Inside a common eBay fast-charge 5000mAh power bank.

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

I went to order one of these, and it made me realize that Clive's videos are driving the price of pink Chinese devices up lol In the first search result, this charger was going for under 9 bucks in every other color, but pink was above 12 bucks! I had noticed it before but this recent event only confirmed my suspicions.

[@mudfatherBULLSHiT]

I don't usually comment on your videos, but I really love your content. You're so thorough and the way you describe things is so intelligent. Keep doing your thing man!

[@ArduinoKing]

I'm impressed that it came to 4.2Ah on the 5v side. Almost all of the power banks I've seen rate their capacity on the cells inside. Which are 3.7V nominal and not 5v. So I would have expected a result more like 3.7Ah Energy of cell 3.7V*5Ah = 18.5Wh Ah at 5V: 18.5/5 = 3.7Ah Assuming 100% efficency

[@Peter_S_]

*_"That sounds just lurid"_* I love you Clive.

[@apexwindowcleaningservices4457]

Pink and acceptable. Been there buddy.

[@johneh87]

looks like they have repurposed the chassis of an external harddrive.

[@nickjohn2051]

johneh87 China made. Off course.

[@KimoKimochii]

no it’s too small

[@johneh87]

@@KimoKimochii not for 2.5"

[@justintheo1051]

I want the crank you got I'm pickle rick whoooooooo

[@philmerrifield1163]

It looks like a tight squeeze for a 2.5in hdd/ssd maybe an ssd would fit better and less likely to short out the pcb

[@Maximilian-Willert]

I really enjoy listening to how you explain things in your videos. It's all in a nice and non dramatic way. Also very honest and based on the facts that you obtain with your tests and measurements. Many thanks and keep up the good work! :)

[@BillyNoMates1974]

glad it has a metal case then to sink the heat

[@MitsumaYT]

But there is no thermal compound or pads to actually deliver the heat effectively to the casing. I actually wonder how hot the insides and probably the cell will get and how much the small air pocket inside will affect overall temperatures. Also, Im not sure I would want that thing use the case as a proper heatsink, having two hotspots on the casing that can burn you does not sound nice at all.

[@Darieee]

Mitsuma's Animation and Stuff I'm sure those tiny transistors won't get nearly as hot with any minimal heatsinking - keep in mind clive had them on some wooden surface which is a pretty good insulator

[@SirCrest]

Just use a frosting bag to fill it with AS5

[@ian-c.01]

They were not actually in contact with the wood, there was an air gap so the insulation would be minimal. It would be 'insulated' more in an enclosed case as there is nowhere for the heat to escape and no air circulation, it's likely to get even hotter ! Even if you could attach 'minimal heatsinking', it would not improve things when the case is closed, it needs to have some way for cool air to get to it, drilling holes in the case might help a little but only on one side if it was laying flat.

[@233kosta]

SirCrest *Don't* pack it with AS5... too many things to go wrong. MX-4 on the other hand...

[@GadgetAddict]

Is that 4200 mAh at 5V? Remember the powerbanks mAh rating is based on 3.7V. From what you said, it sounds like you measured how much it consumed to charge the powerbank. 4200 mAh at 5V is 21Wh. Subtract 10-15% for losses and you've probably got a genuine 3.7V 5,000 mAh (18.5Wh) cell inside.

[@enzustocreations02]

Gadget Addict Hi😍

[@y910701]

Creepergundam123 haha

[@neildagasstrysome7216]

yeah, all phones to charge are also rated based on Lithium Ion accus at 3.7 volts...you`re not too brite

[@_BangDroid_]

He's saying the output is 5V but the rated power is for the cell, 3.7V pre-boost circuit. I=V/R but there's two different voltages in this scenario

[@neildagasstrysome7216]

You`re doing the same thing dude, you forget to take in account my 120v outlet from my power bank. And i can`t live without my professional 1KW portable nose-hair trimmer.

[@Laziter73]

If you got 4200 mAh out of it at 5V, it would suggest a capacity at around 5700 mAh at 3,7V. Not bad at all.

[@bigclivedotcom]

That was input to the cell during charging. Output at 5V would be considerably less.

[@steven4601]

output watthours would be a better measure.. they could have used 1.2nimh and claim 20AH capacity...

