KA
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
I’ve been testing this unit on power banks, AC to USB power adapters, and various USB cables for the past few days. I’ve found it to be packed with a lot of features and capabilities (many of which I will not use), and is very accurate with the info displayed on the screen. This model is the ATORCH DL24P with a total power rating of 180 watts (they also have a DL24 model which tops out at 150 watts).The accessories it comes with are (1) a USB board that you can attach to the main board and has a 5.5x2.1 input barrel connector; USB mini; USB micro; and USB-C inputs to test various power parameters, (2) a temperature probe to attach/tape onto a battery, (3) a green USB-A to USB-C cable to attach unit to a computer, and (4), a pair of 12AWG test leads (alligator clip at one end and a spade connector at the other) for hooking up batteries to the unit. The unit I received did not come with any printed instructions, or user manual. Apparently, there should have been a printed quick-start guide included but based on a few other reviews, it doesn’t contain much useful info so I don’t think I missed anything there.Each time you power up the unit, the second screen displays a QR code that sends you to Atorch’s website where you can download the user manual as well as links to download the software/app for connecting a PC, Android, and IOS to the unit (mobile connection is via Bluetooth). They state to search for E-test on Google Play to download the app, but I could not find the app as of this writing. I’m weary of downloading any apps from other sources that aren’t vetted by GP, so I did not download any software from the provided link.The User’s Manual I downloaded was pretty good at describing how to use the unit, which included describing the four test modes; how to use the four navigation buttons; and describing the display info. There is a menu enabling you to set 18 different parameters (see pictures), which the user manual does not address. While most are self-explanatory, there are some that could use an explanation. If you want to test power delivery adapters and power banks with PD beyond the 5V default output, you will need to purchase a power delivery trigger board or module (if you don’t already have one), to test, 9, 12, 15, and 20V outputs. The user manual list one that ATORCH sells that supports PD3.0/3.1, QC, AFC and other “unspecified” protocols. With PD3.1, you can test up to 28V (amperage depends on power source).One of the tests I did was on a 70,000mAh EnergyCube power bank. It lists a nominal capacity of 42,000mAh at 5V, 3A. With the power bank fully charged at 100%, I set the unit to 2.8A Constant Current (CC) and started the test (the voltage stayed around 4.83V during the test). The completion report showed a capacity of 44,841mAh; 216.554 Wh; and it took 16 hours and 58 seconds to complete (see picture). One thing to remember is you’re never going to pull the full battery capacity out of any power bank. They say 80-90% of the rated battery capacity after the voltage conversion (from 3.7V to 5V) is typical, which equates to 57,600 to 64,800 for this EnergyCube. With me only getting 44,841, that puts the percentage a little bit over 62%. I don’t know if the power bank being able to also output 9 and 12V has anything to do with the lower usable amps or not. At least the company stated the usable capacity at a given voltage and amp draw, which most do not (they only advertise the battery capacity since it’s the highest number).I can’t say how long this unit will last, but I do like it so far and would recommend it to anyone needing to test power banks, USB power adapters, batteries, and USB cables. One micro-USB cable I tested (about 18” long) would not go higher than 0.84A on a load. Another micro-USB cable (3 ft long) using the same load charged at 1.68A. I know the 3ft long cable had 20AWG power wires (per advertisement). I would guess the 18-inch cable probably only had 24AWG power wires (cables can make a big difference in charging speed). If you’re going to use this to test the capacity of 12.8V Lithium batteries, just remember the total power cannot exceed 180 watts. So, if you wanted to test the capacity of a 100Ah battery, you’d be limited to an CC amp draw of around 13 to 13.5 amps. I know most LIFEPO4 batteries are usually fully charged when showing 13.4V (after the excess surface charge has worn off), so 13.4Vx13.5A would put you at 178.22 watts.
Jonathan Demarks
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
I've used this to test lots of various power supplies and to characterize their output. It's been rock solid even when the loads have not been. Lots of little adapters are packed in to make testing easier. One note, make sure you read the manual because likely you will want to connect BOTH positive terminals and BOTH negative terminals to get accurate voltage and amperage readings. The included accessories make this easy, but if you're connecting up your own wires directly it's worth knowing. Personally, I use the included alligator clips to help with this. On the subject of the RGB fan: I thought I would want to disable the lighting, but it hasn't been annoying.Overall, I think this is a great buy. Even if it feels a little expensive the knowledge that your power supply will do what it's rated to gives peace of mind especially if you plan to install it "out of sight".
MacGyver Jr.
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
Followed the setup instructions for this unit. I was able to set the test parameters on occasion, but as soon as I pressed the start button, this unit would get locked into a reboot loop. Every once in a while, it would allow the test to start for a few seconds then it would get stuck in a reboot loop. Product was unusable due to rebooting issue.