MiSTer FPGA Forum

Hey everyone,

So I'm currently using the "stock" power supply with the splitter and usb 2.1 hub from aliexpress. It works fine, but I'm thinking to purchase a better one, mostly for "future proofing" (adding more usb devices, digital io board or even second RAM). Unfortunately, I'm currently not in the USA or Europe, so some recommended options aren't really available to me.

But I've found some seemingly good option on Aliexpress.

The rating and reviews are solid. Do you think 5V4A option would be good and more than enough? 5V5A seems like an overkill.

Do not risk your expensive electronics with power supplies from AliExpress.

The Meanwell GST25A05-P1J is generally available worldwide. 5V 4A. Regardless of what you go for, the power supply must be 5V and the more amperage the better (some of the power supplies I've seen on AliExpress have ridiculous claims and reviews can't be trusted sadly).

q654q wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:32 pm

Hey everyone,

So I'm currently using the "stock" power supply with the splitter and usb 2.1 hub from aliexpress. It works fine, but I'm thinking to purchase a better one, mostly for "future proofing" (adding more usb devices, digital io board or even second RAM). Unfortunately, I'm currently not in the USA or Europe, so some recommended options aren't really available to me.

But I've found some seemingly good option on Aliexpress.

The rating and reviews are solid. Do you think 5V4A option would be good and more than enough? 5V5A seems like an overkill.

5V 4A isn't really overkill.

The standard 3A power supply gets borderline very quickly - I started having issues with only the USB board, wireless mouse/kb, wifi and bluetooth plus a wired controller. It really wasn't intended for more than just the base DE10.

USB devices not working properly, weird display bugs when running update-all, etc. All of that went away wth the 5v 4a mean well power supply.

It's not uncommon for USB devices to use 0.5A or more and only 2 amps of additional headroom isn't a huge number of things you can plug in before running out of power.

For hassle free operation without too much extra stuff plugged in via USB, I'd consider 4A to be bare minimum.

AngelicLiver wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 10:50 pm

Do not risk your expensive electronics with power supplies from AliExpress.

The Meanwell GST25A05-P1J is generally available worldwide. 5V 4A. Regardless of what you go for, the power supply must be 5V and the more amperage the better (some of the power supplies I've seen on AliExpress have ridiculous claims and reviews can't be trusted sadly).

If you're fine with a wall wart, the Triad WSX050-4000 (or the slightly cheaper WSU050-4000 if you only need a US plug) is a great alternative, and is also widely available at places like Digikey.

I would go for the Meanwell. Its globally available via digikey and Mouser.

The output is not the important thing with a power supply. Its the stability of the supply under load. The Meanwell is excellent. Ali Express ones may well say 4A 5V bnut then dip badly under load

I have the 5A Meanwell wall-wart version, very portable and has been working great. I plug it into a wall socket switch, so no more on/off switch in the 5 volt cable.

DigiKey and Mouser also have free shipping for overseas orders over $50, IIRC. Not ideal if you only need 1 PSU, but still pretty nice.

An alternative if finding the mean-well PSU is a pain is to make sure to use a powered USB hub for your USB peripherals (even if you have a USB IO Board).

USB bus powered things is what will cause you to run out of power (hard drives, dongles, controllers, etc.).