EasyVolts USB Dongle Outputs 0-24V DC, Exposes UART, GPIO/PWM, RS-485 Signals

A while ago, I wrote about USBminiPower, a USB power supply with 3.3V, 5V, and one variable DC output up to 14.3V adjustable with a rocker switch, and equipped for a 4-digit LED display showing current intensity and voltage. But recently, I was made aware of another USB power supply – EasyVolts USB dongle – that supports 0 to 24V DC, and also exposes either UART pins, or RS-485 signal, plus two GPIO/PWM pins. EasyVolts specifications: USB – 1x USB port for power, communication Power Supply function: Input voltage: 5V from USB port Output voltage: 0-24V Max output current: 1A Max output power: ~2.4W (e.g. 24V/0.1A; 3.3V/0.55A) Voltage resolution: <50mV Current resolution: <2mA I/O expansion 4- pin to be used as UART (Tx/Rx) or RS-485 + 2x GPIO/PWM UART – speed: 300-230400 bit/sec; resistance of Tx/Rx pins: 300 Ohm PWM – Base frequency: 240kHz.; frequency division configuration: 1-65535; duty cycle […]

Maiwo K104c is a $9 2.5″ SATA Drive Enclosure with a USB Type C Cable

USB type C receptacles are found in more and more devices, but if you have older accessories or peripherals they likely use micro USB, and USB type A cables or plugs. One way to work around this problem is to get adapter, for example, I purchased a micro USB to USB Type C adapter last year, but this morning I’ve come across a USB type C hard drive enclosure, something I had not seen before, probably because I did not look for it. Maiwo K104c enclosure specifications: Designed for 2.5″ SATA drives (HDD/SSD) up to 9.5mm thick USB type C to SATA 3.0 interface using JMS567 chipset UASP protocol support (aka USB attached SCSI) OS agnostic so it should work with any operating systems Dimensions – 21.50 x 2.70 x 1.20 cm Weight – 130 x 79 x 17mm JMicron JMS567 chipset is the same as used in NanoPi NEO […]

USBCEE Tiny-PAT Board Helps Testing USB-C Power Adapters (Crowdfunding)

USB power delivery allows for up to 100W charging using 20V @ 5A through a USB type C port, and the specifications also mandate supports for various voltages between 5V and 20V. However, some USB-C power adapter that not be fully compliant with the specifications, potentially risking to damage your device. USBCEE Tiny-PAT board has been created in order to test such power adapters to make sure they are compliant with USB PD 2.0/3.0 specifications. Tiny-PAT board features and specifications: Supported USB Spec Version – PD 2.0 / PD 3.0 Max Voltage: 24 V Max Current: 5 A Max Power: 100 W USB type C receptacle Misc – Fail and Pass LEDS, S4 mode button, through holes for VBUS & GND Power Consumption: ~10 mA (may vary based on voltage) Dimensions – 35 x 20 mm By default, the board will test all power rules advertised by the power adapter, […]

Silicon Power C50 3-in-1 USB Flash Drive Comes with micro USB, USB Type C, and USB Type A Ports

USB flash drives are convenient ways to carry data around, and load on other computers. They are usually based on USB type A found on computers, laptops and even TVs, , but if you plan to connect it to your smartphone or tablet, which may only comes with micro USB or USB type C port, you’ll need an OTG adapter to connect the USB flash drive. It works, but if you don’t like to look for the adapter each time you can want to connect, Silicon Power C50 USB flash drive offers a solution as it includes all three types of connectors. Sorry no mini USB port 🙂 Specifications of Silicon Power OTG Mobile C50 flash drive: Capacity – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB Interfaces – USB Type-A (USB3.1 Gen 1), Micro-B (USB 2.0), Type-C (USB3.1 Gen 1) Dimensions – 41.7 x 7.0 x 15.0mm Weight – 5.2g Operating Temperature – […]

Checking Out Dodocool DC30S USB type C Hub with USB 3.0 Ports, Power Delivery, HDMI Output, and Card Reader

I reviewed Vorke Z3 Android mini PC last month, the first mini PC I’ve received with a USB type C port capable of handling video output too. I could see support for dual HDMI displays in the firmware, but at the time I did not have a USB type C hub with HDMI output. But Dodocool sent me their DC30C USB type C hub so I’ve finally been able to give a try. Dodocool DC30S Specifications USB Input – 13 cm USB 3.1 Type-C cable USB Outputs – 3x USB 3.0 type A ports up to 5 Gbps; 1x USB 3.1 Type-C PD charging port Video Output – HDMI port Storage – SD & Micro SD card reader Dodocool DC30S Unboxing First the package which gives basic info about the USB hub. The device comes with a warranty registration card, and a multi-language user manual. One side comes with the […]

USB 3.2 To Bring 20 Gbps Transfer Rate to Existing USB type C Cables

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has recently announced the upcoming USB 3.2 specification that defines multi-lane operation for compatible hosts and devices, hence doubling the maximum theoretical bandwidth to 20 Gbps. Only USB Type-C cables were designed to support multi-lane operation, so other type of USB cables will not support USB 3.2, and stay limited to 10 Gbps. USB 3.2 will allow for up to two lanes of 5 Gbps, or two lanes of 10 Gbps operation, so if you want to achieve 20 Gbps transfer rate, you’ll need a USB Type C cable certified for SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps, beside hosts and devices that comply with USB 3.2. Anandtech explains that two high speed data paths are available in USB type C connector as shown above, which are also used for alternate modes, and the USB 3.1 standard makes use of one of those paths for 10 Gbps transfer, […]

USB type C to HDMI Cables Coming Soon thanks to HDMI Alt Mode for USB Type-C

Some devices already support video output over a USB type C connector, but they normally rely on DisplayPort over USB type C, so you’d either need a monitor that supports DisplayPort, or some USB Type C to HDMI converter. A DisplayLink dock is another solution, but again it converts video and audio signals. But soon you’ll be able to use a simple USB type C to HDMI cable between a capable device (camera, phone, computer, TV box…) and any HDMI TV or monitor. This is being made possible thanks to HDMI Alt Mode for USB Type-C  that supports all HDMI 1.4b features including: Resolutions up to 4K (@ 30 Hz) Surround sound Audio Return Channel (ARC) 3D (4K and HD) HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) Deep Color, x.v.Color, and content types High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP 1.4 and HDCP 2.2) There’s no video or audio conversion inside […]

Qualcomm Announces Audio Platforms for Smart Speakers, Headphones, and Hearables

Smart speakers are getting a lot of buzz recently with products like Amazon Echo or Google Home, and many home automation products are advertised with Amazon’s Alexa support, so that they can be controlled by voice commands. Qualcomm is now going after this market, and others audio markets via 5 new platforms for streaming audio, high resolution audio, wireless audio, USB -C audio devices – due to the “death” of the 3.5mm headphone jack -, and hearables. The five platforms include: Bluetooth and BLE Audio SoCs such as Qualcomm CSRA68100 for premium wireless speakers and headphones. The SoC comes with flash, DSP, a 2-ch audio CODEC, USB & I/Os interfaces. Qualcomm QCC3xxx entry-level Bluetooth audio SoC for mid to low-cost Bluetooth headsets and speakers. Qualcomm WHS9420 (192kHz/24-bit audio) and WHS9410 (entry-level) USB-C audio SoC for USB-C headphones Qualcomm DDFA Digital Amplifier Technology with CSRA6xxx amplifier Smart Speaker Platform shown above […]