A Load Tester That's Not Exactly Essential, but Can Be a Lifesaver in Certain Situations
check_circleVorteile
- Affordable price point, making it accessible to those just starting out in electronics
- Build quality is solid, with a decent feel to the buttons
- Can be paired with USB A/USB Type-C adapters to work with modern chargers
- Helpful for those who still need to work with older devices or chargers
- Inexpensive adapters can modify the load tester to work with Type-C ports
- Still a useful tool, especially for beginners or those on a tight budget
- Pretty lightweight, making it easy to take on the go
- Decent feel to the buttons, making it comfortable to use
cancelNachteile
- Maximum current of 2A might not be sufficient for more demanding applications
- Not as versatile as newer load testers, which support higher currents
- Not designed to work with modern Type-C ports without adapters
- Only designed to handle a maximum current of 2A, which may be limiting
- Slowly becoming outdated due to the shift towards Type-C ports
- Temperature can get quite high when in use, which may be a concern for some users
- Limited compatibility with modern devices
- May not be suitable for heavy-duty use
Editor's Summary
I've had the chance to try out various load testers over the years, and this one's been around for over a decade. While it's still useful, it's starting to show its age, mainly due to the shift towards Type-C ports. However, with some simple USB A/USB Type-C adapters, I was able to make it work with modern chargers. The price is incredibly affordable, making it a great option for beginners. But there are some limitations, like the maximum current of 2A, which might not be enough for demanding applications. For example, I've used it to test some older devices, and it's worked like a charm. The build quality is solid, with a decent feel to the buttons. It's also pretty lightweight, making it easy to take on the go. But, as I mentioned, the maximum current is a bit of a limitation. If you're working with devices that require more power, you might need to look elsewhere. Still, for the price, it's a decent tool to have in your toolkit.
Specifications
A Load Tester That's Not Exactly Essential, but Can Be a Lifesaver in Certain Situations
As a tech enthusiast, I've had the opportunity to try out various load testers, and I must say that this one has been around for quite some time. In fact, it's been over a decade since its release, and while it was once a really useful and worthwhile tool, it's now starting to show its age.
The main reason for this is that most power banks and chargers have moved on to Type-C ports, making this load tester a bit outdated. However, I still found it to be a useful tool, especially when paired with some simple USB A/USB Type-C adapters. These adapters can help modify the load tester to work with modern chargers that only have a Type-C port.
One of the things that I liked about this load tester is its price. It's incredibly affordable, which makes it a great option for those who are just starting out in the world of electronics. Of course, there are some limitations to consider. For example, the load tester is only designed to handle a maximum current of 2A, which may not be sufficient for more demanding applications.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the load tester can get extremely hot, especially when used in 2A mode. In fact, the maximum measured resistor temperature is a scorching 235°C, which is well above the safe operating temperature for most electronics. This can be a concern, especially if you plan on using the load tester for extended periods of time.
Despite these limitations, I found the load tester to be a useful tool for testing chargers and power banks. It's also a great option for those who want to test the capacity of their power banks. However, it's worth noting that the load tester is not designed for this purpose, and you may need to use a PC fan or other cooling device to prevent overheating.
One of the things that I found most useful about this load tester is its ability to test chargers with a declared power of less than 1A. This can be a useful feature for those who want to test the performance of their chargers in a more realistic scenario. However, it's worth noting that the load tester is not designed for this purpose, and you may need to use a different device to get accurate results.
Overall, I would recommend this load tester to anyone who is looking for a simple and affordable way to test their chargers and power banks. However, it's worth noting that there are some limitations to consider, and you may need to use additional devices to get accurate results.
Use cases:
Take your preferred charger and connect it to the USB tester, then plug in this load tester.Or, if you need to test a cable, the chain would be: charger => cable => USB tester => load tester.There's a third, seemingly viable option - using this load tester to link a power bank => USB tester => load tester (to measure a power bank's capacity). However, this is not recommended. The described load tester won't work in this scenario, and instead, you should use a PC fan (link) with low power consumption for more accurate results.Important: you must not use this load tester to test chargers with a declared power of less than 1A - it's like putting a bag of cement on kitchen scales; the charger will fail (and may even smoke).
