spluga t1_iy0u0g6 wrote on November 27, 2022 at 10:01 PM

Reply to comment by fazalmajid in What are some quality 10K+ mAh Power Banks/Portable Chargers? [November, 2022] by Speckz5701

I like everything about Nitecore, except I’d prefer 5w charging for my use case. Do you know the specs for the “low current” charging feature? Does the powerbank auto detect, or can you manually enable to slow charge if you’re not in a rush?

fazalmajid t1_iy1467v wrote on November 27, 2022 at 11:15 PM

Good question. I tried charging my 12.9” iPad Pro with my USB-A and my USB-C multimeters:

USB-C, low-charge mode On: 5V 3A, 15W
USB-C, low-charge mode off: 11V, 1.67A, 18W
USB-A, low-charge mode On: 5V 1A, 5W
USB-A, low-charge mode off: same

Make of that what you will. The USB-A tests were done with an AmazonBasics C-A cable rated at 10Gbps.

You have to manually engage the feature by long-pressing the mode button. Presumably it’s mainly for USB-A since it doesn’t negotiate power like PD does, thus the risk of overload.

spluga t1_iy1vaou wrote on November 28, 2022 at 2:43 AM

Thank you for taking the time to test that for me! So the USB-A port appears to limit to 5w regardless of low-charge mode (did you mean the fourth bullet to be USB-A, low charge off?).

fazalmajid t1_iy1vlgj wrote on November 28, 2022 at 2:46 AM

Yes, corrected my post. Not sure why it isn't doing the 10W standard USB-A is capable of, even if it can't do the non-standard Apple 12W charging mode at 2.4A. I'll try again with a different power meter and cables.

spluga t1_iy2bh1h wrote on November 28, 2022 at 5:05 AM

Yes, 5W and not 10W is surprising. Looking forward to what you find, if you can!

fazalmajid t1_iy38x04 wrote on November 28, 2022 at 12:27 PM

OK, I switched to an Apple-branded USB-A to Lightning cable and Klein ET920 tester, verified with an Apple 10W USB charger that it did 5.07V 1.68A on an old iPad Pro with Lightning connector (it was 87% full so probably not drawing at its fullest).

When put on the Nitecore on, it did the same 5.07V 1.56–1.68A whether I turned on slow-charge mode or not. At this point I think it's a placebo, and if you want fast charging up to the rated 18W you must use USB-C, but on USB-A YMMV depending on the cable.

This also confirms my feeling that every power bank maker should adopt the Anker 737's status display feature, and that a USB multimeter is a must-have accessory.

spluga t1_iy3jk8g wrote on November 28, 2022 at 2:08 PM

Thanks for the follow up! Agree, agree.