[@BenjaminEsposti]

bigclivedotcom Not necessarily - you should investigate this. The battery cell has an effective capacity - battery cells tend to most efficient at a moderate to low load, though this completely depends on the specs in the datasheet ... Also, the boost converter has varying efficiency based on varying load ...

[@lewispommells234]

Don't forget that powerbank manufacturers rate their capacity from the 3.7V lithium cell and not the 5v output. therefore P=IV 5000x3.7 = 18500Mwh then I=P/V 18500/5 which should mean that a 5000Mah cell should be able to output a max of 3700Mah @ 5V. Considering you got 4.2 Ah @ 5V it may be possible that your cell was higher than the 5000mah advertised.

[@stevehulseforwhenitturns]

i have not done any any electronics for years due to working odd hours . but thanks to you i have the bug again and have started tinkering again and i am loveing it .thank you so much your brilliant .

[@SuperAWaC]

i'd still like to see you take one of those 3 amp anker supplies to bits to compare it, i don't even have anything that can pull 3 amps. anker seem to be the supposed gold standard.

[@StephenButlerOne]

SuperAWaC I have a hand full of them. usb c devices like the Nexus 6p and pixel can guzzle down 3amps .

[@coccoborg]

SuperAWaC I second that, I own a couple Anker powercores and a Ravpower extreme series, I've also been recommending them to friends and family. Widely available on Amazon, many capacities to choose from and they always seem to work stellarly.

[@StephenButlerOne]

Chromebook 13 (micro USB cbarged) will eat 3 amp all day . And just about keep it from discharging while in use.

[@readyrepairs]

thats an external HDD case - the aluminum bit

[@tomg5187]

readyrepairs oh yeah! Didn’t notice at first lol! Sneaky devils! 😄

[@l0k048]

when recycling actually is cheaper than manufacturing another xD

[@shyne2643]

@@l0k048 lmao if you think they are using recycled stuff you are wrong this is a brand new one, they us it cuz its cheaper

[@carlyonbay45]

" pink shit from China" .....best line ever lol

[@BenjaminEsposti]

Is it just me, or am I seeing red? :D

[@leegrady5458]

pink yo

[@censorred9004]

mark layton you dont mean kirby right

[@AkiraFurball]

Spat my tea all over the screen, pure magic

[@Split10uk]

Great light hearted video as usual with a touch of caution thrown in. I noticed the same ebay seller has a 8000mAh for a little more, and those have 2 usb out with 1A and 2.1A marked on them.

[@umbratherios5614]

"it's like opening a bomb, it' really quite exciting..." HAHAHAHAA!!!

[@christianchev4717]

Great Review! Whats really wondering me is that only few powerbanks on the market that have an temp sensor to (cut-off) when exceeding the allowed temperature, specially when you are dealing with a Lithium-Polymer battery. Thats a "Must have" safety feature in my opinion!

[@tenhikari6585]

"I DONT KNOW IF I LIKE THAT!!!" "ITS A BIT FREAKY" I love the way he say it

[@mpkirkwood]

9:39 onwards is jam packed with innuendo - awesome video has bonus content.

[@Brainstorm4300]

I wonder how hot it gets while charging at 2 amps. 150 odd degrees, few centimetres from a fat cell like that usually doesn't bode well.

[@Darieee]

I'm getting unhealthily addicted to these videos ._. thanks clive ! This stuff's awesome

[@sokolum]

What if... adding a thermal pad and use the housing as a giant heat sink.

[@sokolum]

I like your flir.... :)

[@ion337]

Might be difficult to slide the PCB in with thermal pads. Would make an interesting video, IR comparison of the case temperatures under 2A load with and without pads on those hot spots.

[@donvito1973]

Yes, I imagine the original design that they copied had some sort of thermal connection to the big heatsink that is the case, and the copy eliminates that to save a few cents. They are very small packages so it probably doesn't take many watts to make them toasty, and spreading that over the size of the case would keep it quite cool. Nifty little dummy load there Clive.. have you done a video on it?

[@BerndFelsche]

Fermioncool Fermioncool , back in the old days, when copper was affordable, one could put a copper leaf spring between the hot components and the case. although not quite as good without thermal gunk, it was still better that heat transfer by radiation and a negligible amount by restricted air convection.

[@Doom2pro]

I agree, thermal pads on both sides would be the cherry on top of this decent design.

