Due to its small dimension, the Mac mini is a favourite pc to tinker with for distinctive setups and conditions. One individual exhibits some ingenuity with the system by demonstrating in a YouTube video how he was capable of modify the Mac mini in order that it may be powered by a USB-C port as an alternative of its energy provide.
Within the video, Saad Ouache exhibits an open Mac mini with a wired USB-connector that he added and says makes use of Energy Supply to run the pc. He then connects a 12-volt battery energy financial institution and proceeds to modify the ability connection from the ability cable to USB-C.
Whereas the video has not been verified, it doesn’t appear inconceivable to energy the Mac mini by way of USB-C. Nevertheless, the ability calls for of the system make it impractical. Apple’s documentation states that the M4 Mac mini has a most energy consumption of 65W, whereas the M4 Professional Mac mini is at 140W. These numbers are with a Mac mini with no units linked to it. The utmost steady energy score for the Mac mini is 155W, which comes into play when a linked system isn’t utilizing an exterior energy supply and is counting on the USB-C connection to the Mac mini.
None of that is shocking, in fact. The MacBook Air and Professional already ship energy over USB-C, with the MacBook Professional powering an M4 Max and a 16-inch mini-LED show over USB-C. However Apple hasn’t but supplied a method to run its desktop Macs with USB-C energy.
As AppleInsider factors out, for Apple to make a Mac mini that runs on USB-C energy, the right cable must be used, which might be a 240W USB-C Cost Cable. Utilizing lower-rated cables could be attainable, however that will increase the chance of failure. This restriction doesn’t appear to be one Apple would need the trouble of coping with. However when you’ve got a artistic thought for a Mac mini and are searching for alternative routes to energy the system on the go, Ouache’s video appears to show it’s attainable.