Charging your device isn’t quite as straightforward as it should be these days as so many devices now have different charging requirements. Not only that, but there are also many different types of charges that have different wattage and amperage, so it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the optimal charge from your charger. That’s why getting something like the Plugable USB-C Voltage & Amperage Meter (USBC-VANMETER) can be very helpful as it can take the guesswork out of charging and show you exactly how much voltage and amperage you’re getting as well as which direction the electrical current is flowing.
The Plugable USBC-VANMETER isn’t a new product, but it has been updated for a new generation of devices. The USBC-VANMETER is now smaller, at roughly the size of a USB flash drive and now has a brand new, OLED screen that is brighter and easier to read. There’s also a new orientation button that allows you to flip the screen so that it’s always facing in the proper direction. Lastly, Plugable added a TVS (transient voltage suppressor) circuit to prevent inrush current spikes.
So what makes the USBC-VANMETER a needed item is its usefulness. Mainly, you want to always be monitoring charge information, whether it’s from a power source to your device, or your device to another device, such as an external hard drive. It’s a multimeter that can keep tabs on healthy power delivery and can also help alert you when something is wrong. On the display, you’ll see measurements for Voltage, Amperage, and the calculated Wattage. How does the USBC-VANMETER calculate the wattage? Easy. It’s just Power(W) = Voltage(V) x Current(A).
Does it work? For the most part, yes it does. I’ve used it mostly from different power sources to my devices to check whether my devices were charging normally or fast charging. This is a great way for me to test chargers to see which ones actually give me fast charging capabilities. I do this because what it says on the charger isn’t always correct. For instance, I have a charger that is rated at 60W and can charge a laptop, but it will not super fast charge my Galaxy S21 Ultra. I have another 100W charger that will however and will correctly regulate the power.
So yeah, the Plugable USBC-VANMETER does come in handy, especially since I’m sure most of you have a collection now of charging blocks from all different sources and brands and probably have no idea how much power any of them supply. This will help you identify which will work with newer devices and which should be thrown out or used only for low power devices. With that said, the Plugable USB-C Voltage & Amperage Meter seems like an accessory everyone needs to have in their tool kit. While it’s not meant to be exactly accurate, it is accurate enough where you can get an idea of what’s going on with your devices and how they charge and that could definitely help you out in a pinch when you need to diagnose a charging issue.
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