RAVPower PD Pioneer 65W 4-port Desktop Charger ( model RP-PC136 ) Review

I recently purchased a RAVPower PD Pioneer 65W 4-port Desktop Charger ( model RP-PC136 ). It just came with the charger itself and the power cable (detachable) but most people will have the cables they need so the fact it doesn’t come with cables is fine.

For a size comparison, it was about the same size as two portable wall chargers that I have: a 1-port USB-C 60W charger and a 2-port USB-A/USB-C 65W charger.  The fact I am able to get 4-ports for something that is still small enough to travel with was nice.

Charger and power cable

2x USB-C and 2x USB-A

Size comparison: 2-port charger on left, this product in the middle, and 1-port charger on right

Size comparison: 1-port charger on left, this product in the middle, and 2-port charger on right

To test the charger, I used various devices and a USB-C volt/amp meter to help track what was going on.  The numbers I use are just an estimate for watts, I wasn’t focused on accuracy I just wanted a rough idea of how the charger acted with various devices.

Test scenarios and outcomes:

- Lenovo Chromebook C330 connected alone on USB-C was charging around 14.5V / 2.07A, basically 30W.

- Lenovo Chromebook Duet connected alone on USB-C was charging around 8.52V / 2.39A, basically 20W.

- Samsung S9+ connected alone on USB-A was charging around 8.9V / 1.5A, basically 14W (fast charge mode).  

- RAVPower 26800 mAh battery pack connected alone on USB-A was charging around 4.86V / 1.81A, basically 9W.

- Putting both Chromebooks on the charger dropped the Duet to 16W, and the C330 stayed at 30W which was expected based on the product info.

- Putting both Chromebooks and the S9+ all at the same time dropped both Chromebooks to 16W each (as expected based on the product info), and the S9+ was charging at around 13W.

- Putting all 4 devices (2 Chromebooks, S9+ and the battery pack) left the Chromebooks with 16W each, S9+ around 8.6W and the battery pack at 10W.

I didn’t have any devices that pulled over 30W, so I wasn’t able to really max it out but the fact it was able to charge multiple devices without issue was nice.  I did notice that the USB-A ports could charge above 5V (supporting QC) but only if you were using one of the USB-A ports.  If you used both USB-A ports, they were limited to 5V.  After the fact I looked at the product info on the RAVPower site and saw this was reflected in the information.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Compact: This wasn’t much bigger than two different wall chargers that I have, and those were just one and two port chargers (both supported USB-C PD).  This charger had 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports.

Compatibility: It was nice that the charger supported PD on the USB-C ports and QC on the USB-A ports.

Bottom line: Great 4-port desk charger that is also compact enough for travel.

MakerHawk (Keweisi) USB-C meter Review

I recently purchased a MakerHawk USB-C test meter ( back of the device says Keweisi model KWS-1802C ) for a product review. The device comes alone, no cables or anything which is fine.

I don’t know if the average user would have a need for such a device, but since I like to play around with technology and post on my blog I figured it would be a nice addition to my toolkit.  I already have a USB-A to USB-C cable with a built-in V/A display, and a USB-A to microUSB cable with built-in V/A display but I didn’t have anything for USB-C to USB-C.

The charger shows voltage, amps, time charging, watts, mAh and temperature.

To test the charger out, I tried various things:

- Tested a Choetech and Inateck USB-C PD charger against various devices ( two Chromebooks and a Samsung S9+ ).  I saw a range of voltages from 5V on the S9+ all the way to 15V from my Lenovo Chromebook C330.

- I tested a RAVPower powerbank with my Lenovo Duet.  It was interesting because I was able to have the Duet charge the powerbank, and also have the powerbank charge the Duet.  In both cases, the meter property showed the direction of flow.

- The highest voltage was when I was charging the RAVPower powerbank, it was almost 20V (about 30W) which seems to be the max charging input.

Here are some product pictures:

Some of my equipment

The MakerHawk shows the USB-C measures,
and the Choetech shows the voltage on the USB-A.

Chromebook Duet is charging the battery pack
(arrow shows current flowing out)

Battery pack is charging the Chromebook Duet
(arrow shows current flowing in)

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to use: Just plug it in and use it, nothing special

Reversible: It measures flow in both directions, so you can plug the meter into your charger or the device being charged.

Budget friendly: Very inexpensive little gadget to help you with any testing you need to do.

Bottom line: Neat addition to the toolkit of anyone that is into technology.

HDMI Video Capture ( HDMI to USB ) Review

I recently purchased a HDMI Video Capture device. This is a generic device that you will find on Amazon on Ebay, probably in the $30 range - I got mine on Amazon from the seller “ZI YOUREN”, the link is at the end of this page.  I didn’t have a specific need for one, but it looked cool so I figured why not give it a try.

The device is very simple.  A small adapter with USB plug on one side, and HDMI socket on the other.  For whatever you connect via USB, that device will likely just see it as a webcam so you don’t need special drivers or anything.