[@RickFisher]

cream soda is definitely a thing here in the U.S.A. like many things it used to be a regional item (eastern U.S.) but now can be found widely throughout the nation. great videos! entertaining and informative.

[@WildernessRocks]

Cream sodas are normal here in merica. :) kind of a specialty soft drink. Boylans and a & w. Kinda in the same boat as root beer. 😀👌👏👍

[@paulgascoigne5343]

Wilderness Rocks Root beer is something I'm addicted to and it's so difficult to find in the UK. There are some brands but they aren't the same and more of a liquorice taste rather than proper root beer. Cream soda is OK, but too mellow for me.

[@WildernessRocks]

My favorite root beer style is boylans Red Birch beer and the cream version. We also love root beer, as a child I watched the can can girls in the saloon of Ghost Town Village, it was a Wild West-themed amusement park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States. 35 years ago :D

[@paulgascoigne5343]

Some tastes takes you right back to childhood 😊 can can girls and root beer, what a great start in life! It's one of those flavours that I don't think alot of people here understand.

[@SuperAWaC]

we have an astonishing variety of savory-sweet sodas here in america. in addition to cream soda, root beer, and birch beer, ginger beer and switchel are still very popular, as well as sarsaparilla

[@44R0Ndin]

If you're in the Northeast you can find Polar brand sodas, they make a lot of different flavors that aren't so common, including a pretty good cream soda.

[@gsuberland]

It's funny - I bought exactly that combination of USB current monitor and dummy load the other day, then watched this video and found you use them too. Awesome.

[@NikiDinsey]

you need to do the load+thermals on a more expensive Anker powerbank or something similar. Love your work btw Clive.

[@joshwillis1726]

I never thought I would see someone more nervous around lithium cells than me. Subscribed just for that. I am surprised there is no balancing cable on that battery, as there should be at least a couple of cells on that battery. There would have to be at least two to provide the 5v.

[@MattTester]

Is it wrong that I really want to see how long it takes for this to go up in flames at full load?

[@alexatkin]

No, we all wanted to see that. ;)

[@rhettoracle9679]

Matt Tester Sounds like a NASCAR fan!!

[@cmj20002]

Those USB DVAM are so useful, I have three of them. One by XYZ studio that has a nice color display, the next one is much like the one Clive has and the best one I have is a Portapow premium USB+DC power monitor. It is like a small multi meter that does USB as well. It is so useful. It can tell you how much any device that is charging how much voltage, amperage, watts and watt hours. It is very handy.

[@richbooth8948]

Did you say "It's got a really fat lithium cell" or did you say "It's got a really PHAT lithium cell"?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Phat as it is the correct spelling for phat lithium cells.

[@badboy2kxxx]

where you measuring the Ah Rating at 5V? if so that 4.2Ah will be actually with how they rate them be 5Ah as it will be its rated capacity at its full charge at 4.2V not 5V!

[@chaoticjoker]

bigclivedotcom hey Clive, have you got a P.O box or some way I could send you something for disassemble, I have a none working e cig box mod that I would love to see you take apart. Anyway great channel an keep up the good work 😄

[@NaoPb]

So does your wife...

[@BenjaminEsposti]

How DARE Clive! How DARE he fat-shame that LiIon battery! XD

[@SteveGuidi]

I bought a similar 5000mAh power bank -- same-style case, same style LEDs and operation, but only with USB Type-A outputs. Had the bonus feature of not being able to sustain a 5V output within the USB spec'd tolerance. If you drew too much current, things would stop charging (or wouldn't charge at all). It would power a Raspberry Pi I without peripherals, but only at the low-threshold voltage -- putting a USB volt-meter between the power bank and the Pi would drop the voltage just enough to put the Pi in a reboot loop.

[@Ghost_Of_SAS]

That we even need this shows how batteries have not been keeping up wityh the evolution of portable devices.

[@MsSomeonenew]

It's more human stupidity getting ahead of technology. Turns out a paper thin phone needs a paper thin battery which can't hold a charge for shit.

[@cekpi7]

MsSomeonenew and people dont use phone only for calls and sms anymore, instead they use power hungry apps

[@bencarter96]

Yea, people are playing games on their phones today that would have been played on a top spec PC drawing 500+ Watts 10 years ago. I think its pretty miraculous we can do that for any length of time at all with such a tiny battery tbf!

