Raspberry Pi 4 has a USB-C Flaw

By Shane McGlaun July 10, 2019

The Raspberry Pi 4 developer board was only announced a few weeks ago, but it already has a major issue. The USB-C port that many were so excited about doesn’t work exactly as intended. The USB-C port is the device’s sole source of power.

The official USB-C spec says that each pin of a USB-C device needs its own resistor, but the Raspberry Pi 4 shares one for both pins. This means that so-called e-marked cables won’t work with the device.

E-mark cables are often shipped with MacBooks and other devices fitted with USB-C Thunderbolt charge ports. These cables detect the developer board as an Audio Adapter Accessory and won’t power the computer reports The Verge.

Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton has said that the issue will be fixed in a future revision. The workaround is to use the Raspberry Pi 4 official charger that isn’t e-marked. As for when the revision will land, all Raspberry Pi is saying is in the coming months.