$1.78 USB Power Monitor

Comments

• mindrobots Posts: 6,506

  2014-08-09 - 07:24:00 edited 2014-08-09 - 07:24:00

  Dang you!
  
  I wish I could make estimates like this at work. From the PayPal order confirmation:

  Estimated delivery between Tuesday, Aug. 26 and Wednesday, Oct. 1

  MOV OUTA, PEACE <div>Rick </div><div>"I've stopped using programming languages with Garbage Collection, they keep deleting my source code!!"</div>
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-09 - 08:26:16 edited 2014-08-09 - 08:26:16

  I guess that means you ordered one! My work here is done.

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Bill Henning Posts: 6,445

  2014-08-09 - 09:15:02 edited 2014-08-09 - 09:15:02

  Dang, that is cute! I'll order a bunch. Thanks!
  

  erco wrote: »

  I might need two, since they come in clear and blue.
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Charger-Doctor-Mobile-Battery-Tester-Power-Detector-Voltage-Current-Meter-G9-/161364003839

  www.mikronauts.com / E-mail: mikronauts _at_ gmail _dot_ com / @Mikronauts on Twitter
  RoboPi: The most advanced Robot controller for the Raspberry Pi (Propeller based)
• Duane Degn Posts: 10,007

  2014-08-09 - 09:34:47 edited 2014-08-09 - 09:34:47

  You got me too (again).

  Duane
  
  Index of my projects and interesting forum posts
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-09 - 09:34:50 edited 2014-08-09 - 09:34:50

  Thank SRLM, his post here got me interested in a cheaper version.
  
  http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/153786-Open-Propeller-Project-2-Envision-the-S3-Robot?p=1283435&viewfull=1#post1283435

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Ron Czapala Posts: 2,418

  2014-08-09 - 11:45:46 edited 2014-08-09 - 11:45:46

  erco wrote: »

  I guess that means you ordered one! My work here is done.

  
  OK - I ordered three. Might try to remove the USB ports to use standalone...

  YouTube channel:
  youtube.com/user/MicroZapMan
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-09 - 12:43:29 edited 2014-08-09 - 12:43:29

  Ron Czapala wrote: »

  OK - I ordered three. Might try to remove the USB ports to use standalone...

  
  Of course, there are all kinds of cheap voltmeters/ammeters without USB:
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-Voltage-Lipo-Battery-Meter-Tester-Indicator-2-6-cells-LED-Panel-Voltmeter-S9-/310778768986?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item485bdbae5a
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-30V-Red-LED-Display-Digital-Voltage-Voltmeter-Panel-Motor-Motorcycle-02-ERUS-/400705508624?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4be8d510
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/gib-New-Direct-Current-DC-0-36Inch-LED-Digital-Display-Voltmeter-Panel-/171334248571?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item27e451287b
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-3PCS-0-30V-Colors-Red-LED-3-Digital-Display-Voltage-Voltmeter-Panel-Motor-01-/380898759352?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item58af55d2b8
  
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/XD-3-New-0-36-Inch-LED-Digital-Ammeter-Amp-Current-Display-Panel-Gauge-DC0-1A-/111352636854?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19ed2265b6

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• banjo Posts: 260

  2014-08-10 - 00:44:30 edited 2014-08-10 - 00:44:30

  Also ordered three, don't know if I really need them but who knows...

  - Thomas Vikstrom (banjo)
  Location: A hop from the longest bridge in...Finland
• CuriousOne Posts: 922

  2014-08-10 - 01:33:42 edited 2014-08-10 - 01:33:42

  Don't get too excited.
  
  They aren't that precise, I already own couple of them. And while their sense resistor is only 0.05 ohm, on charging actual device trough this, charge time increases 20-30%, have no idea why.
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-10 - 13:02:53 edited 2014-08-10 - 13:02:53

  @CuriousOne, I'll have to start consulting you for all of my Ebay China purchases. You're always one step ahead!

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Cluso99 Posts: 15,542

  2014-08-10 - 15:43:47 edited 2014-08-10 - 15:43:47

  Bought one too. Good for seeing how much current is being consumed by my props powered by usb. Much simpler than using a meter.

  My Prop boards: P8XBlade2 , RamBlade , CpuBlade , TriBlade
  P1 Prop OS (also see Sphinx, PropDos, PropCmd, Spinix)
  Website: www.clusos.com
  P1: Tools (Index) , Emulators (Index) , ZiCog (Z80)
  P2: Tools & Code , Tricks & Traps
• localroger Posts: 3,291

  2014-08-10 - 16:29:25 edited 2014-08-10 - 16:29:25

  Well done Erco. Between this and the dash camera you got me to spend $50 on a Sunday night.
• Mark_T Posts: 1,981

  2014-08-10 - 16:38:11 edited 2014-08-10 - 16:38:11

  I'm interested in whether they record charge in mAh, not just current - I designed such a monitor
  last year and made it display current for 4s, then flicker and display charge for 0.5s and flicker and
  switch back to current. Monitoring charge is handy when I'm charging my phone
• SRLM Posts: 5,045

  2014-08-10 - 17:00:07 edited 2014-08-10 - 17:00:07

  Mark_T wrote: »

  I'm interested in whether they record charge in mAh, not just current - I designed such a monitor
  last year and made it display current for 4s, then flicker and display charge for 0.5s and flicker and
  switch back to current. Monitoring charge is handy when I'm charging my phone

  
  What is the difference between charge and current?

  http://srlm.io
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-10 - 18:07:19 edited 2014-08-10 - 18:07:19

  localroger wrote: »

  Well done Erco. Between this and the dash camera you got me to spend $50 on a Sunday night.

