TechRepublic reports that the Raspberry Pi Foundation has confirmed that the recently released Raspberry Pi 4 will not work when powered using certain USB-C cables. The economical, single-board computer is the first Pi board to use a USB-C power connection. Pi co-creator Eben Upton has confirmed that not every USB-C cable will work. “The Pi 4 doesn't receive power when used with electronically marked or e-marked USB-C cables — the type used by Apple MacBooks and other laptops,” the article quotes Upton as saying. “A smart charger with an e-marked cable will incorrectly identify the Raspberry Pi 4 as an audio adapter accessory, and refuse to provide power.”

Upton said he anticipates the issue will be fixed in future board revisions, but until then, Raspberry Pi 4 owners will need to use non e-marked USB-C cables — the type many smartphone chargers use — with a power supply that can deliver the 5.1 V at 3A the board needs. Another option is to purchase the official Raspberry Pi 4 power supply, which costs around $8. Older chargers with A-C cables or micro B-to-C adaptors will also work if they provide enough power.

“The Raspberry Pi 4 marks a significant upgrade for the Pi, introducing a new CPU and GPU, upping the Pi's memory to 4 GB, introducing USB 3.0 for fast storage, and adding support for dual 4K displays,” the TechRepublic article noted.