Replaces the X1200, which only accepts 5 V / 5 A via USB-C.
2 × 21700 cells without protection circuit (e.g. Samsung 50S, Molicel P45B)
UPS battery Flat top, high-current capable. Cells with a built-in protection circuit don't fit.
12 V / 5 A power supply with 5.5 × 2.1 mm DC plug (e.g. Geekworm PSU60) approx. €17
Hotel and home
USB-C PD trigger cable 15 V (and 12 V as a spare) to DC 5.5 × 2.1 mm
USB-C chargers and battery packs on the UPS Never 20 V.
HEX ezCAN (BMW)
switched outputs on the motorcycle
12 V cable → DC plug with 5 A fuse, waterproof connector
Pi branch on the ezCAN or at the battery
USB-C panel socket 12/24 V, PD 100 W (Obeaming)
Camera chargers and battery packs on the motorcycle
Anker power bank 20K / 87 W
Camp, at night Offers 12 V and 15 V via USB-PD.
Anker 736 Nano II, 100 W
Travel charger with three outputs

USB and network

Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub approx. €15
Card reader, SSDs, camera
SanDisk QuickFlow SD card reader (UHS-I, USB-A) approx. €22
SD and microSD cards
USB 3 SSDs (two)
Backup targets – every file ends up on two drives SSDs only, no hard drives.
TP-Link Archer TX10UB (Wi-Fi 6, USB) approx. €22
Internet uplink alongside the built-in hotspot
USB sound card (e.g. Sabrent) approx. €8
optional, timecode output for the cameras

Charging on the road (optional)

Anker 140 W USB-C cable 2-in-1
one socket for hub and battery pack
Inline 5-port USB-C PowerHub (100 W)
several camera chargers on one socket
Chargers for Insta360 X5 (Treeboy) and Ace Pro 2
Charge camera batteries while riding

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