[@jort93z]

i dont know about you but on my phone the display uses 60%-70% of the power while the apps only use 10%-20%(combined). the rest are stuff like wifi, mobile service and so on. depends what i am doing of course. when i am laying in bed just texting its usually more towards 70% just the display and apps more like 10%. when my phone is mostly in my pocket a lot more the the battery is used for stuff like wifi and mobile connection. it depends but the point is that apps do not use the majority of the charge unless you play games on it or something.

[@44R0Ndin]

I have the unfortunate experience of having a Galaxy S3 right now. 2200mah battery and a notable tendency to get quite warm but ONLY where the processor is! So I'd say it's more like 40% display, 50% processor, 10% everything else for my phone. With the battery as old as the phone is, and the phone being pretty old now (was my mom's phone before she got a galaxy S7) So with the new battery only being 2200mah, and it being of decreased capacity due to age, AND the phone chewing thru electrons faster than a fat kid goes thru a bag of chips, I have to carry around some kind of power bank or my phone's dead within an hour or 2 of gaming. I don't use it for a cellphone, mostly just googling stuff and gaming when I can't get to my computer for some reason. Planning on getting a Nintendo Switch to replace it, that would be a much better fit. Maybe get a tablet too if the Nintendo Switch doesn't quite cover what I want out of things.

[@dustinsmith8341]

Cream soda is sold along side Root Beer here in the US. Alot of people consider it to be a vanilla rootbeer like drink, but it is just vanilla sugar soda.

[@Friendroid]

HOW DID YOU GET THE EBAY SITE ON THAT SHEET OF PAPER!?

[@guitarplayer1071]

Friendroid I'd venture to say a printer

[@danijel124]

Friendroid right click on the webpage and print :p

[@x-flight1015]

Friendroid pen and paper my friend, and his hand of course ;)

[@pfeerick]

Pure magic! ;-) Or is it "BigClive is simply that good"? :-D

[@kirkb4989]

Tracing paper on the monitor and colored pencils?

[@dallasdorrington7449]

Great Video as always Clive. Makes me think about my fast charge power bank. Mine has the branded Laser Model number:PB11000 Capacity 11000mAh Input: 5 volts DC @1 Amp Output:5 Volts DC @ 3.1 Amps Total output 3.1 amp's. The unit has two USB ports, 1 is marked 1 amp the other is marked 2.1 amps. Like you I pulled this unit apart and it is what it says it is. It has 5 18650's 3.7 volt cells and a very nice controller PCB including 4 Blue LED's. To power it up you hold the button down for 2 seconds and you get power on self check then turns itself off after 5 seconds. Once you plug in the load you push the button again to turn it on and the 4 blue LED's come on with the last LED blinking to tell you its in a discharge mode. The LED's blink one after another till you only get one LED flashing and when you reach full discharge this last LED flashes faster till voltage cut off is reached at 3.2 volts. It will charge from both the 1 amp and the 2.1 amp USB sockets at the same time. You must use the charger it came with to charge it and starting with LED 1 they flash one after another as the charge comes up to full charge and cuts off at 4.2 volts. You can not use the power bank white it's charging up. I have checked it's temperature while charging and it only gets to 38c. I don't have a nice flash Flir meter like you do but a laser none contact temperature meter. I have used it to charge my Samsung Galaxy S5 and my Sony Handy cam CX-405 at the same time with no trouble at all. It's a very nice little (Well not so little) power bank. It's white plastic with curved top and bottom covers that are clipped to the main case that is a pale grey colour. What I do like about it is the ease of replacing the cells when they die. Cheers.

[@Floortile83]

That ebay headline said USB Type C, but I don't see a type c input on it.

[@pieceofpotato7883]

Floortile83 ikr

[@amorphous14]

its the black on in the centre.

[@pourekk]

Amorphous Shapes that was a lightning connector

[@HogniJacobsen]

lightning and micro and usb idk

[@gabeulrickson2496]

Floortile83 it's the input

[@markukblackmore]

So useful Clive. You're doing important work here.

[@jimsbagels1991]

Wait a second, did you just plug an Apple Lightning cable into a USB-C Port?

[@chrissouers8576]

The USB-C is a misnomer. It's actually Lightning. Seems to be some confusion in China about this.

