How does the pack put out 12v??? Does the trigger cable step it up? I have everything but the trigger cable, which I’m waiting on. The manual is so small print I find it useless!! Thanks. Enjoy your videos!
Its a feature baked into the new USB-C system - which is how modern laptops run off of USB-C power supplies. Voltages between 5-20 with lots of watts and amps available. Its called "USB-C Power Deilvery" and it needs a "trigger" (a chip built into the cable) to tell the USB-C power brick to put out more or less voltages. And then... you need a USB-C power brick that can put out the right amount of power. I wouldn't reccommed this power bank as your goto battery for QRP, but in the travel compromise it works great!
Drat. I just posed the same question on Amazon before I read this. Curiously it isn't boasted in the spec like all the other similar power banks do so I had doubts too. Thanks for a great, useful and informative vid. 👍
@@HKey_Root This battery back isn't really designed for 12v work, but it will put out 12v @ 1.5a which is "good enough" for emergency travel QRP work at 10w. I'd rather have a battery that was designed for 12v work specifically, but then I'd need other devices to get down to 5v... so its the compromise we make.
I've looked at the USB C PD spec a little and determined that the power source(battery module) can generate 5, 12, 15 & 20 VDC at up to 22.5 WATTS. The cable tells the power source what voltage it wants. You'll notice the cables are available for 5, 12, 15 & 20 Volts. Also, the above power source is rated at 20000mah(@5V ). The manual (really) fine print rates the product at 77wh. The battery type was listed as lithium polymer. I have powered 2 rigs with a 12V configuration cable, a SW-3B and a KX2. The battery was freshly charged. With the SW-3B, while receiving, the rig displays the voltage as 12.0V. When transmitting, the rig display drops to as 11.5V. No intermediate voltages are displayed. At 11.5V, PO was 3.85W. The SW-3B is rated at 5.0W @ 13.8V. With the KX2, while receiving, the rig displays 11.7V while transmitting, the rig displays 11.2V PO was set for 5.0W, but was not measured. In the original post, the author noticed some flutter in the battery voltage. I would think this was actually output voltage drop with load change. I will run tests with the KX2 while varying PO and record measured battery voltage My conclusion is that the battery module is the culprit but I am not sure if it meets the PD spec or not.
Great Find Steve. Had to have one for my x6100 as soon as I saw it. I need to try this out in the field as soon as things warm up a bit. The battery life looks promising for short activations. I'm still waiting on my PD cable that's a few weeks out on delivery yet. So I found a PD adapter that will do the trick until the regular cable arrives. it's the 2.5 x 5.5mm barrel to USB C with the PD chip. The double USB C cable that came with the battery pack works with it. - Thanks for all of your videos!
I love those velcro ties, we've been using them for years in the ham kit, around the house and all over. they're the bomb! I'm getting ready to put together an X6100 (replacing my X5105 i sold to a new ham to get him started) go bag and the battery trick is exactly what i was looking for, I'm looking forward to the next video on this. And thanks for the trigger cable info, i've got one in my cart now. See you in Dayton. 73 de W8MJL
As soon as I saw this vid I got one of these off Amazon, and a cable. Yesterday was my first opportunity to test. Had the 705 out in the field testing a new antenna. Only had about 90mins or so, but ran SSB for about half the time and FT8 for the other half. When I shut it all down the battery readout said 93%. What a trooper. It seems like "the little battery who could." SO GLAD you made this vid! These are the sorts of toys we all need to know about. 73, Tim KD9LAI
I've been playing with this concept for awhile and the USB PD trigger cable (ordered) is a great find compared to the different cables I've been using. With barrel jack adapters, this will be one cable to rule them all for 12v output. There are some downsides to these batteries that everyone needs to be aware of. These are LI-ion and not LiFePo. Extreme temps will have a greater effect on them. I could not successfully charge them with an ambient temp over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (Texas Summer Field Day) and freezing temps will drain them faster if not kept warm. Thanks TO. for finally posting a video like this. These USB C PD capable batteries can be used to charge/run a ton of stuff with just a few cables.
