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Active Cooler / Fan HAT

An active cooler or fan HAT keeps a Raspberry Pi (especially a Pi 5) from thermal-throttling during sustained operation, and helps in warm enclosures or hot sites. Why it matters: A node runs continuously; passive cooling alone can let a Pi 5 throttle under load or in a sealed/metal case, causing audio glitches or instability. Active cooling keeps clocks steady. Note: The official Pi 5 Active Cooler clips to the board and is driven by the Pi's fan header with temperature-based control. In RFI-sensitive installs, choose a quiet PWM fan and keep its wiring away from audio leads.