[@jimsbagels1991]

Wow thats very weird. I could see many people getting angry about this

[@chrissouers8576]

Agreed. I wouldn't be too pleased if I was intending to use this with a USB-C device. Of course, if that were the case, the device would likely draw more than the 1A that Clive is recommending. Maybe setup a resistor network on the data pins to permanently report that charger as only capable of 1A?

[@jimsbagels1991]

I would just avoid the entire thing, if they can't even properly distinguish USB-C and Lightning, what other monumental fuckups did they make? Personally I wouldn't want this near anything I own. For a couple bucks more you could just get a known good quality power bank

[@jmkhenka]

yeah 5v3A would fry this thing like popcorn.

[@timvanneijenhoff7529]

I think the measured 4.2ah is deu to the buck regulator stepping the voltage down from 5v to the charging voltage of lithium cells. Wich is on average about 4v, thus nicely filling the gap of the 0,8ah with some losses for heat.

[@JimFortune]

Cream soda was popular when I was a kid, but it seemed to have gone out of fashion in the US.

[@WillyJunior]

same in the UK, but still available.

[@helloworldstein]

It seems to be coming back into vogue. I see them pretty often in supermarkets nowadays.

[@chartle1]

In the US, on a scale I would put it below root beet and above ginger ale. Oh and thats ginger ale drank straight not as a mixer. You would never find it at a restaurant or a convenience store fountain.

[@jaypawhealer]

still my favorite soda; the good stuff is rather hard to find though

[@stuartofblyth]

For an interesting use of cream soda, see the Hop Harrigan story "The Mystery of the Wailing Witches". The denouement is here: comicbookplus.com/?dlid=54396

[@rich1051414]

If that vented, it would vent out the IO shield, right into your hands. I really hate how so many manufacturers of these battery banks don't think of these things.

[@IIGrayfoxII]

Make a video of all the special tool names you have

[@BillyNoMates1974]

but does Big Clive have a 'Mr Smashy' the hammer ?

[@zx8401ztv]

Clive, you can mod that. Get some of the squidgy heat conducting pads found in laptops to apply to the hot parts, the pads connect the parts to the case. Better a warm case, than dead components :-D

[@laptop006]

Any reference for the little USB dummy load? Could be a handy thing to have.

[@Firecul]

LapTop006 I think Amazon and Banggood both have them, most likely ebay too.

[@pfeerick]

This is a generic ebay search... you can pick them up for around US$4-6 www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xadjustable+usb+loa.TRS0&_nkw=adjustable+usb+load&_sacat=0

[@cougarhunter33]

Bless ye

[@MusicalBox]

Try a tall glass of cream soda with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in it (and use a straw of course) . Childhood memories...

[@jakestech28]

Dads belt, childhood memories...

[@gelisob]

4.2 mah capacity is because it's after losses in the conversion from 5 mah element? You have it open, you could do diretly from element leads charge-discharge capacity test :) And about the heat - this thing has aluminium body, any good ideas what to stuff in there to give it a good thermal path to use the alu body as heatsink?

[@MrJimmyBanks]

Respect for the drink review lol, love it

[@MrJimmyBanks]

also do you think the aluminum case itself was a heatsink for the choke/transistor?

[@StickySli]

5000mAh is the capacity of the battery, not the final capacity including the efficiency of the charger itself. 5000mAh -> 100% 4200mAh -> 84%

[@JATTI_]

Yes but you are supposed to tell the usable capacity not the theoretical capacity.

[@JATTI_]

5v*4.2Ah=21Wh if we assume that the cell is 3.7v and it is 5000mAh 3.7v*5Ah=18.5Wh 21Wh/18.5Wh=0.88=88% So efficiency while charging is 88%

[@Firecul]

JÄTTI PASKA I think your math needs some checking there. I think we know what you were going for however

[@StickySli]

JÄTTI PASKA Holy shit you are right! Didn't think about that!

[@Firecul]

JÄTTI PASKA and now I wish I hadn't defended you in my edit. 5*4.2=18.5 how does that work? 18.5/18.5=.88 how does that work? If you are going to be as sure of yourself please check your maths first before you make yourself look less intelligent.

