Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

This is insanely cool. It's a beautifully written article that covers all the major design decisions and issues that affected the final outcome. I'm considering purchasing one for myself and to support the developer. It would be a very cool addition to a homelab or tech/hacker space.

I think my own minor issue is the use of a micro-USB port instead of USB-C - I wonder why, I don't see it mentioned in the article. Maybe adding a PD controller would have complicated the already complex dance of components on the board. Standard USB can supply 5V at 1A (5.0W) no problem, so maybe that was just a simpler way to go.




> I think my own minor issue is the use of a micro-USB port instead of USB-C - I wonder why, I don't see it mentioned in the article. Maybe adding a PD controller would have complicated the already complex dance of components on the board. Standard USB can supply 5V at 1A (5.0W) no problem, so maybe that was just a simpler way to go.

You don’t need a PD controller. You need two resistors of a set value to be able to have USB-C supply 5V at up to 3A. No ICs needed on the input side.


Great point! I suppose then it would be trivial to add ones own USB-C port if desired.


Most have very small spaces between the pins, they might not have been able to do them reliably on their home setup shown at the end of the post.


Power-only USB-C connectors don't have the same pitch issues as they only need to pin out the power and CC1/CC2 pins.

However, the 0.65/0.40 pads required for USB-C are no longer an issue for any of the board houses I have used in the past couple of years.


Yeah you should be able to find a USB c connector that works. Plus you only need to route the power, ground, and d+/d- signals




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: