Recommended Power Supply for MK3?

djswerve · 2023-10-17T15:48:12+00:00

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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

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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...

All comments

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

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.

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.

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.

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153742#Comment_153742

The only reason to buy a new USB-C PD charger is if you want one that can handle multiple devices. If one port is enough, just check in the "junk drawer" in the kitchen. That's where I found mine, next to two battery chargers, a roll of packing tape, three packages of stick-on rubber feet, and a soldering pencil (with solder and flux!).

Check the junk drawer; you never know! With luck you'll find that old flashlight or those spare doorknobs you tossed in there 15 years ago!😁

djswerve

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

PK The DJ

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

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

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.

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.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153913#Comment_153913

The only reason to buy a new USB-C PD charger is if you want one that can handle multiple devices.

While you are right that any old PSU might do the trick then you forget where you are. And as most of us knows then the keyboard only needs 7.5 W. But here people are going to blame you for giving poor advice if what they buy/invest in doesn't work. And also stuff comes in more qualities , so this is not just a matter of what you or one or the other can get away with. Hence one is better off recommending something that ought to be on the safe side of specifications and that at the same time warrants at least some quality. Also when it comes to PSUs and electronics you might want to be careful exactly what you attach your 700-800-1200 $/€ device to.

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153963#Comment_153963

The two adapters I bought are Apple-branded, and they are for charging iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. They are Apple chargers, and while any manufacturer can produce a dud here or there, I think the reliability of Apple and its contract builders should be more than good enough.

I guess I should have said they were Apple.

But in my own defense, you can't really FIND chargers that wouldn't be up to the job, unless you're really trying hard to be cheap. Go ahead and test me: Do an Amazon search for usb-c charger. You won't find any rated at less than 20 watts, at least not on the first two pages. There are some 20 watt choices, and a whole lot of choices ranging up to 320 watts and maybe more. Those higher rated ones are designed to charge big laptop batteries, so the MK3 would be small potatoes by comparison.

Because of all this, I didn't think I had to go into great hand-holding on charging devices. You can probably randomly get hit with one on the street and pick it up and it will probably work.

More TLDR:

I bought them because they had two charging ports on them instead of just one, and I thought that might be useful to know. That way I could power the MK3 AND ALSO charge an iPad or some other device at the same time, and not take up another A/C plug in my home office.

Both of these charging devices (they are slightly different models with slightly different form-factors) are rated at 35 Watts. Even if power is distributed only at 50% per charging port (I don't think there's any way to know that unless we perform some tests), that would still provide up to 17 Watts per device. So that would be more than twice what the MK3 needs.

But as I said way above, even the cheapest charger should be enough to power the MK3. Unless you're digging around in the $1.99 bin or buying your chargers along with your sushi…at a gas station. 🤢

JB Valentine

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/153913#Comment_153913

Thank you, Mr. Repetowski👍🏿 I'm up and working now. I REALLY appreciate You getting back at me so quickly. My issue wasn't from the keyboard Host to the Computer. My issue was power, there wasn't enough power from the wall outlet to the keyboard. This WORKS! Again, thanks👍🏿

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.

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