[@JerryEricsson]

I recall the first time I had Cream Soda (Being in America, we leave that label off I guess) I must have been six or seven, we stopped in the CO-OP gas station where dad's brother worked to say hi, and he bought me a soda, I had my choice and picked Cream Soda, I have loved it ever since. Mom told me I would hate it because it tasted like gas, but no, it tasted like heaven. I still get some when I see it in the quick stop stores and think of it. Now A&W puts out their version that tastes exactly like the NESBIT'S of the old days.

[@sienile]

How's the over charge protection on these units? Will it boil the battery if you leave it charging too long or does it properly shut down the charging circuit after reaching optimal charge?

[@jusb1066]

it has the typical lithium controller chip, will charge it to the lithium profile which includes low voltage cut off, and charge termination when full.

[@9ciccino]

I really don't know why i always hesitated in subscribing you. Love your vids clive!

[@SianaGearz]

Improvement project? Lower loss transistors and choke?

[@jort93z]

you could simply connect them to the case with a piece of metal and some thermal paste. the case would likely be pretty good to dissipate the heat.

[@SianaGearz]

Perhaps, but i'd rather reduce the amount of heat too. Shimming perfectly to an enclosure with a metal is hard, and thermal interface materials are not really what you'd call good heat conductors. Besides, everyone else has suggested heatsinking the components into the case, nobody suggested actual electronics improvements.

[@netmatrix75]

Recycled 2.5" generic hard disk casing to be a power bank. GENIUS!!!

[@rondlh20]

How can it sense the voltage drop in the cable mentioned at 1 min 40s in the video?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It measures the incoming voltage and as the current draw increases it can sense the voltage drop on the cable and the ability of the power source to supply current by detecting the drop in voltage.

[@gregw1076]

Xeraser none of the chips are touching the case, so the is a decent sized insulating air gap, if anything inside the case they'd get hotter after running for a while

[@John_Ridley]

I wonder if you could wedge in some thermally conductive tape...

[@ethanpoole3443]

Greggory Walker One could certainly modify them by adding appropriate silpads (silicon thermal transfer pads) to bridge the gap between the inductor and transistor and the aluminum chassis. Aluminum is a good thermal conductor, though the case is quite thin and that will place some real limits on dissipation. But given the dramatic rise in temperature between 1A and 2.1A (current dissipation increases 4-fold with a doubling of current for the same series resistance) it is likely that even a small increase in dissipation should reap considerable rewards. In fact, had they simply used fatter copper traces to the devices on the board or used vias to stitch the heatsink pad to both sides of the PCB then that alone might even have been sufficient to keep things much cooler (especially for the transistor, less so for the inductor -- though so long as the inductor material remains well below its Currie temperature and the magnet wire does not exceed its temperature rating, often 150-200C, then the inductor is likely fine as-is despite running hot).

[@fluffycritter]

In the US, "American Cream Soda" is just called "Cream Soda." It isn't very popular but it does have some pretty outspoken fans.

[@sidbrun_]

Have you done anything more premium like a Mophie?

[@CalcProgrammer1]

Cream soda is pretty common here in the US. I drink it all the time. Delicious stuff, and mixing it with alcohol works too. Didn't know it wasn't common outside of the US.

[@MikesDIYTeslaPowerwall]

pink and acceptable lol best line you said yet :)

[@StephenButlerOne]

I have a hand full on 11 and 15k anker powerbanks, that we used to get through a drive from North Wales to Spain in the summer. we have a hootoo travel mate router, and a 1tb USB3 HDD, that one powerbank ran, streaming out mp4s for hours on end to 3 android devices. the other powebanks kept the phones and tablets topped up. a great set up to have a 'mobile netfix' to keep kids happy on long drives.

[@matthewzepess5721]

Has he found one thats actually quality yet and has a fairly large battery?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Closest to a good one is probably the Ozark trail one from ASDA (UK Walmart). Buying a proper expensive one would be no fun, it's always more entertaining getting the dodgy ones.

[@-yeme-]

Ive got a couple of power banks that look like that Aukey one you linked, theyre really good. You can get them branded Xiaomi too, and you can get unbranded empty ones from ebay to put your own cells in, which is what I did. But theyre nice cases and I like that they dont have a useless LED in for a flashlight youre never going to use, its just a power bank with a charge socket and an output and thats it.

[@darrylgodfrey9604]

Some brilliant quotes in this video. The one about poking a lithium cell with a sharp blade made me laugh out loud!

