I'm thinking about powering my Flint 2 using a 30W USB-PD charger, and a USB-C (12V/3A) to DC5521 barrel cable. This should theoretically provide the router with 30W to draw from.
The Flint 2 product page claims that its power draw is less than 20W, however the power adapter provided with it can supply up to 48W.
Does anyone know:
Is there a scenario where the Flint 2 actually consumes more than 30W during its operation? What is its max power consumption?
Will my USB-PD charger + cable setup provide enough power for the Flint 2 to function properly, or does It actually need the 48W charger to function without issues?
I have no experience of the Flint 2 but if it helps, I've powered a Spitx AX3000, Collie and Spiitz X750v2 off a 20W (1.6A @ 12V) PD power adapter and never had a problem with any of them.
Thank you.
That actually adds to my suspicion that the power supply units included with GL.iNet's routers are somewhat of an overkill power-wise, just to be on the safe side.
I'll be testing the Flint 2 in the coming weeks and update this thread with my results.
I think working with a small 30W GAN charger is way more elegant than using the power brick the Flint 2 comes with.
Yes, it did
I've been testing it for a few days now and I wanted to give it some more time before I updated this thread with my findings. So far (1.5 weeks of operation), the router seems to be working fine and is quite stable.
Let me summarize what I did:
I bought a tiny 30W GaN charger (VOLTME Revo from AliExpress).
Also bought a USB-C PD to 5.5x2.1 power connector cable (12V, 98cm length, also AliExpress).
Plugged the USB-C side to the GaN charger and the DC5521 side to my Flint 2.
Everything works!
Some key takeaways:
The GaN charger is significantly smaller than the GL.iNet provided one. No idea why GL.iNet didn't go with a GaN charger and a USB-PD port on this device.
The GaN charger provides [email protected] (max 30W) and it has no issues powering the Flint 2, which means GL.iNet's charger is definitely an overkill.
You can use any GaN charger that provides 12V@3A\4A\xA etc., as long as x >= 2.5.
I'm not running anything other than 2 WiFi networks + Adguard on my Flint 2.
I don't think running VPN/Tailscale/etc. or other services will significantly increase its power draw, but people wanting to connect a USB drive on a regular basis should perhaps consider using chargers that provide 12V@3A or more.
This GaN charger + USB-C cable setup also works flawlessly on the Flint 1 model.
I plan to use a POE to DC splitter at the same 12V@2A
I know this is under the 2.5A you mentioned, but I'm assuming that since the Flint 2 spec sheet says it draws less than 20W, I might be able to get away with this.
Did you manage to get this to work? I had the idea of trying one of these https://amzn.eu/d/1sSfTSP to provide backup power in the event of a power cut, maybie using a DC 'Y' cable to combine the two 12V@2A into 12V@4A to power it, but if 2Amp's are enough this should work out the box.
