Also, a switch on the back, a small one, like the Tronsmart Titan has. When not in use, you donât have to unplug it, just switch it off.
And oh, 6 ports is enough, with at least 2 QC3.0 ports.
In new charger please pay attention to EMI/RFI switching power supply generate. Use proper filtering on primary and secondary circuit etc.
Iâm ham radio operator and 90% of chargers or switching power supplyâs are pain in the ass, because it generate huge amount of radio interference can be heard in ham/CB even FM radio in car or home.
Besides I would like to have on/off switch, 4 USB ports with at least 1 QC port.
+1. Great Idea. Even though the Allmaybe CU6 uses very little power when it is connected to the mains, but isnât charging any device, it would be nice to have a switch on the back to be absolutely safe.
I also agree that 6 ports is enough.
Edit>> I canât vote 6 ports *and *at least 1 QC3.0?
Everyoneâs use case is different, and we all think ours is the ârightâ one. :sunglasses:
I have a couple 5 port BlitzWolf chargers, one with a quick charge port and one without. I think if you are making a new charger, QC ports (at least a couple) are mandatory. Having extra space so a USB meter can be used on any given, or even adjacent ports is a very good idea. I would prefer that the power supply have a standard power cord rather than a wall wart brick so I can plug it in and keep it on my desk without finding space for another transformer. If you do use an external power supply, please use 12VDC in, with a center positive, âstandardâ connector. By doing so, it could fairly easily be used in a car, boat or anywhere a 12V deep cycle battery might show up.
USB C capable seems like it is where the industry is going, I donât have anything that needs it yet, but if it is backward compatible with USB 2 & 3, go for it.
Having the charger be functional as a high speed USB hub would be absolutely marvelous, and I would buy one immediately right after HKJ approves it, and probably 3 or 4 more soon thereafter. I work with several High School competitive robotics teams (FIRST) and being able to (quick) charge multiple devices between matches while still using them to program changes and debug would be very helpful.
An onboard power switch with LED indicator would also be nice.
To Minimoke: Thanks for your advice, quite practical.
To Maukka: May I further ask, if there is a LCD screen on the charger itself displaying charging current, voltage and things like that, will you still prefer using power meters when charging?
Thank you! There is no doubt you made a wonderful conclusion of all we had talked about :+1: and 12v DC is new.
Our present CU6 has a LED indicator, but it makes no big sense in fact, I guess.
Everything should be at least 2A. By that I mean 2A for each USB port and 2A for each battery. For the VC4 that means 20A in total.
The 6 ports on the VC4 fit perfectly so anything less than 6 ports would be bad.
Some additional wishes (for another product)
- A power bank function would be great.
A flashlight function (if a power bank). Nothing fancy. Just an emergency light.
I fully agree with the suggestions made by âLazy-R-usâ but have one extra suggestion
I think the polarity shouldnât matter. Itâs quite easy to âcorrectâ the polarity.
I have a Braun battery powered razor. I just put it in the charging cradle. It accepts everything from 6 DC to 240 AC. Flexibility is great.
I think it shouldnât be complicated at all.
The question shouldnât be âHow many ports?â but âHow many batteries?â
The number of batteries defines the size of the charger. Then simply add as many USB ports as possible.
I think best sellers fall on 2-ports because they are cheaper and/or smaller. Nobody hates more ports.
Maybe you should take a 2 model and start thinking how you could add an extra port without increasing the size of the device.
Itâs about size AND functionality.
Iâll explain that from my own personal situation
I fly from Europe to the USA 2 times a year.
I take with me:
- A phone, a tablet and a bluetooth device for audio.
- A 13500 mAh powerbank.
- A charger which I use when waiting at the airport.
A few batteries for my flashlight and a charger.
With limited time at the airport itâs very important the charging goes as fast as possible.
When your charger also has a power bank function I no longer need a powerbank + flashlight batteries + charger. Only your charger.
So while your product may be a little bigger than other products itâs 2-in-1. For me it would save space and weight.
One function Iâve never found in any powerbank is the ability to charge low power devices. I have hearing aids and a small bluetooth device that streams audio from my phone and tablet to my hearing aids. It small so has a small battery with which only takes a few mA to charge. Powerbanks just switch off at such small loads. They assume my device is a large battery on âtrickle loadâ.
So allowing tiny loads would be great. But not only for people who are cursed with bad hearing. I have a small USB to HDMI device so I can play movies stored on my tablet on a TV (in an hotel room). That device needs external power. And guess what. It draws so little power my powerbank switches off.
To summarize a charging option for very low power devices (uses a regular USB cable)
The reason I specâd center positive is that so much of my other electronics gear already has center positive. So I have lots of cables made up that way, several wall wart transformers and a couple cigarette lighter (or are they now âvehicle power outletsâ?) cables. The LiitoKalla Engineer 500 charger supplies are my most recent addition.
A supply like your Braun that is happy with whatever you feed it would be absolutely perfect.
If the display is accurate I donât see the need for an external power meter on a daily basis, but sometimes I still like to log voltage and current to a file via bluetooth on my YZXStudio Meters (1266 & 1270).
Iâm not sure but there may be some confusion.
Obviously itâs great all your center positive stuff works with the charger. Likewise itâs great it works with center negative.
So my reply/idea was that itâs no problem for the engineer who designs the charger, to add a simple electronic circuit inside the charger so it doesnât matter itâs center positive or center negative.
Most plugs Iâve seen (lately) are center positive. Unfortunately the diameter of the plugs is far less uniform. Thatâs a far bigger problem than polarity because the there are only 2 ways around that: a] Separate conversion plugs. b] The device as many inputs that accept all plug formats.
Option b is great for a desktop charger for which size doesnât matter. But the space simply isnât available on a compact travel charger.