There are a number of incorrect statements in your post.
The Pi 5:
* can run just fine off a 5V/3A supply (aka an official Pi 4 supply or any other USB-C spec complaint supply), under most use cases
* can run just fine off a 5V/5A non USB-PD supply, under all use cases
* can run just fine off ANY USB-PD supply since 5V/3A mode is required to be spec compliant, under most use cases
* can run just fine off its official USB-PD supply, under all use cases
What the Pi 5 cannot do is pin the CPU while delivering 1.6A to the USB ports while powered by a 5V/3A supply. However this is not a particularly common use case. Having played with this a bit you can "cheat" and override the port current limiting to get more current to the ports, while using a 5V/3A supply, as long as the Pi is lightly loaded. This will likely come back and bite you if you have variable cpu loads.
Perhaps you have been much luckier that I or lead a much more electronic widgetly sheltered life. I have encountered devices that appear to be powered via a USB port of some description that do not actually like USB spec compliant supplies. Even more special were the devices that came with what looked like USB supplies, that delivered voltages higher than the USB specs. I also have lived the russian roulette days of the barrel connectors of many sizes, with different voltages and polarity configurations. I especially hated those power supplies.
The Pi 5 will work with any USB-C spec compliant power supply under most use cases. It will work with a USB-PD power supply under most use cases. Note these are different. It will work with any power supply (USB-PD or non USB-PD) capable of delivering 5V/5A under all use cases. That means that any spec complaint USB-C connectorized power supply will work for most use cases.
This only leaves out the older USB supplies, since magically attaching a USB-C terminated cable to a 2.5A or lower supply is not going to turn it into a 3A USB-C supply. It is also not going to turn an older, non spec compliant steaming pile of crap into a spec compliant USB-C power supply. The biggest issue is that many old USB "power supplies" were intended to be used as device chargers and function differently, since they do not require good regulation and the ability to deliver max rated current at max rated voltage. These "supplies" work great as phone chargers, but they suck as power supplies. This is the biggest driver of the mantra of "do not use phone chargers". All power supplies that have a USB-A port on them are NOT the same.
Also, crap power supplies issues are a pita to troubleshoot, unless you have a decent storage scope. My time and avoiding frustration are worth way more than the price of a decent power supply.
Most of my newer Samsung phone "chargers", which are reasonably well designed 5V@3A supplies, happily powered my Pi 5. Same for my various USB-PD laptop "chargers" as well, including one that would not power a Pi 4. However, if a single mode supply does not claim 5V@3A you almost are guaranteed to have issues. My original Pi 5 desktop setup ran off pass through power from a 2.5A rated AMP+ HAT (which I suspect was conservatively rated), even when it was booting from a USB connected SATA SSD.
So I just don't get all your angst.
When I added a NVMe SSD BASE, I needed to switch to a 5A supply to get stable operation. I choose the official supply since it was the cheapest option to buy. The setup now has a SSD BASE and an audio HAT and works flawlessly.
The Pi 5:
* can run just fine off a 5V/3A supply (aka an official Pi 4 supply or any other USB-C spec complaint supply), under most use cases
* can run just fine off a 5V/5A non USB-PD supply, under all use cases
* can run just fine off ANY USB-PD supply since 5V/3A mode is required to be spec compliant, under most use cases
* can run just fine off its official USB-PD supply, under all use cases
What the Pi 5 cannot do is pin the CPU while delivering 1.6A to the USB ports while powered by a 5V/3A supply. However this is not a particularly common use case. Having played with this a bit you can "cheat" and override the port current limiting to get more current to the ports, while using a 5V/3A supply, as long as the Pi is lightly loaded. This will likely come back and bite you if you have variable cpu loads.
Perhaps you have been much luckier that I or lead a much more electronic widgetly sheltered life. I have encountered devices that appear to be powered via a USB port of some description that do not actually like USB spec compliant supplies. Even more special were the devices that came with what looked like USB supplies, that delivered voltages higher than the USB specs. I also have lived the russian roulette days of the barrel connectors of many sizes, with different voltages and polarity configurations. I especially hated those power supplies.
The Pi 5 will work with any USB-C spec compliant power supply under most use cases. It will work with a USB-PD power supply under most use cases. Note these are different. It will work with any power supply (USB-PD or non USB-PD) capable of delivering 5V/5A under all use cases. That means that any spec complaint USB-C connectorized power supply will work for most use cases.
This only leaves out the older USB supplies, since magically attaching a USB-C terminated cable to a 2.5A or lower supply is not going to turn it into a 3A USB-C supply. It is also not going to turn an older, non spec compliant steaming pile of crap into a spec compliant USB-C power supply. The biggest issue is that many old USB "power supplies" were intended to be used as device chargers and function differently, since they do not require good regulation and the ability to deliver max rated current at max rated voltage. These "supplies" work great as phone chargers, but they suck as power supplies. This is the biggest driver of the mantra of "do not use phone chargers". All power supplies that have a USB-A port on them are NOT the same.
Also, crap power supplies issues are a pita to troubleshoot, unless you have a decent storage scope. My time and avoiding frustration are worth way more than the price of a decent power supply.
Most of my newer Samsung phone "chargers", which are reasonably well designed 5V@3A supplies, happily powered my Pi 5. Same for my various USB-PD laptop "chargers" as well, including one that would not power a Pi 4. However, if a single mode supply does not claim 5V@3A you almost are guaranteed to have issues. My original Pi 5 desktop setup ran off pass through power from a 2.5A rated AMP+ HAT (which I suspect was conservatively rated), even when it was booting from a USB connected SATA SSD.
So I just don't get all your angst.
When I added a NVMe SSD BASE, I needed to switch to a 5A supply to get stable operation. I choose the official supply since it was the cheapest option to buy. The setup now has a SSD BASE and an audio HAT and works flawlessly.
Statistics: Posted by bjtheone — Thu Nov 28, 2024 10:11 pm