I've got a USB C to 9v barrel connector for my vinyl record player, I may just grab a 12v adapter so I can easily use some of my USB pd power banks for my x6100. Thanks for the video TO!
I believe that ham radio is an experimental, as well as a joyous, activity. You, my amigo, are on the cutting. I welcome each and every video that you generate. I love your little reviews as well as the major reviews. You are costing me a fortune! I have to have all the things that you mention. As per your advice, I am still glad that I passed on the 6100. Your knowledge base far exceeds mine buy a country mile. It is a good experimentation radio but not for an old fart like me. Thank you for taking your time to enlighten such as me.
I've been doing a similar thing for my QRP Labs QDX. I use a cable from blind spot gear. I believe Adafruit also has a similar usb-c cable that will trigger 12vdc 5a. Word of warning though, make sure your battery bank also has a 12v PD profile. Much like the power bricks mentioned in the vid, Not all battery banks provide 12v via PD.
Thanks ! Looks like a really neat battery, I have it on the way. I am wondering on the jumping power meter shot, maybe RFing ? Could try it in a dummy load to test further. The 705 is notorious for that issue on the USB cable.
Hello Steve. I would like to thank you for the info on the PD batteries. This technology is new to me. I have been in electronics all my life. I got my first Ham license in 1956. (Conditional license). And I still enjoy the hobby. I purchased this battery but found at 12 volts you are limited to 22.5 watts which is only 1.785 amps. That is probably why you were having power fluctuations on FT-8 and 10 Watts. I have sense ordered a 100 watt PD battery which is rated at 12 volts for 3 amps. Thanks again for the info. Bob AA7B
That's Great Bob! Thanks for watching. I wish I could say everything that needed to be said in a video, but nobody would watch! These kids and their short attention spans today!!!🤣
I looked at the quality of the output with a 9V trigger cable and transient loading of about an ampere. The sag and overshoot was very respectable and over with in short order. The issue is that under load it puts out quite a lot of 380kHz hash on the DC.
Usually the amp hour rating on those batteries packs are in relation to the original cell voltage in those packs. Most lithium cells run at 3.7 volts, not five volts
Was going to say this. Let's them put a bigger number on the box for even more "puffing". Still when he gets 7hours operation from ft-8 that's a heck of an achievement and makes the Ah rating on the box moot anyhow.
Its the only method I use for powering my transceivers as it is so flexible. One additional warning....not all battery packs will produce enough amps. My power bank delivers 3A @ 12V which is enough to power my transceivers @ 10W of RF O/P. So make sure your power bank can provide sufficient power. The additional advantage to this system is it can be fast to recharge them with a good pd charger (not all wall chargers are born equal).
The power meter fluttering during FT8 is because you are getting voltage sag. The USB C can't provide enough amps so the voltage is dropping and you aren't getting full power out. If you look at the VD display to the right, as soon as you start transmitting, the voltage drops. As soon as the TX cycle ends, the voltage goes back up.
Exactly! This isn't a "go box" battery, this is just a pretty cool thing you can do for travel. I have another (hopefully even better) travel battery coming.
Thanks for the video...great idea, but can you describe the three cables that you used the one-wrap ties on? I assume one was your USB cable from the radio to the laptop, but what were the other two cables?
