That sounds incredibly frustrating—it’s completely understandable why you’re losing confidence! Based on your description, the issue is almost certainly related to the power delivery to the Raspberry Pi 5 itself, which is a common and specific setup challenge, not a problem with the SSD or your user ability.Understanding the Red Light and Lack of PowerThe most critical symptom here is the solid red light on the Pi 5 board, coupled with the fact that the fan and SSD are not powering up.In Raspberry Pi terminology:The red LED indicates the power status. A solid red light usually means the board is receiving some power, but it's often an insufficient or unstable voltage (below the required $5.1\text{V}$), preventing the board from fully initiating the startup sequence.If the board can't fully boot, it won't enable the USB ports for power/data, which explains why the SSD lights are off and the cooling fan isn't spinning (the fan is often controlled by the OS or the PMIC after a successful power-on sequence).Why Your Power Supplies Are Likely the ProblemYou mentioned trying different power supplies, including a PoE splitter and a USB-C power adapter for laptops. Here's why these might be failing the Raspberry Pi 5's specific requirements:The Pi 5's Power RequirementsThe Raspberry Pi 5 requires a dedicated, high-quality $5\text{V}$ power supply that can deliver at least $5\text{A}$ of current (or $25\text{W}$) via the USB-C power port.USB-C Power Adapter (Laptops): Many laptop chargers default to $9\text{V}$ or $12\text{V}$ over USB-PD (Power Delivery). While the Pi 5 supports USB-PD, it needs to successfully negotiate the $5\text{V}$/5A profile. If it fails this negotiation, it often reverts to a lower power limit (like $3\text{A}$ or less), which is not enough to power the board, an SSD, and a fan.PoE Splitter: Standard PoE splitters often output $5\text{V}$ but are limited to a much lower current (e.g., $2\text{A}$ or $3\text{A}$). This is almost certainly insufficient for a Pi 5 booting from an SSD, leading directly to the low-power red light symptom.The Solution: Get the Official PSUTo troubleshoot and fix this, you absolutely need to use a power supply that is confirmed to meet the $5\text{V}$/$5\text{A}$ requirement, or better yet, the Official Raspberry Pi 5 $27\text{W}$ USB-C Power Supply .Using the official supply eliminates power negotiation errors and ensures the board receives stable, adequate power, which should immediately resolve:The solid red light (it should become stable, and the green/yellow activity light should start blinking).The lack of HDMI signal (the board will be able to start the boot process).The unpowered SSD and fan (power to peripherals will be enabled).Booting from SSD (Hardware Check)While your primary issue is power, let's briefly address the SSD booting for future reference:USB Port: Make sure you are plugging the SSD into one of the blue USB 3.0 ports on the Pi 5.USB Controller Chip: Even with sufficient power, some older or cheap SSD enclosures/adapters use controller chips that are not compatible with the Pi's XHCI USB controller. Since your SSD works on your computers, this is less likely to be the core problem, but if the Pi still won't boot after fixing the power, you may need a different USB-to-SATA adapter.In summary, your first step should be to acquire the official $27\text{W}$ power supply. Don't lose confidence; the Pi 5 is simply very demanding when it comes to power delivery!
Statistics: Posted by amtelescope — Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:45 am