Microcontroller won't turn while connected to mac (usbc-usbc). But will turn on when connected directly with a phone charger )

I bought a microcontroller compatible with arduino nano. it turns on fine when connected to power through a phone charger, but when i connect it to my macbook pro 2020, with a usb-usb cable, it doesn’t light up at all. I tried the cable that comes with the mac and i bought another one to check if the mac one was faulty, but no cable will work. do i need to change any settings on my mac or something? Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

Some nano clones with USB-C connector will not work with some devices when using a USB-C USB-C cable. They all seem to work OK with a USB-A to USB-C cable.

@cat2025

Hi,
Do a quick google for "how smart usb c works"
Your clone is probably not equipped with a handshake device meaning your Mac will not supply any current to it. usb A to usb C would be fine as voltage is limited to 5V.

I have a Mac and a few NANO clones. I have never had a problem and I have a good many cables of random quality. I doubt USB PD is involved as some of my cables have no provision for the needed electronics. And of course the clones pre-date the PD spec.
I suspect you are omitting some information, show us a photo of the NANO connected to a wall wart and another of it connected to the Mac.

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