Sure, there will be a new video out on that case soon. Its the 5525-PowerPole cable for regular shack/ham-battery use. The USB-C cable for FT8/Data Modes. The L4001 Cable to run the XPA125b Amp. Here is the original video: ruclips.net/video/YL9icxTSg1g/видео.html Then the case hack: ruclips.net/video/s8_KwEfNgDI/видео.html
Take a look at the Zendure SuperTank Pro. It has two PD ports rated at 100w. If you use both ports at the same time, they are 60w each. There are a total of 4 usb-c ports. 26800mAh battery. 20 oz 4.9 in x 2.9 in x 1.8 in
Nice one, Steve! Battery and PD cable ordered, I'm excited to try this out in the field. I'm working on a SOTA bag, where this will be just the right size with my X6100 and/or G106. Do you think that this battery will work with your FT818? 72, Jan (M7HNK)
You'd have to make your own because of the connector on the G90. The G90's manual says 8amps max, so this battery pack can't be used at 20w output power, you'll need to get a better power source or do some testing. Here's where I would start: Connector: ebay.us/P9CZlP 100w/12v DC Trigger Cable: amzn.to/46yvqUk 5525 Project Cable: amzn.to/45uKEbH And then you're really pushing the limits of most battery banks - you want a 12v/100w+/8a+ battery pack and most USB-C battery banks are made to recharge cell phones. What I'd recommend instead: G90 Powerpole cable: ebay.us/7PQzhU 12ah Bioenno Battery: hamsource.com/product/blf-1212a-12ahr-lifepo4-battery/ (comes with charger)
I see Hamsource has the Bioenno 9ah with charger too, but no charger with the 6ah. 9ah seems like plenty for me. Got a G90 on the way and looking forward to trying some POTA activations soon. Thanks! @@temporarilyoffline
Very cool. Im using a 7Ah sealed lead acid battery which works pretty well for my XIEGU G90 but definitely will give this 20Ah power station a closer look as I upgrade my setup. I put the battery in my amazon cart for later purchase. thanks for the vid! btw, what was the Max Current you saw on the Power Tester when performing TX at 10W output?
So you can actually use a Powerbank connected via this cable to run the radio or does it only charge the internal Battery while you operate the radio on internal battery?
love the USB C PD . but all not the same. have to check manual. I have seen that voltage flutter on USB C before. I have a USB C PD tester. looks like voltage reg jumping around a tad . most things have a filter cap on that so wont be in audio on TX or FT8 noise. nice links for trigger cable and the cable ties. some HT's have a 12V charge. 73's
Battery pack is rated at 22.5W charging current. 22.5W / 12V = 1.875A. X6100 wants 3.5A for 10W out. IC705 on FT8 probably want more current than battery can supply. 45W charging current needed for 10W on X6100. Rick K8BMA
I don't recommend running the 6100 at full 10w on FT8. I burned up the output transformer and the surface mount capacitor feeding the transformer. It melted the enamel off the wire and the coil started to smoke. I have a replacement 6100 coming. I found example of the output transformer but no luck on transmit, only receive.
Some technical comments... this battery bank is spec'd at only 1.5A when using PD at 12 volts. This was NOT enough to give me 10 watts out of my X6100. On CW the voltage would sag and I only got a little less than 6 watts on 20m. Also, the 20,000mAh claim is at the cell voltage of 3.7 volts, not 5 volts as you state. These capacity claims are often inflated on these devices. I will test the capacity and see what it really is. So for me I don't get 10 watts CW from this. It is still a nice product.
Its a very nice battery pack that works in a pinch... I turned my radio down to 9w and was able to get steady TX out of it. That flutter I demonstrated in the video went away.
@@temporarilyoffline I have used two different PD cables. The one you specified and another. The battery voltage as indicated on the radio sags with either one (charging off, power setting at 6 watts). There is a sensing algorithm in the radio that automatically changes the Xmit power to 5 watts max when it sees a voltage lower than 9 volts (that is my estimate). I suspect your X6100 may have had different firmware without this battery sense & xmit power change algorithm. Just a guess.
Is it possible it fluttered on ft8 because it's a 22 watt output unit? If so, perhaps a 60w or higher unit would be the way to go? Great video, thanks!
It could be, but I was able to put out more power on voice. My guess is it's something to do with to tones in the signal. I wanted to make people aware of it so they could make an educated decision- its a compromise battery for travel charging.
