How to use USB Power for things other than charging

How to use USB Power for things other than charging

In this video I am looking at how USB power can be used to power other devices beyond the basics of charging things. There are many ways to accomplish this but I went with a simple easy method that anyone can do.

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Equipment:
Video Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve 17
Video Camera / Still Camera: Sony ZV1
Lights: Three VILTROX VL-200T
Microphone: Blue encore300 / MOTU / Reaper
Power Z USB 3.1 Decoy (PD 3.1 Emulator) eBay

Number 119

[brokejaw]

You're like the lockpicking lawyer but for electricity

[Ender_Wiggin]

Glad you mentioned PPS. Not has common but would hit all the needs. You can also get programmable cables to have flexibility. Now just get an inline USB C UPS and you will have a killer setup. You can get cheap DC "router UPS" that would also work and are more common. Loveing the content. You are doing what I had always wanted to do.

[arenomusic]

Trying to make this solution functional for a handful of raspberry pis and monitors at work, your channel has been incredibly helpful

[_jerieljan]

I've had USB-A to barrel plug connectors before and it also worked despite the lack of proper power delivery but it really depends on what's powering and what's being powered. It's good to know that there are USB-C versions out there now that do PD and proper power negotiation too!

I was able to run a router for quite a while with that USB-A connector in the past with a powerbrick, so yeah, this stuff is useful for that use case too besides getting rid of the stock adapters that take too much socket space and efficiency.

[versitalex]

I've been looking into USB power for a travel ultrasonic cleaner (for a dental retainer) and electric shaver, so this video is right up my alley. While both of the above use 12V power, zero of the USB-C power adapters I already own support 12V output. I'll need to get a new adapter, so here's a good opportunity for me to buy one that doesn't suck. Thanks!

[oncontinualevolution]

Definitely a good use case and demonstration of how you can do things a little different.

[NicksStuff]

1:44 Have you tested the fancier ones that convert your USB PD power supply into a real bench power supply, with CV and CC modes?

[yonutz]

Awesome, i was considering this in the past. I had no idea those adapters are so easy to find and at a reasonably low cost

[TommyThousandFaces]

I didn't think such cables were around! I always thought I had to go through a cumbersome negotiation board to get the desired output. I guess that for lower power laptops it could be great too.
Are going to review more power banks in the future? I bought one from Baseus but it's not negotiating correctly with my phone for some reason (works fine with other devices and laptops).

[theofficialbabatrolling]

You should make a video on what is the difference between pps vs pd 💖

[utweak]

What was that adjustable power module at 1:50? Is it sold premade or is it a diy kit? Any sources?

[rs]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Satechi 108W 3-port USB-C charger. I like that they forwent USB-A ports for 3 USB-C ports on that model (I don't really have any USB-A cables anymore). Thanks for the informative (beyond my head most of the time haha) content!

[gepardtilly]

I bought a USB-C to Dell barrel adapter for my Dell 7530 laptop about a year ago. It works well with the Bauseus GAN 100W that you reviewed. It charges at 65W. The original adapter is a 180W brick monster.

[dono]

Do you have any suggestions for powering Raspberry Pi clusters? I have a 8 node cluster consisting of a combination of RP3 and RP4 boards. It has always been a pain powering these with their default AC adapters, which takes too many sockets on power strips. I would love to be able to replace all of those connections with a single adapter.

The documentation indicates that the RP3 requires 5.1V at 2.5A, while the RP4 requires 5.1V at 3.0A. Would USB 5.0V be sufficient? Also, the RP3 does not support PD, while the newer RP4 boards do. (Note: there was a PD bug with the initial RP4 release.) As I understand it, as long as the voltage is constant, a device will only draw as much amps as necessary. Does this sound right? Please let me know if I am missing anything. Now if I could only find a 8 port USB adapter...

[tudormarcu]

Any suggestions for using USB C to equipment that requires higher voltage, like 24-48V? I DIYd a 20V sink connected to an Aliexpress module that allowed me to increase the voltage, but it isn't very efficient.

[NicksStuff]

7:56 I thought I kinda understood what the cos φ (which you call cos 𝜃 in the US I believe?) is, why power companies don't like it and why they charge their industrial customers when it deviate too far from 1 but I'm not sure anymore. Why does a cos φ improvement leads to a 5% energy saving in your case? Have you considered making videos about the theory, explaining in greater depth what the metrics you measure are and what their impact is (with cost analysis like here)?

[tapal]

Cable Matters brand your thoughts? Thanks

[Ender_Wiggin]

Now just get a UPS USB C battery bank and you got a killer setup. Any chance you will do a round up of battery banks that can act like UPS?

[Dazdigo]

I have powered a lot of 5v network switches on usb power. If the power draw is under 1 amp at 5v, you should be fine doing it with just a usb a port to barrel adapter.

[steveslounge]

How can I build the DIY power adapter you showed