What the product pages specify
| Board | Supply (official product page) |
|---|---|
| Orange Pi Zero 2W | USB-C 5 V / 2 A or 5 V / 3 A |
| Orange Pi 3B | USB-C 5 V / 3 A |
| Orange Pi 5, 5B, 5 Plus | USB-C 5 V / 4 A |
| Orange Pi 5 Max, 5 Pro | USB-C 5 V / 5 A |
| Orange Pi RV2 | USB-C 5 V / 5 A |
| Orange Pi CM5 (module) | 5 V input, max. 1800 mA; 3.3 V and 1.8 V outputs up to 600 mA each |
The RK3588 boards drive an 8-core SoC, an NPU, often an NVMe SSD and several USB devices from a single 5 V rail. A phone charger or a supply sized for a smaller board is below spec for them.
Practical rules
- Match the spec at 5 V. Use a supply that delivers the listed current at 5 V. Many USB-C chargers advertise their wattage at higher USB PD voltages and deliver less current at 5 V, so check the 5 V rating on the label.
- Budget for peripherals. An NVMe SSD, a USB hard disk or a camera adds to the board's own draw. Bus-powered USB disks are a common cause of instability; use a powered hub or a disk with its own supply.
- Short, thick cables. Long thin USB-C cables drop voltage under load.
- Fans and add-on boards draw from the same 5 V rail (the 5 Max and 5 Pro have a 5 V fan connector, and their 40-pin header provides 5 V and 3.3 V outputs).
- Symptoms of a weak supply: random reboots under load, SSDs disconnecting, USB devices resetting. Before debugging software, try a supply that meets the board's spec.
For Compute Module designs (CM5), the carrier board must provide the module's 5 V input and account for everything the carrier itself powers.