Design flaw prevents Raspberry Pi 4 from working with all USB-C cables



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Cutting corners: The Raspberry Pi Foundation seems to have had perverse effects: its newest product, the Pi 4, comes with a non-compliant USB-C implementation that alters compatibility. If they had just imitated USB-C specifications, that would not have happened.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced a few weeks ago its latest single board computer. The B model of the Raspberry Pi 4 has many improvements over its predecessor, including – for the first time – a USB-C connector for power supply.

Unfortunately for the foundation and the first users, a problem has been identified with the board that could hinder its use in certain circumstances.

As Tyler Ward explains (via Ars Technica), each of the two USB-C port DC pins is supposed to have its own resistance, but for some reason, the Foundation has designed the Pi 4 to share a single resistor. This makes the implementation a non-compliant design and alters compatibility.

It all boils down to the type of cable you use. Most cables should work properly. However, if you use an electronically marked or e-marked USB-C cable, such as those commonly used to charge laptops, it may not work.

Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton told TechRepublic that smart chargers with a marked cable e would incorrectly identify the Raspberry Pi 4 as an audio adapter accessory and would refuse to provide l & # 39; energy. Upton added that he expects the problem to be resolved in a future board review, but that for now, users will need to implement a workaround. [use a cable that isn’t e-marked] to work around the problem.

"It's surprising that this is not reflected in our extensive field test program," said Upton.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is not the only one to have missed all that. The Nintendo switch also has a non-compliant USB-C port and therefore has compatibility issues with some USB-C cables.

Photo Credit: Closeup of Raspberry Pi 4 by mrnok

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