Nice, but I'm more interested, now you tried to compare IC705 vs X6100. I have the same power bank from China, only with a capacity of 50Ah, unfortunately the seller is a bit misleading, because he calculates the capacity from a lower voltage without losses during conversion to 5V
With radio it's hard to calculate because it's not a constant 1.5Ah draw, but an up and down. I got 7hrs of use, but consumed 5Ah from the battery. Math gets you to the real world, and from there everything goes Pear shaped.
Hey T.O., Wondering if I got two of these bad boys - one for me 705 the other for my Surface Go 1. Of course, I'd have to roll my own interface for the Surface - unless someone knows of an off the shelf ready made cable. ;)
I received my cable this morning and it’s not working on my 6100. I think I read in a comment somewhere in this thread that another person’s cable didn’t work. I’ll keep trying. Maybe I received a funky one.
Bought same battery pack and cable for use with KX2 and SW-3B QRP rigs. Notice 12.0V -> 11.5V drop between receiving and transmitting CW both rigs. I believe this is the "wiggle" you saw transmitting in your demo. Any guess on why and how to correct? 73, Rick K8BMA
A better battery would do well, this video was about a good compromise for travel, it works for charging your cell phone, laptop and can even QRP - especially SSB QRP. I'd assume this battery can't deliver the right amperage at 12v, but does "well enough" a bioenno battery would be great for QRP, and some boost/buck converters would do well to solve the cell phone or laptop question.
Those hook and loop ties are the bomb. I use them on everything. Which port did you plug the 12V cable into? Did you try to use the 12V and charge a phone or use any other USB devices at the same time? I am cautious because I saw this in the review ... "I plugged in a 5v device into the red USBA port, and then a 12v USBPD device into the USBC port and it destroyed the 5v device. The 5v device did not support PD."
Check with your multi-meter to make sure all the polarities line up, then read the numbers on input and output for voltage and amps, and if everything lines up, there you go.
So i bought it tried it with ft8 could not get it to stay at 12v kept going back to 7.8v and the x6100 kept jumping back to 5w sending it back going to try one of the other 100w computer power banks. I will let you know how it goes
I don't think this battery will work with the X6100. I tried it out and it's true that it will deliver 12v to the radio but as soon as I key up voltage drops to 8v. What I think is happening is that for normal operation the current on the battery is low enough that it can provide the 12v but during transmit current draw increases and the battery negotiates down to a voltage which it can support, likely 5v. At this point the radio is running from internal battery and transmit power is reduced to 5W. After I'm done transmitting the voltage pops back up to 12v so if you're not watching the voltage indicator it's easy to miss the voltage drop. The radio will also adjust the max transmit wattage down to 5w if it was set above that before transmitting. I was able to test with a friends Bioenno LiFePo battery and the radio operates just fine at 13v even during transmit. Transmit power is confirmed at 10w.
I don’t get how that VRURC powerbank would work since it is only rated at 1.5A at 12V; the X6100 requires 3A at 12V. I use a Veektomx powerbank which us rated at 12V 3A and runs my X6100 just fine.
Good question, I don't have one (yet). My gut says "probably", esp in the described travel scenario. I'd still go with a "real" battery for a go-box, but as a power bank that can charge my phone,laptop and run a radio, this thing is great.
Hi, I tried the cable with my 6100 and a PD powebank, the volts on 6100 show 11.8v but when I tx it drops to 7.5v and only 5w does this mean my PD powerbank is not sufficient enough ?