Next, select 1A or 2A using the switch:
1A - green.
2A - red.
Important: these green bits (resistors) get extremely hot.
Must-read:
In 1A mode, the maximum measured resistor temperature is 183ºC.
In 2A mode, the maximum measured resistor temperature is 235ºC. In this mode, the board smells strongly of burnt plastic - the resistor coating is burning and the overheated board is suffering.
(c) - from the internet, taken here.
***
1. The resistors get extremely hot, which is only natural (energy conservation law). Therefore, don't leave the load tester connected to the power source for too long. We've stopped measuring after this point.
2. Don't test devices that are designed to handle less than 1 A of current.
(c) - I got this info from there.
***
I've been reading the forums, and people are saying that using the resistor to discharge a power bank isn't very safe. They mostly use it for short-term testing to verify the cables and charging points on mobile devices...
...And for those who want to test power banks with them, this module is only for testing chargers. The manual says to just turn it on for 10 seconds. But for a power bank, you need to swap the resistors for 20-30 watt ones...
...And what about the 5.1 ohms? Here's a photo of my own measurements:
For a cheap Chinese PCB, the result is really impressive ☕
Life hack. This device is super cheap, and if you want to use it to discharge external batteries, you'll definitely need a fan (or a few) to blow directly on them. Seriously. Even at 1A, it gets scorching hot! I didn't even bother hooking up a temperature sensor (it's got a ceiling of 110°C) - these resistors heat up to 2A in just a few seconds, and you can't even touch them...
The soldering quality is great:
Time to get started, folks:
Hoco's ZU - a great charger, but... It's good compared to super-cheap ones, but it's nothing special. Next up is a much more interesting device...From Honor 50's smartphone - significantly more powerful, and interesting (unfortunately, I won't be able to test it to the max, since my USB tester doesn't support fast charging protocols, so it'll be running at 5V, 2A).Hoco A37C, initial measurements with a multimeter.
Nominal voltage: 5.03V
Current: 1.85A
One thing that struck me is that this load test isn't exactly a challenge (there's some load inside the multimeter for data capture, but it's not like the crazy load you see on the product review), plugging in the USB tester:
As you can see, both voltage and current dropped off a cliff ☝️
I ran these tests to give you an idea - the load from the review, (and the tester itself), isn't exactly professional-grade equipment, so you won't get precise data. You can get rough estimates, though (to see how poorly this charger stacks up against another one), and here in this review, the cheap charger from Hoco gets absolutely destroyed by the Honor HW 66W, but it was a tough fight)
Now, onto the load test...
Hoco - 1st mode, 1A (check out the voltage too):
2nd mode - 2A:
Both tests were a disaster (even with the 'built-in' voltage drop during the load test). Conclusion - this charger will charge almost anything you plug into it, but it'll also heat up with just about any smartphone.
Honor HW 66W
Idle voltage - 5.21V:
Current - 1.93A... Looks pretty good so far:
The tester's already started to heat up:
The load test really pushed the charger to its limits, 1A:
And 2A:
The test was more of a success than a failure. This charger from Honor is ready to charge any smartphone, will heat up a bit, but that's within reasonable limits (standard behavior).
I put this battery through the wringer, and it held up pretty well. I mean, I was comparing a solid brand to a more budget-friendly option, but sometimes you've got to compare the lesser-known brands or different charging options from the same manufacturer. So, in that case:
Recommended.
PS - If you're interested in digging deeper into power banks and external batteries, you might want to look into variable load testers (they let you set the draw from 0.1 to 2.3 amps and more), and higher-end USB testers (some models even come with built-in oscilloscopes, it's all about the price).
