You recall correctly. Beyond being prohibited by the spec, many of they are cheap garbage and have lousy connectors and thin gauge wire, both of which contribute significant voltage drops. Extending the mains connection with a appropriately sized extension is both easy and will work correctly.Passive PD extensions are prohibited by the spec IIRC.If you use a USB extension, it needs to be rated for 5A and PD. Usually it is better to extend the mains and use a 5V 5A USB-PD supply -- like the low cost, high quality one from RPi. As stated above.
If you desperately need to have longer distance from mains to Pi, get an adjustable supply, create the minimum level power cable, using quality connectors and heavier gauge wire, and adjust the supply voltage to deliver 5.1V at the Pi end. That plus the appropriate software override will get you a fully functioning Pi5. It will cost more than the main extension cord and will smoke the Pi if you adjust the voltage incorrectly.
Unless the Pi is in an impossible space, I would just forgo the extension and wire a mains receptacle in a location that makes it work, if it is going to be a semi permanent install.
Statistics: Posted by bjtheone — Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:33 pm
