USB power meter/tester thread - YZXStudio, Power-Z, RDTech and more.

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers USB Power Devices
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I would also agree with dodge_911, regarding Bluetooth functionality ā€” check if that USB meter has a good app to make use of the BT function.

I also have the ZY1276 without BT, since I read that the BT only outputs values (much like a serial data cable) ā€” as YZXStudio does not offer own software (not sure, but if they have, it likely is only a serial logger software) to graph or control the ZY1276.

The RD UM24C with BT, I also got this one, the software is a bit basic ā€” mainly the software (Iā€™m referring to the Windows software, I hadnā€™t tried the Android app) just shows all screens (in the USB meter, one has to browse thru multiple pages to get all the info) into one screen (in Windows software, all info can be displayed on the screen at once). Plus the software also allows logging the data (I havenā€™t tried this functionality much though).

But I generally use the ZY1276 and RD UM24C as stand-alone devices (not linked to PC/smartphone). I use the EBD-USB+ USB meter/load tester if I need to test USB devices. EBD-USB+ does not have a screen, it requires Windows software to show the info, but it graphs those data nicely, and also has some useful controls (eg. for testing capacity or for monitoring USB devices, and then recording the data unattended until user-defined thresholds are reached (eg. monitor USB charging until current falls below certain limit; or load test a battery until the voltage falls below certain limit, then stop the test automatically). Itā€™s not Bluetooth though ā€” it has to be connected to the PC via micro-USB cable.

157

I'm using almost the same setup here for my YT channel.
UPM's are used standalone, for visual purposes.
For graphing I have the ZKE-TECH EBD-USB's, which I timelapse/screenshot every 10 seconds.

Although, I am thinking of incorporating the UM24C and POWER-Z UPM's windows apps somehow into my workflow, they really do make nice visual representations of the data.
But I'd have to upgrade to a newer windows version, as I'm still running WinXP on my little nettop dedicated to testing.

All methods of logging have their use. YZXStudio was the trendsetter with many functions for a UPM, but they have been surpassed by other manufacturers that offer better software logging solutions.
But that doesn't mean I'm not buying any more YZXStudio UPM's though, they have a great UI and as stated previously, are a great visual aid in my testing.

On another note, you could maybe consider a YZXStudio ZL-1100 combined with the app someone here on BLF made?

158

What do you think of these?

QC2.0/QC3.0/MTK-PE Trigger USB Tester Induction Quick Charge Voltage Detector Current Capacity Power:

JUWEI QC2.0/3.0 Automatic USB Tester Voltage Ammeter Quick Charger Power Bank Voltage Trigger:

159

HKJ did test them one/two year(s) ago:
Test/review of QC3.0/2.0 trigger | BudgetLightForum.com
Test/Review of USB meter: QC2-3-MTK-PE Trigger J7-t | BudgetLightForum.com

160

I've been messing around a bit with some newer UPMS, I've got quite the collection now :

I'll be posting 4 UPM vids on my YT channel this coming May...

161

Great collection!
Very cool :smiley:

Will you post the results readable too?

162

Nah, kids nowadays don't read anymore ;)

163

Great, Iā€™ve got two of those. i also have these two:

And itā€™s bad, because things said in videos donā€™t appear in search engines as text. So many things out there you wouldnā€™t find until you reach the appropriate video most times by accident.

164

I watch videos only for entertainment - knowledge need to be consumed through written words for me :wink:
Reading is much more easier. :nerd_face:

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I looked at those two for a long time, but couldnā€™t pull the trigger on a purchase because of their limited functions.

Regarding videos vs written reviews : in both is a wealth of information, I used to not search YouTube when looking for information.
Ever since I did, I found out more on certain topics.

166

Not in your typical Chinese price class, but hereā€™s an interesting USB (type C) tester / load / capacity meter from Passmark:
https://www.passmark.com/products/usb-power-delivery-tester.htm

Mjlortons overview:

167

Great find!
$490 isnā€™t entry level quality :sunglasses:

168

Hi guys. Iā€™m new here. Iā€™m about to buy ZY1276 from AliExpressā€¦ I know the firmware version is 3.35 . On the changelog, on the new 3.36 version. It said something about new hardware. Does it mean that ZY1276 has 2 different hardware revisions? If not. Could I just upgrade the fw later ? Thanks so much :slight_smile: . Iā€™ve asked the seller. But he/she knows nothing about what Iā€™m talking about. Oh yeah another question. Is ZY1276 supposed to have Bluetooth support by default or no? Thanks again :slight_smile:

169

I bought my YZXstudio ZY1270 to Franky Tong (f-t-2000 on ebay), and the support was superb. They provided me the PDF user manual. No idea if heā€™s still selling or not, try to find another good one:

Starting a new chapter

170

The whole reason I use AliExpress is because it's hard to find seller that ship to Indonesia... Do you know the answer to my questions above? Thanks :)

171

You can upgrade the firmware of the ZY1276 but you need the ST-Link v2 programmer:

172

I know. I meant are there more hardware revisions for ZY1276 or is it the only one? Like it has only 1 hardware version? I asked this because on the changelog for version 3.36 it says something about new hardware . Thanks :)

Oh yeah. Would you show me step by step of how to flash newest ZY1276 using ST-Link V2? I couldn't seem to understand the instructions because it's hard to understand. Thank you :)

And also what are the differences between ZY1276 with ZY1275 ?

173

white7561,

Check out message posts #122 & #133. I wrote a little bit of info on how I flashed my ZY1276 from 3.33N to 3.35H.

I checked out the firmware change log (same link as mentioned in my earlier post, but now has new firmware version info).
Going by the firmware change log (in Chinese ā€” use a translator), it does appear to indicate the firmware v3.36 is meant to support a new revision of the ZY1276.
(Iā€™m not sure if this is the ā€œZY1276Pā€, which I think Iā€™ve seen somewhere on the web or elsewhere).

using online translation, these are the change log for v3.36D (for earlier versions, see my previous post on page 5 of this message thread)

(the translation is a bit cryptic, will check if I can understand and improve the translation manuallyā€¦)

It does reference a ā€œnew hardware versionā€, which can measure ā€œE-Markerā€.
There is an accompanying image in the firmware upgrade file, which seems to mean, to modify (jumper?? ā€” the translation says ā€œfly lineā€) certain points of the previous-hardware-version ZY1276 so it also supports the E-Marker (at least thatā€™s how I understand it)

~

regarding Bluetooth: my ZY1276 didnā€™t come with Bluetooth. However there is an option to change to the backplate with the Bluetooth module (additional purchase)

there is an in-house PC app now (from the same links as mentioned above), it seems basic, though I couldnā€™t get it to work with my ZL1100 (supposed to work with ZY1276 and ZL1100, at least how I understand itā€¦ or maybe only for new revisions?)

there is some bit of info for the ZY1276 vs ZY1275 (black). But it seems the main difference is the ZY1275 supports 8A. Also ZY1275 is smaller/slimmerā€¦

174

@d_t_a okay. so is ZY1276 better than ZY1275? in features etc?

175

And also. What do you guys think? ZY1276 is double the price than UM25C in my country. Is ZY1276 worth that double than UM25C? ZY1276 is about 50bucks hereā€¦ Is it worth comparing the price and usefulness?