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January 20, 2020January 21, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

TIL: Some 9V Batteries can be Recharged with a Simple USB Cable

9V batteries are/used to be popular for Arduino projects, as they can easily be connected via the power jack of the board. But now that most recent Arduino boards are powered by 5V via a USB Type-C port or Vin in, those are not an option. I thought I found a solution when I saw the following tweet earlier today which looks to provide a convenient way to connect a 9V battery to devices powered by USB. accidentally ran into another cursed adapter: 9v battery to USB pic.twitter.com/laKjIi6wUy — foone🏳️‍⚧️ (@Foone) January 20, 2020 I was unable to find details about the board, but I suppose the chip close to the USB connector is a 9V to 5V regulator (e.g. LM7805), so this would indeed output 5V. Just don’t expect to fully charge your phone with it, as a typical 9V battery has a 500mAh capacity. [Update: It’s on Retrokits, […]

December 27, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

SwitchTrick Switching Power Supply Board Helps you Test your Breadboard Circuit

We’ve covered several power supplies for breadboards over the years including toaster breadboard power supply with variable voltage output, or the portable, battery-powered MEGO power supply that allows you to power your project on the go. The SwitchTrick is another one of those breadboard power supplies but with testing in mind, as it takes input from various sources, and with jumper selection for voltage from 1.8V to 6V allows you to easily simulate different battery voltage levels, or the test the overvoltage protection of your circuit for example. SwitchTrick key features and specifications: Step-down converter – TI TPS62160 3-17V step down-convertor adjustable from 0.9-6V out at 1A. Power Input – 3V to 17V via 5.5×2.1mm power jack for 9V battery or wall supply Micro USB connector for 5V 2-pin JSY PH connector for battery 2x large plates holes for alligator clips Power Output (selectable by a jumper) 1.8V 2.5V 3.0V […]

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

SKA100 Power Bank Supports 220/110V AC, 12V, and USB PD 3.0 / QC Outputs

Power banks are normally comprised of a battery that you can charge from the mains, and then delivers power over USB when you connect it to your smartphone, tablet or camera while on the go. Some devices like laptops, TVs, or fans are usually powered directly by the mains, or a power brick connected to the mains, and if you’d like to charge your devices on the go, you could do so with a portable AC power station. Those are often fairly bulky, but recently I’ve seen Arun showcase an AC 100 watt portable power station at IFA 2019 that looks fairly compact. It’s not available yet through, and there are few technical details. There are however several such power banks on Aliexpress including Sungzu SKA100 power bank that offers DC outputs and one 220V/110V AC output delivering up to 100 watts. SKA100 power bank specifications: Input Voltage Range – […]

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 by Ayo Ayibiowu - 7 Comments

MDP-XP is A Modular DC Power Supply Kit For Your Next Project

My love for modular power supply design can not be denied. I find it cool, how you can increase the functionality of relative less powerful device just by adding another device on top or connected to it. With the explosion of the Arduino shields, the Raspberry Pi HaTs, I must say hardware modular design will surely be here for a long time. An interesting modular product discovered on SeeedStudio is the MDP-XP Smart Digital Power Supply Kit. This product is a new product carried by Seeedstudio as it can be seen on the front page, and it is an interesting product indeed. The MDP-XP known as Mini Digital Power System is a system of programmable linear DC power supply inheriting the modular design concept where you can enhance the basic functionality of the device. It is a cost-effective DC power supply, featuring indicators, stability, reliability and distinct user interface comparable […]

July 2, 2019February 16, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 2 Comments

Programmable USB Hub Power Adjustable with Built-In Dev Board (Crowdfunding)

Capable Robot Components has launched its Crowd Supply campaign for the Programmable USB Hub in June of 2019. The hub is a feature rich and component rich USB hub that has a dev board built-in. The entire system is housed in an extruded aluminum case, with all the numbering and lettering and port attachments in brilliant white. Control power and data flow, directly through the unit. The first 40 units are sold out. There seem to be good reasons why these USB Hubs sell out fast. There was an in-depth article written on a similar hub some time ago. Inside the enclosure is an array of functionality packed neatly onto a small board. There are 4x USB 2.0 ports that are High-Speed downstream ports and 1x upstream port, a 5th endpoint on the USB hub exposes 2 12C buses via Sparkfun Qwiic connectors, the UART and 2X GPIO. The input power is […]

June 27, 2019June 27, 2019 by Tiwalade Joanna Okedara - 8 Comments

Vivo 120W Super FlashCharge Tops a 4,000 mAh battery in 13 minutes

Recently, the news of Vivo 120W Super FlashCharger which can power a 4,000 mAh battery in 13 minutes is on everyone’s lips. It sounds unreal, but it is. While it is not the first supercharge tech, it is one of its kind. According to reports it would be the world’s fastest charging tech for smartphones. Although no further details were revealed about the Super FlashCharge 120W technology. A Vivo product manager released a video on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. This video teased about the product. Furthermore, Vivo has not yet disclosed how they achieved this feat. Also, it is still a mystery how they developed the 120W super Flashcharge. It is also not really clear when this technology would be introduced into a commercially available smartphone. Remember that OnePlus was the first one to bring a 20W fast charge tech. In addition, it hit the 30W mark […]

May 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Split Home Energy Meter Combines ESP32 with Microchip ATM90E32 IC (Crowdfunding)

It’s always useful to monitor the electricity consumption of your house, as you can easily and quickly find out whether an appliance is suddenly consuming a large amount of electricity before finding out from your next utility bill. It can also help remotely monitoring if an appliance has stopped working and fix it as soon as possible, for example an electric pipe heater making sure your pipe do not freeze in a holiday home. In many cases, a qualified electrician needs to be involved for the installation of whole home energy meters both for safety and insurance matters. We’ve seen in the past energy meters fit easily into a circuit breaker box but they may not be suitable for all setups. I’ve previously reviewed an inexpensive digital clamp meter that you just need to clip on one of the wire connected to your home without having to mess with dangerous […]

April 30, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Battery powered MEGO Portable Power Supply fits into Breadboards

Breadboard power supplies like MB102 have been around for years, and some even designed a variable power supply for breadboards, but EVO-IN-MOTION MEGO looks much neater as a fully enclosed power supply, 4 to 24V output, fitted with a LiPo battery, and a display to show current voltage. MEGO enabled on-the-go breadboard projects without any cables for the power supply. Just connect the power supply, and you’re good to go with power delivered from the built-in battery. MEGO power supply specifications: Output Voltage – 4-24V DC Maximum Power – 6W Safety – Overload protection; short circuit protection Typical Power Efficiency – 88% Voltage Display Accuracy – <1% Ripple Voltage – <1% Load Regulation – 270mV Battery – 7.4Whs (2,000 mAh @ 3.7V) Misc – Power button;, adjust knob for output voltage; low battery and charging LEDs Dimensions – 73 x 59 x 32 mm Weight – 100 grams Temperature Range […]