Just in the first day I playing around with it, I was able to test the following:

- Connected to Windows 10 device, and used the camera app as a quick test to see if the video worked (which it did).
- Connected to an Android phone ( Samsung S9+ ).  Since my phone is USB-C, I used a USB-C dock and plugged this device into the dock.  I was able to see video, you do have to find software designed to view video from a USB webcam.
- Connected to a Chromebook.  Again, it seemed to register as a webcam and from there I was able to see video input.
- On the Windows PC, I set up OBS ( Open Broadcaster Software ).  Now, I have never used it before but the manual that came with it suggested this app.  It seems to be designed for people that do video streaming, but it allows recording as well.
- Used OBS to record, and stream (via Facebook live) some video using a Nintendo Switch as my input.

The only issue I noticed is sometimes, especially when first starting the capture, the video would get artifacts.  Now, I have no clue if it is the adapter, or something else like the software or just the fact I don’t have a powerful PC.  I did change one setting in Windows ( I think it was disabling the Game bar ) that may have helped address it, the video I recorded from the Switch looked pretty good.

Also there is a small amount of lag on the video, it wasn’t an issue with Animal Crossing but if you are going to play a fast paced game you may want to get a HDMI mirror device that will take 1 input and output to two HDMI devices ( a monitor and the capture device ).  To see a short sample of video I captured from Animal Crossing: New Horizons check out this link ( https://youtu.be/RuPB3_cEiTk ).

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Simple setup: You just plug it into the computer, and then hook it to your HDMI source.

Simple use: Your device just sees the input as a webcam.

Useful tool: This could have a wide range of uses for a variety of users.  You can take video from a wide range of devices - computers, gaming consoles, devices like a Raspberry Pi, cameras that have HDMI output really anything that can output HDMI video.  Once you have the video signal, you can record it, stream it, or probably use it in collaboration software.

Bottom line: Just based on these quick tests, it seems like a good budget level entry device into video capture.

Amazon Product Page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C7CSD2D/

CharJenPro Stingray - Switch Dock Review

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free, I was not asked or required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received a CharJenPro Stingray for Nintendo Switch.  There was no requirement to do a review or post, but I think it is a neat little product so I figured I would share some thoughts and results from testing it out.

The device is pretty small, with just the adapter with a built-in USB-C cable.  Once you look at the device you can see why they went with the name Stingray (if you aren’t familiar with the shape of a stingray, google what a stingray looks like).  In addition to the cable with USB-C connector (that connects to the Switch) the device has the following ports:

- Ethernet
- HDMI (full size)
- USB-C for power
- USB 3.0 (Type A socket)
- USB 2.0 (Type A socket)

Red dots show the ports, you can see they are spaced out pretty well.
Left ports: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0
Front ports: USB-C and HDMI
Right: Ethernet

To test it, I connected two different USB-C power adapters.  The directions clearly state to only use the original Nintendo Power Adapter or CharJenPro Power Adapter but the whole point of testing things is to see what happens.  One power adapter caused the white LED to blink ( which means it is not compatible ) and the other adapter I tested made the LED solid which seems to show it is working.

Make sure you put the Switch face down so the vents are not covered.

Nintendo Switch on a computer monitor (excuse the cable mess)

I had to use a HDMI to VGA adapter, so I could use a computer monitor I had setup.  Once I connected everything ( power, HDMI and Switch ) it turned on fine.  I was able to play games with no problems, no glitch in video or anything.

I also tested the Ethernet port, the device did pull a different IP address than it was using on wireless and seemed to work fine.  I used the built-in network connection and noticed the download speeds didn’t change much (they fluctuate up/down each test so I can’t really say which connection was faster).  I did noticed that the wifi upload test would give an error, but upload test on the Stingray Ethernet worked fine which I found interesting.

Since I like to test things, I had to test this adapter on two other devices with the following results:

- I tried to connect this to my Samsung S9+ to see if it would work with video out or trigger DeX mode, but it did not.  To be clear this is designed for Nintendo Switch so there was no reason for me to expect this to work.

- I connected the adapter to my Lenovo C330 Chromebook.  The HDMI video output worked, and the power worked to charge the Chromebook was using video out.  This gives it a neat second use, but remember the primary purpose of the adapter is for Nintendo Switch.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Compact: This is much easier to carry around than the original Switch dock for travel.

Ports: Despite the fact it is portable, it still gives you the same basic functionality as the original dock.  You can use it to play on TV.  You do lose one “Type A” USB port (the original dock has 3, this has 2) but you gain an Ethernet port.  The ports have good spacing between them in case you have a cable with a wider than normal plug.

Easy to use: The adapter is easy to use, and you can use the same cables (power, HDMI, and USB accessories) that you would use on the original dock.  No need to buy a special power adapter or HDMI cable just for this unit.

Bottom line: Neat little adapter to replace the factory dock for the Nintendo Switch that adds an Ethernet port.

CharJenPro Product Page: https://www.charjenpro.com/switchstingray
Amazon Product Page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YSCQQX6/