[@NickStallman]

The eBay listings specifically state Quick Charge, not fast charge. I wonder if it implements Qualcomm Quick Charge which can let the voltage go up to 9 to 12 volts with compatible devices and can charge a phone to 60% in 30 mins. It's fantastic when you have compatible devices and I have a Xiaomi powerbank that supports it.

[@codenamegamma]

thats interesting that it looks to me like that had a bunch of external hard drive enclosures, since i've had a few that use the same aluminum case and screw mechanism.

[@dos541]

The lightning makes it look like a plain copper clad board

[@Zadster]

Generally speaking, the difference between chokes and inductors is that chokes are predominantly an absorptive device, intended to remove spikes and interference with a low "Q" or quality factor, normally passing just DC. An inductor will be more likely to have a high "Q" with low loss. In power supply design, there is a bit of an art in optimising the trade-off between the two. It seems they got it wrong here...

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Is it a repurposed USB 2½" hard drive case?

[@lillydoye7418]

rimmersbryggeri No

[@8bpspfreak2]

To test different USB loads I use a Juwei adjustable load I got from Aliexpress. Ebay doesn't seem to have much variety of Juwei stuff, but on Aliexpress there is an utter ton of different models (most of them up to 12V 3A compatible) with different input sockets, fan blade cover, integrated screen to show Volts, Amps, etc. Mine is just a 4€ basic one which came with 2x 18AWG croc clip cables for the secondary input. Don't get the 4A model(s) (or the ones without an actual radiator body), cause they get brutally hot in short time.

[@FrontSideBus]

I'm not keen on this tbh, the cell looks very vulnerable to being squashed.

[@mothtolias]

I love your voice, it's got so much character to it

[@DonaldHolben]

I do a little happy dance when I see a new video :)

[@beedslolkuntus2070]

Donald Holben Kinda same

[@eetukarjalainen1336]

Donald Holben wat

[@nrdesign1991]

Now subtract ambient temperature from the measured values, then add 25K or 50K to estimate how hot thoose components will get under normal circumstances - that is, in air, not inside the case. Up until half a year ago I was involved in a lot of product testing during development, testing prototypes under certain circumstances. I have seen many catastrophic chain reactions due to thermal effects.

[@an3k]

You do NOT put an Apple Lightning plug in an USB Type C socket. I don't even know why you got a display on your usb meter or how you could get the Lightning plug into the USB Type C socket.

[@bigclivedotcom]

On the basis that the USB C socket has only eight contacts I'd say it's an Apple connector. A real USB C would have had more contacts.

[@an3k]

bigclivedotcom So they marked a Lightning socket as an USB C socket? Wow, that's an impressive kind of not knowing what they do :) btw. I really like your videos! I hope you have as much fun as we do.

[@an3k]

bigclivedotcom I forgot to ask if you tried out what happens when you plug in a USB C plug. Probably shortcutting the 8 pins and maybe frying something? You maybe should do that outside ;-)

[@ThuzzyBlur]

Lightning and USB-C have completely different dimensions, USB-C is too big to fit inside Lightning and you'd probably destroy a USB-C port trying to shove a Lightning cable into it.

[@calvinc7196]

Must be common. I bought a bunch of the cheapo TP4056 clones and on the eBay listing (which I more thoroughly reviewed AFTER purchasing...) I saw that it said "Uses Mini-USB" charger. I got worried, thinking how the hell would I use this if it uses Mini-USB instead of Micro-USB, I don't think I've seen a Mini-USB charger in a long time, and I'd probably pay the same $$ for 1 of those cords from Wal-Mart that I did for 10 of these chips. Turns out they just don't have very good translators over there.

[@seanet1310]

They have plenty of space on the back, no excuse for the under sized transistors on the back beyond penny pinching but at that point they should have put in some current limiting. As for the Inductor, looks to be enough space for them to do a slight redesign to be nicer. Clive as a general FYI, At least in Australia that type of indcutor is also called a chock if installed to block high frequency alternating current like RF. Typically would not be referred to as a choke in this setup as a DC-DC boost converter.

[@matthijsja1525]

140 degrees celcius how isn't it toasted yet?

[@kugeltmg]

Matthijs ja 150, 175, 200 C are common max junction temps. Given the size the junction to case temp difference is probably low

[@KevinMillard68]

keep in mind unless you flat lined the battery there will still be Mah left in the battery so your charge cycle will only show what was required to top it up

[@robertcook991]

1,499 dollars for this?! Get the fuck outta here.

