Which is the best Usb Voltage Detector Tester ?

There’s also a resistor load which you can buy, which allows you to test current outputs of let’s say usb charger… You can switch from 1A to 2A

I find my self pretty happy with the meter you have chosen… I’ve bought it before HKJ tested it

Keep in mind… If you keep the button pressed for a while you go into the next memory and erase it.

Here is the manual for the KCX-017 I’ve copied from the web:

Kcx-017 LCD USB Voltage Current Detector Mobile Power USB Charger Tester Meter

Specifications:

  1. Input Voltage: 3V - 7V

2.Input current: <3.4A

3. Parameters that you can test: Voltage of battery.
Current of battery, value of discharging capacitor.(Total ten parameters)

4. Communication function: Yes

5. Parameters adjusting function:Yes.

Equipment for parameters adjustment: One electronic load, one constant current source.
Voltage of constant current source should be set to 8.5V There are 3A, 2A, 1A and 0.3A models for current adjusting.
Here is a example for 3A:
When you set electronic load at 3A model, the current will be adjusted step by step. It will cost you about 10 seconds and you can see the result changing procedure in the LCD screen. When you see the 3A result shown in LCD screen, the adjustment process is finished. You can shut off the electronic load and the parameters will be saved automatically.

6.Clean the data: Push the button until the parameters changed to next sets of parameters. Then release the button. Then the next sets of parameters will be
started and they will start from zero.

7. Check the parameters: Quick beat the button double times(within 0.5s), then it is checking model. The LED background will be flash.Then you can see the
next set of parameters in LCD screen. Quick beat the button double times again, you release the parameters checking model. LED background be be light with
flash.

8. Over voltage or under voltage: An arrowhead will be shown in LCD screen and LED background will flash. Push the button and LED will be light without flash.
It will last 30s.

9. Turn on model.
The LCD screen will show all parameters within 1s when you connect power supply by Micro USB or male plug of USB with wire.(It is to check whether the
LCD screen is good or not). Then you can see the parameters used last time(capacitor and which set of parameters). You also can see the current voltage,
current and over voltage or under voltage. Please see following illustration.

USB output port can be connected to a data line, a discharge resistor or the like cable device comprising a data communication function, the data does not affect the data transmission line.

Typical……great reading. :stuck_out_tongue:
Better than nothing, thanks.

I’ve tried to restrore the carriage returns but with no luck. In the editor it looks normal, if I upload it again it’s all one block w/o paragraphs. The content is a bit “chinese” but understandable.

Wow! That’s a lot of precious infos! Thank you very much, guys :party:

I’ve read the same somewhere…Thumb up for another thread for a quality usb cables!! :smiley:

I did order some MUCH better cables (Aukey)-thicker, better ends, plug in nicer. Plugged into a decent USB power source and to a device that can use it they charge at a higher rate.

But I have found a peculiar problem. I inherited a Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. The charging port is a bit flaky and the battery was suspect, so I was trying to do a capacity charge test using Kcx-017 LCD USB Voltage Current Detector Power Tester
The charge would start, then kick out. I’d wiggle the cable again > start > repeat until I got frustrated.
Got the better cables > same problem with the phone but not other devices.
Remove the Power Tester > no problem. Tried other testers > every one of them caused the problem on the Samsung phone.
No problem with a Windows phone I have.

Anyone have any idea what the glitch might be?

So, no matter which cable/tester combination you got this results?

Charghing with ANY tester=> broken
Chargin with ANY CABLE without tester => Good

Is it correct?

I have the same tester and i bought a set of 3 AUKEY 120 cm micro usb cable, they are good but current sags much faster than with an original 13 cm Xiaomi Cable with my note2, no matter which ROM/Kernel I use and I set.
With the xiaomi cable i got like 1.65A for the 80% of the chargin process.
With AUKEY i have 1.55A at best , and for like 10% of the chargin process, no more, then current sags quickly towards 1A.

Kcx-017 LCD USB Voltage Current Detector Mobile Power USB Charger Tester Meter
Specifications:

1. Input Voltage: 3V – 7V

2.Input current: <3.4A

3. Parameters that you can test: Voltage of battery. Current of battery, value of discharging capacitor.(Total ten parameters)

4. Communication function: Yes

5. Parameters adjusting function:Yes. Equipment for parameters adjustment: One electronic load, one constant current source. Voltage of constant current source should be set to 8.5V There are 3A, 2A, 1A and 0.3A models for current adjusting.

Here is a example for 3A: When you set electronic load at 3A model, the current will be adjusted step by step. It will cost you about 10 seconds and you can see the result changing procedure in the LCD screen.

When you see the 3A result shown in LCD screen, the adjustment process is finished. You can shut off the electronic load and the parameters will be saved automatically.

6. Clean the data: Push the button until the parameters changed to next sets of parameters. Then release the button. Then the next sets of parameters will be started and they will start from zero.

7. Check the parameters: Quick beat the button double times(within 0.5s), then it is checking model. The LED background will be flash.Then you can see the next set of parameters in LCD screen. Quick beat the button double times again, you release the parameters checking model. LED background be be light with flash.

8. Over voltage or under voltage: An arrowhead will be shown in LCD screen and LED background will flash. Push the button and LED will be light without flash. It will last 30s.

