W.r.t. "not using it for power", whilst power might be provided via other methods (eg. GPIO connector pins) I've always regarded that connector as not be usable for non-power purposes (excluding OTG perhaps?) where the Pi is expected to be a "master" rather than a "slave" ie. that's the purpose of the USB "A" ports.
Yeah, AIUI it's primary use is as a power input port. Secondary use is as a USB 2 OTG port though not one that can swap roles on the fly automatically.
TBH though, the main use I can see for using it as a USB host is on the CM4 (because there is no other USB controller) and CM5 (for an extra USB2 port).
However I can see why that might be "expected" given that other computers (laptops, tablets) may only have USB C connectors and some USB "disk drives" are supplied with USB C leads (I have some NVme "caddies" that can be connected, and powered, via either a USB C or USB A connection).
Yeah, that's certainly a cause of confusion. If OP is pulling power to connect their USB drive it would be shutting down and in an unsafe manner too rather than strictly rebooting.
I've USB NVMe adapters similar to that too. Either a USB A male to C male cable or A male to C female adapter is all that's needed to make 'em work with the Pi's USB A ports.
Statistics: Posted by thagrol — Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:09 pm