  
  If only I got some kickbacks from Ebay, Paypal, and the "Free Shipping " Corporation.
  
  I sure hope this stuff is better than CuriousOne reports!

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-10 - 18:32:37 edited 2014-08-10 - 18:32:37

  Volts and amps.
  

  

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-10 - 18:47:51 edited 2014-08-10 - 18:47:51

  For those with $9 to spend, here's a deluxe OLED version:
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-OLED-USB-Charger-Capacity-power-Current-Voltage-Detector-Tester-Meter-/281346507482
  
  Gotta love this hoarder's review: You can never have enough Charger Doctors...
  

  

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• SRLM Posts: 5,045

  2014-08-10 - 18:53:14 edited 2014-08-10 - 18:53:14

  SRLM wrote: »

  What is the difference between charge and current?

  
  I figured it out: charge is sum(current). Presumably starting at 0 from when the monitor is plugged in.

  http://srlm.io
• Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 22,474

  2014-08-10 - 18:54:11 edited 2014-08-10 - 18:54:11

  'Ordered one. I'll probably forget about it until it shows up. Then -- whoa! -- Christmas in August! ... or September ... or ... as my PayPal balance sloooowly drains through a tiny hole.
  
  -Phil

  “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-10 - 19:37:35 edited 2014-08-10 - 19:37:35

  Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »

  I'll probably forget about it until it shows up

  
  Is that even possible?
  
  How the heck could we have ever lived (if you can call it that) without these, blindly plugging in USB items and letting them charge willy-nilly?
  
  Buy several extras for birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and stocking stuffers. Friends don't let friends charge blindly.

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Ron Czapala Posts: 2,418

  2014-08-20 - 15:38:14 edited 2014-08-20 - 15:38:14

  Got my three today...

  YouTube channel:
  youtube.com/user/MicroZapMan
• localroger Posts: 3,291

  2014-08-20 - 16:53:14 edited 2014-08-20 - 16:53:14

  Got mine today too. Kinda fun to watch the current draw drop off as the cell phone charges. And the external USB hard drive maxes out the port when it's spinning.
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-20 - 17:25:25 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:25:25

  No fair! I found them and you guys get them before me! Plus, I live in LA, where everything should arrive first. I better get mine soon.
  
  Although I did receive my fancy OLED one several days ago. So nanner nanner!

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Ron Czapala Posts: 2,418

  2014-08-20 - 17:35:09 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:35:09

  erco wrote: »

  ... I live in LA, where everything should arrive first.

  
  UPS has a big hub at Louisville WorldPort

  Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS
  The facility is currently the size of 80 football fields and capable of handling 115 packages a second, or 416,000 per hour

  YouTube channel:
  youtube.com/user/MicroZapMan
• mindrobots Posts: 6,506

  2014-08-20 - 17:41:18 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:41:18

  I didn't get mine yet...of course, I live in Medina, OH where delivery trucks only go AFTER their last stop.

  MOV OUTA, PEACE <div>Rick </div><div>"I've stopped using programming languages with Garbage Collection, they keep deleting my source code!!"</div>
• Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 22,474

  2014-08-20 - 17:42:21 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:42:21

  Mine hasn't gotten here, either.
  

  O Lord, won'tcha buy me
  

  an amps monitor.

  I've plugged all my stuff in,

  but I don't know the score.

  I wait for deliv'ry

  each day until four.

  O Lord, won'tcha buy me

  an amps monitor.

  
  'Still, still waiting...
  
  -Phil

  “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• Ron Czapala Posts: 2,418

  2014-08-20 - 17:45:47 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:45:47

  Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »

  Mine hasn't gotten here, either.

  O Lord, won'tcha buy me

  an amps monitor.

  I've plugged all my stuff in,

  but I don't know the score.

  I wait for deliv'ry

  each day until four.

  O Lord, won'tcha buy me

  an amps monitor.

  
  'Still, still waiting...
  
  -Phil

  
  Phil,
  Where's the YouTube video of you singing that little ditty??

  YouTube channel:
  youtube.com/user/MicroZapMan
• mindrobots Posts: 6,506

  2014-08-20 - 17:46:04 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:46:04

  Thanks for that little ditty, JanJop!

  MOV OUTA, PEACE <div>Rick </div><div>"I've stopped using programming languages with Garbage Collection, they keep deleting my source code!!"</div>
• erco Posts: 19,560

  2014-08-20 - 17:47:18 edited 2014-08-20 - 17:47:18

  PhiPi: Didn't you remember to forget about it until it showed up?

  "When you make a thing, a thing that is new, it is so complicated making it that it is bound to be ugly. But those that make it after you, they don’t have to worry about making it. And they can make it pretty, and so everybody can like it when others make it after you."
  
  - Pablo Picasso
• Duane Degn Posts: 10,007

  2014-08-20 - 18:16:07 edited 2014-08-20 - 18:16:07

  erco wrote: »

  Although I did receive my fancy OLED one several days ago. So nanner nanner!

  
  I received my OLED one today but it was DOA. :frown:
  
  Darn. I also received five of these volt meters.

  Duane
  
  Index of my projects and interesting forum posts