Recommended Power Supply for MK3?

djswerve

My Mac doesn't have a free port to bus power my keyboard.

I need an external USB C power supply as my USB C ports are taken by audio interface and hard drives.

What power rating do I need please and do you have any recommended supplies? I can't find any listed on the NI site.

Thanks

Matthew_NI

The specs should be 5 V, 7.5 W or higher, 1.5 A or higher

Any standard USB-C smartphone charger, for instance.

PK The DJ

See my answer in the post that you've just quoted...

Matthew_NI

The specs should be 5 V, 7.5 W or higher, 1.5 A or higher

Any standard USB-C smartphone charger, for instance.

djswerve

Thank you. Appreciate the speedy reply too!

thumos

No joy for me. I went for the exact specified USB-C (5V/1.5A) and the error message on the keyboard says not enough power. So, when it says "...or greater..." in the manual, how much greater can we go before the keyboard explodes? I have an iPhone charger for UK (photo), which is 5V/3A or 9V/2.22A (15.0W/20.0W), will this do, is it safe, or will it put the keyboard into orbit? Just asking, urgently...

PK The DJ

It's a bit ridiculous that NI don't specify exactly how much power is required for each keyboard.

Maybe the smallest one requires 1.5A but the biggest one......who knows?

Anyway, you won't blow anything up by using a PSU that can supply more amps at 5v. The device will only take the current that it needs. Don't use a higher voltage though.

djswerve

I use an Apple 20w charger. Looks like the one you’ve got. Hope that helps.

thumos

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/115692#Comment_115692

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/115693#Comment_115693

The NI website says 7.5W or higher, but how high before I get a flash or smell something burning..., 20W? I'm using the S61 Mk3, fresh out of the box today.

PK The DJ

See my answer in the post that you've just quoted...

Ojustaboo

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/115692#Comment_115692

As far as I’m aware, a USB C charger if say 20volts, to be compliant with the USB standard, has to automatically support 5v, 9v and 15v, some like mine also choose to support 12v too.

The one I use on my S88 mk3 is a Dell 20V 3.25A 65W charger and it works flawlessly.

Im pretty sure if 20v was going through it instead of 5v, it would have died probably first time I switched it on.

Here’s a pic of the back of it

reffahcs

THE USB-PD or Power Delivery protocol is different from older USB-A power in that PD actually does a negotiation with the device that's demanding power. The negotiation includes the maximum amount of voltage and current (amps) that the device requires. That's why in the case of the Dell charger you see multiple voltages. The charger will only supply the max voltage the device requires.

As @PK The DJ when it comes to the amount of current draw (amps) a device will only draw as much current as it needs at a certain voltage. So when it comes to amps, you need to make sure you have at least as much as the device requires, but having more than it needs will not harm a device at all.

If you plug a USB-PD capable charger into an older device that does not support the Power Delivery protocol, then the charger should fall back to the old 5.0v USB standard voltage.

So the moral of the story is don't cheap out when it comes to USB-PD chargers/power supplies, cables etc... that's how stuff ends up getting fried. I'm not saying you need to pay $100 for a USB-C charger, but I'd maybe pass on the $5.00 AliExpress chargers.

Cheers

PK The DJ

Yeah, my comment was addressing his concern about blowing stuff up, that as a general rule, if a device needs X voltage and Y current, then you can use a PSU that has a higher current rating without damaging anything - but you do not want to use one with a higher voltage.

reffahcs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/131660#Comment_131660

Yeah I was just trying to clarify why it had a higher voltage listed on the power supply than 5 volts.

JB Valentine

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/17613/recommended-power-supply-for-mk3

Native Instruments have STOPPED caring about customer satisfaction years ago. I AM having my problems with the MK3 61 because I can't supply the power to get it on. Ridiculous. We should boycott and stop purchasing their products. I bought the keyboard from Sweetwater. Then I had to buy a USB-A - USB-C adapter to connect to my $10K Mac Pro. That didn't work so now I had to purchase a power supply that cost me $41. Made by Shure SBC10-USBC and that is NOT helping as I still do not have enough power to supply it. May 13, 2024

BIF

I also use an old Apple phone charger rated at 20 watts.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153589#Comment_153589

Made by Shure SBC10-USBC

Problem could be that the Shure SBC10-USBC 'charger' is an Accessory to 'Shure' products and might thus not conform fully to USB-C PD standards , otherwise your problem could be the cable that you use if the cable does not support power transfer.

Anyway ,if you get an USB-C PSU then you should get one that says USB-C PD (Power Delivery) . The USB-C PD is a standard in itself that depending on the USB-C PD profile supported then ought to guarantee that it supports a certain amount of Power Delivery.

Maciej Repetowski

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153589#Comment_153589

Mate, those USB-C PD chargers with max 20W are all over Amazon for, like, £20 max.