9. Turn on model. The LCD screen will show all parameters within 1s when you connect power supply by Micro USB or male plug of USB with wire.(It is to check whether the LCD screen is good or not). Then you can see the parameters used last time(capacitor and which set of parameters). You also can see the current voltage, current and over voltage or under voltage.

Please see following illustration. USB output port can be connected to a data line, a discharge resistor or the like cable device comprising a data communication function, the data does not affect the data transmission line.

Correct. On the phone, and the phone only, the charge will start but stops after a bit. It’s erratic. I’ve even got it to complete but that was after a bunch of messing around so I don’t know what the ‘magic’ was. Probably just luck.

Since I can’t keep the testers in line I don’t know HOW WELL (fast) it’s charging but the ‘better’ cables plug in more securely and charge more reliably.

Interesting issue with the Xiaomi cable vs. AUKEY. Is the Xiaomi a pure (only) charge cable? Cables that also have data capability like the Aukey will signal that to ‘smart’ devices like a cellphone and throttle back the charge. That’s a fairly normal function. There are internet threads on ways to screw with the USB to bypass this.
On my phone a ‘charge only’ cable is signaled with an [AC] designation during charging. A ‘data capable’ cable shows up as [USB] while charging. The AUKEY are ‘data capable’. I did not think to look at that when I got them.

Flydiver when it starts charging with the tester how much current flows?
Samsung chargers often have a higher voltage(5.3V or so), I guess the devices won’t charge very good if they don’t get what they need.

Didn’t think of the possibility of Samsung having higher voltage. I don’t have the original charger as it’s a hand-me-down phone. I’m using an Aukey 2.4A capable charger.
This starts out at 5.14v @ 0.5A on the phone (right now), but that’s on an almost completely charged battery (90%) so it’s probably throttled down. I’ve seen it near 1.0A before (briefly, before it kicks out).

Having said that, the finishing charge is 4.3-4.35v. 5.0v input should be plenty of differential to do that I would think, and it does charge completely using the same charging system. Batteries come out a bit over 4.3v checked with DVM.

But that doesn’t explain why the charging kicks out when using the Power Tester….does it?

The xiaomi cable was bundled with 10400mAh powerbank… It’s also data-transfer capable.
To make a cable a charge only cable… You have to short the data pins… There are also adapters that can do that without compromising the cable itself… But again it is also limited and depends on the section of the wires… Since as the total impedance which is also affected by the wire ipedances rises… The current decreases for the ohm’s law…
I’ve seen the max current flow throw that wire, While charging With the power bank, going over 2A measured with the tester… Flat out… Never seen that on a charger(Sammy note2,sammy tablet 10.1 or Griffin powerbrick 2.4A). Every charger I tested had a max V of 5.13-5.17V.
At 90% if you had 0.5A…you had a pretty good value.

You could also check (roughly) the flowing current using an app called Galaxy Charging current.
deltaAmp are usually within 20%… Meaning the app is overestimating.
The note2 and I’m pretty sure the i9100 s3 batt are 4.35V batteries so you are right about measurement.

Have you tried charging with a spare battery.? … Just to know

Yep, I ended up buying the resistor load too :slight_smile:

Yeah. I did it too… But it ended I never used it in reality :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks for the Kcx-017 manual Antenne and hank.

you probably can get the best USB doctor at www.taobao.com (China ebay):- High accuracy with low impedance, most of them can be flashed when there is new firmware. I own 4-5 of them. Personally I feel they are extremely good, high accuracy (compared with fluke meter) and high quality. For your reference if you can read chinese:-

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1-c.w4024-5909411634.2.5a53ti&id=38401794937&scene=taobao_shop

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=43646026777&ali_refid=a3_420986_1007:1102217199:N:476158178_0_100:081e8aad95bd445e75eb0952f4607c64&ali_trackid=1_081e8aad95bd445e75eb0952f4607c64&spm=a1z09.2.a1z6e.93.wadikS

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1-c.w4004-7257832633.17.LojbdL&id=43518439360 same as 3rd one but the latest version with 2 USB.

What do you mean with Flashing new firmwares? Do you have more Info on this?
The First one is new to me…so I need it.
Anyone found an eBay source?

I think you can find it on ebay just look at “YZXstudio”

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?\_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.X5870+vapor.TRS0&\_nkw=YZXstudio&\_sacat=0&\_from=R40

the firmware it’s upgradable, but i think you need to mod it with an interface and than use the proper configure PC settings

Hello !

I’d like to buy USB Tester - I see, that some of You recommend Xtar VI01 , but it seems to have quite high resistance that significantly reduces voltage (i.e. by 0,39V at 2A). It worries me a bit, but I can see, that even professional USB tester, like PortaPow Premium reduces voltage (by 0,33V at 2A).

After reading every USB tester review here I think, that this ebay USB meter will be best choice - it seems to be accurate enough and it has lowest resistance, at 2A it reduces Voltage by only 0,26V. As there are more accurate testers, but with higher resistance, here is important question for me - how does the reduced voltage affect charging - can it cause damage to the battery or so? Will ebay USB meter be a good choice, or should I buy more accurate tester but with higher resistance?

Regards
Michal

HKJ has just posted a test on another meter here.