Not All USB Power Is Created Equal

jfruh writes "We've reached a point in our electronic lives where most of our gadgets draw power from a USB cable, and we have lots of USB ports to choose from — some of which live on other gadgets, some of which live on adapters that plug into your wall or car. But those ports supply wildly varying amounts of power, which can result in hours of difference in how long it takes your phone to charge. The Practical Meter, the product of a successful Kickstarter campaign, can help you figure out which power sources are going to juice up your gadgets the fastest."

Comments

Re:Or use what already exists

[Charliemopps]

Oh my God people, turn in your fucking geek card:
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity%C2%AE-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Ohmmeter/dp/B00B7CS3UY/

Put it in series with your device and set it to amps. It also has 1000 other uses besides checking that the numbers on the side of your USB adapter are accurate.
Also this, AND the above mentioned devices will only tell your the voltage your device is currently drawing. You could have a 2amp capable USB port but if your device only draws .5 at max load, that's all you're going to see.

I recommend USB adapters rated at least at 2 to 4amps (or in the 12 to 24+ watt range) My phone doesn't generally draw more than about 2. Less than 2 and you'll likely use more power than you'll charge with so if you've got it in your car listening to music it'll die even while it's plugged in. The common grab bag 1amp plugs you can get at the checkout are garbage.