[@bigclivedotcom]

If something sells out on eBay the sellers sometimes hold the products listing open by putting in a nonsensical price until they have new stock.

[@matthewmiller6068]

Never heard of that drink mix you have but I can say cream soda is amazing...especially the ones that are made with cane sugar instead of HFCS.

[@Claudio-gv2lz]

"new apple connector" been around for 6 years

[@Peanut-Butter-Banana-Rama]

Put a modest amount of charge in it while drinking heavily is my new favorite quote.

[@BedsitBob]

"This is where things go horribly wrong." And the audience let out a collective "Oh goody". 😁

[@looy1234]

So now you know what those 3 transistors where there for. It seems that they where used to either convert the voltage or switch it off with the button. It clearly shows that the transistors and the coil cannot take that much power, so they weren't meant for such a load. The designer used 3 to probably split the current between those transistors. He already noticed that one of those cannot handle this load.

[@mariushmedias]

You could place a bit of thermal tape over those transistors/mosfets so that they'll be heatsinked by the aluminum case. Also my guess is that the whole pcb acts as heatsink for those transistors and since the pcb is inside those metal rails, the case will probably dissipate some of the heat.

[@rhkips]

Cream Soda is very much a thing here in the States, although if you want to get super-technical, it's originally a Jamaican beverage. ;)

[@Mstfstable]

you could add thermal pad on the transistor and the coil maybe it would be much cooler. Nice video as always

[@macacoman]

"It's like opening a bomb... It's terribly exciting" Man I love your videos! Keep'em coming!

[@benadams6332]

You should try test how much current these power banks draw from the battery when they are switched off. Many of them will destroy the battery if left on their own for a few months.

[@coal6tamarack2374]

Imagine him delivering a baby. "Push gently... It's coming out! It's coming out! Cut the red wire..."

[@NicholasAarons]

Great Video Clive & Cool. Power Bank. Keep up the great work. Nick.

[@JeffMeden]

An interesting test would be same discharge current when the cell is fully charged (where the boost converter has less work to do) and also test a voltage sensitive charge device like an iPad to see if it keeps trying to draw 2+ amps when the voltage is well South of 5v.

[@2sudonim]

Here in America, we just call it cream soda. It used to be made with actual cream & malt syrup back in the days of soda jerks. Now days it's made with high fructose corn syrup and no mill for reasons of cost & allergy concerns.

[@tiger12506]

In the US, the commoner might recognize the old-style "ballast" in fluorescent lighting, or a car "coil". For the educated, "choke" is reserved for an inductor used as a filter, normally to reduce common noise in two conductors (mains filter, or differential pair common-mode choke), and wouldn't be used as a general term. We'd call them "inductors"

[@AverageJoe2020]

Or to limit current,

[@Teth47]

It's getting hot because the battery is nearly flat, so the boost circuit is working overtime to make the current... Try again at full charge and see how hot it gets.

[@fillg]

That enclosure looks almost exactly like one I got quite a few years ago to put a laptop hard drive into. It had the ends that screwed off and you just plugged the HD into the circuit board and slid it all back in. I was impressed by the circuit board sliding into the little slot.

[@themooq]

Thanks for the vid, great as always! The name of the third connector is USB Type C. Greetings from Germany

[@caskwith]

Nope it was a lightening connector, USB C is different.

[@mirkomueller3412]

Great review (as usual) ! Was looking for something like that already. Ordered 3 pcs immediately !

[@joinedupjon]

FWIW I've just seen a 'rugged powerbank' in Aldi. Maxtek branding, black rubbery finish box says 5200mAh, one USB output, LED torch, 1A input 2.1A output Water Resistant IP67 GB£ 5.99 which seems like an incredible price

[@johnhall6091]

American Cream Soda, lovely stuff. In my experience more popular in Scotland than rest of the UK, Barr's being the best make.

[@dinlobiscuit4611]

5.54 "it`s like opening a bomb , it`s really exciting" lmao...love your videos about dodgy ebay items , entertaining and informative.....like Love Island.....NO JUST KIDDING

[@kirkula]

for that price, hack in a few thermal pads for the inductor and transistors. I'd imagine there's enough surface area on that fully aluminium case to dissipate that heat.