IRULU 8000mAh USB Power Bank ( Capacity test )

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers USB Power Devices
1

I thought it time to get a powerbank , not just any but rather a nice slim one .

The IRULU PB is just that , slim . But after using it some , I felt the capacity might be slightly exaggerated .

So after fully recharging the PB I plugged it into a Car Dash Camera mounted on my room window .

Also I had a one of those USB power meters in the circuit , one that gives you voltage , Amps and the total Amps used .. ( Very useful little gadget )

Anyhow , I started around midnight last night , power drawn by the cam was around 200mAh , more if charging the internal battery ( 0.46A ) .

Any how , after some 4450mA the power bank shut down ..

Thats about 3550mA shy of claimed capacity .

Now aside from the obvious capacity issue ( greatly exaggerated ) , I find this powerbank to be very useful .

I will how ever need to find one with more capacity ...

So there you go , my first powerbank test ( for capacity )

2

When in doubt, buy known ones, say Xiaomi, they have slim 5Ah power bank too ;)!

3

Yes , you have a point .

But it was sold as a 8000mAh Powerbank ...

No mention made of Wh , or loss etc ...

So simply a test VS advertised claim or capacity .. ( Actual available Amps )

I understand loss etc . But it comes down to paper figures VS real world .

And in this case no matter the reason , this 8000mAh Powerbank delivers 4450mA for the user ..

4

Its the same with bits vs bytes in computer storage ;)!

Why didnt you buy Xiaomi bank, just curious.

5

I have no idea ? ( Why didn't I ? )

I got this one because it was slim , and far less bulky than the others I saw + the price ..

And since its my first , I really didn't have any expectations .

And I did read a few reviews / comparisons / 10 best power banks sort of thing .

And it seemed more like advertising than real consumer advise .

And I had to start some where ..

6

I just went on Ebay and I remember now ..

I did look at the Xiaomi , but if memory serves its cloned and counterfeited to the MAX .

So even if you think your buying the real deal , there is a good chance its a clone or worse, a out and out fake .

Thats why I didn't get one ... ( I remember now )

7

Hmmm , yes ! I understand ..

But it is some what misleading . Its a power BANK , so one expects to be able to withdraw 8000mA 's , not 4450mA 's ..

A little like putting $8000 in the Bank , and when you need it the Bank tells you , you have $4450 available for withdrawal due to associated costs , fees etc !

+ I have no idea what the true capacity is without possibly damaging this device .

Again , my first ever powerbank , and I understand what your saying .

Battery is 4.2v Fully charged , and there is a voltage booster that drives up the voltage to 5v .. And there will be some losses due to the process ..

And depending on the circuitry , it could be relatively high loss .

And that loss = 3550mA , POSSIBLY ! , the true capacity of the battery is unknown . There for the loss is unknown ..

The only two things known are , What the advertising tells us and tested result , which is 4450mA .

At this time , everything else is unknown , and I am only comparing what is known .

A true test would test the devices capability ..

Then pull the battery out and test that , but then we are left with more variables that need to be tested for before one can draw a meaningful conclusion .

What is the cut off voltage ? What is the load ( voltage drop ) on the battery ..

What is the variable - Current to the device VS current from battery ?

Seriously , my only interest at this time is what can be withdrawn from the bank ...

If this had been advertised as a 4500mA Power BANK , I would be like = SWEET !

I understand that it is what it is , manufacturers are selling these on Paper Battery Capacity ( Or ) BS Capacity ...

I understand that , Im simply reporting what you actually get VS the only other information provided ..

And that's it from me ...

8

Disassemble the power bank and measure capacity of the Lipo battery with hoby charger like acucell 6 or even with opus charger and it will all be clear.
If you look at the back side of Xiaomi power banks it says: 10000 5000 mAh 3.7V but under that 3300 mAh 5.1V Conversion rate: >90%

16000 mAh at 3.75V but 10800 mAh at 5.1V…

9

Nope, thats for 5000mAh power bank, their slimmest one ;)! The same as in your picture.

10Ah bank has 6250mAh at 5.1V.

10

yes, I made typo, should be 5000 instead of 10000 but pictures are relevant.

11

We dont want to scare old4570 away from new power banks :smiley:

12

This seems too basic to overlook but it was slim, light, and cheap. There certainly are differences in capacity of batteries of identical size as we know but those 3 variables simply don’t add up to a decent product.

13

I have a xiaomi power bank and have read the capacity claims for both 3.7V and 5.1, and I understand the difference.

I also understand old4570's frustration and disappointment with the capacity.

if you look at the specs you can see that it says:

capacity 8000mah

input 5V / 1A

output1 5V 1A

output2 5V 2A

so how are we supposed to know that it's 8000mah @3.7V and not 8000mah @5V there?

bad/false specs i'd say...

14

I wouldn’t say that this are bad/false specs but rather a way that marketing exploits everyone that is not familiar enough with this subject.
Correct numbers are stated at least on Xiaomi products but they are not guilty if buyers don’t understand what’s written on the label.

It’s like when you buy a car and salesman tells you that the consumption is 4 liters per 100 kilometers, then you take the car for a spin, floor the gas and car computer shows you 8l/100km and you are like “WTH”. :slight_smile:

15

Thanks for your thoughts and review old4570. You have supplied us the results that matter and stated that.