@@temporarilyoffline yes it says 12v 1.5a, not sure if something is wrong with my 6100, I tried portable car starter pack, 12v 10a it outputs 3000mah, it will only go to 7watts again voltage drops. What amps does xiegu pull at 10w cant be more than 10amps. I also went to depot and bought a energizer 48,000mAh power station lifepo4. Voltage drops again on tx, that would only put out 7watts, voltage drops 12.8 to 10.4.
couldn't find the correct pd cable, my power bank devlivers pd usb c, the cable I bought doesn't support pd I think. couldn't find your cable with your link. :-(
I have a jumpstarter for my car. Unfortunately, the USB-C says 5v@3A so it won't work. However, it also has a 12V/10A output with a barrel connector. But wait! It also has USB-A 5/9/12V output! Ok, some experimenting may happen. 🙂
i use a 706mk2g with an ldg at100pro tuner. i have done some tests with an inline amp meter and at standard operation with tx at 10w it draws about 5amp max , when i tune however the tuner drew around 11amps and obviously the length of time it draws the power for would change depending on antenna ect. usb c pd is new to me, do you think this system could handle the tuner? many thanks for the awesome video and for any insight you could lend. 73 M6YEN
Im having the same power issue with my 705 were you able to figure out the issue. I'm running the 705 wireless using a 15ah battery, so it's not RF or a power issue. Thanks
Oh. Good to know. Honestly I don't think I ever paid any attention to it before this. I think "it's fine" is the answer - especially after 7 hours of doing it.
I wonder if the RF is getting in a regulator in the battery. I have an after market battery for a Icom T70 that shuts off the radio whenever I Tx on 440 with that battery. Stock battery is fine. The. Ompany sent me another battery & its fine too.
"USB-C Power Deilvery" and it needs a "trigger" (a chip built into the cable) to tell the USB-C power brick to put out more or less voltages. The cable you have the link to, has the chip built in yeah??
@@temporarilyoffline Great thanks for the reply. this battery pack is not available anymore do you know of any other battery packs that have this PD for 12v out?? BTW I am HS0ZJB from Thailand.
Electrically Yes, Physically No -- You'd need an adapter to go from 5525 to what the 818 uses (I have a PowerPole adapter on the 818 and a 5525xPowerPole adapter also)
I bought the battery and cable listed in the description but when I plug them into my x6100 sometimes the radio will go up to 10W and sometimes it won't. Also when its at 10W sometimes it will randomly drop down to 5W without me doing anything, sometimes halfway through a transmission. Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas on a solution?
@@temporarilyoffline yes I did, that was the condition of the radio when I was having this problem. I will re check when I'm using it next and make sure but I'm pretty sure it was charged with the charge function turned off.
@@temporarilyoffline Tried it again making sure the battery was charged and charger function turned off, still switches back to 5W transmit randomly and also drops the backlight from 10 down to 5 randomly as well.
@@golden_shadow_defense I wonder if you got a bad PD cable or battery - what is the voltage at the 5525 plug? Do you have a way to measure amp draw? Might be a fun experiment.
@@temporarilyoffline that would be my luck. I'm sure I can find a multi meter around somewhere and figure out how to use it. What should the values be?
Hello Steve, I was toying with the idea of removing the x6100's internal battery in favour of just using an external. Have you thought about this? More so for safety reasons etc. 73's
This does not work on my X6100. Turned charger off. Display showing 12 volts. TX Power 10W. Drops voltage and then the TX output drops to 5W. What results are you getting with your X6100 ??
My display shows 11.7v, I set TX power to 10, set mode to AM and PTT into a dummy load while whistling... it did not change the output setting. Is your radio a newer model?
@@temporarilyoffline Yes, Few days old. Updated. New power bank and new cable. Seams like the power bank isn't maintaining voltage. Tried a larger Power Bank with same results ( still 1.5 amps output), Same results. Did you have yours keyed long enough to call CQ ??
Manual on the X6100 says power supply shall be at least 3.5A Specs on the 705 say "Less then 3A (10W) on TX" If it was less then 2A I think they would of Noted it. So how can this Power bank that specs 1.5A at 12 volts run the IC 705 at 10 watts ??
@@chadadventure It works because "3a" is a worst case scenario if all things inside the radio are active - Bluetooth, Wireless, screen at full brightness, D-Star at 10w, etc. The radio consumes "up-to" 3a. That's why I put it to the test and also give a disclaimer that this is a travel compromise and you're better off running a 12v bioenno for "real" work
Surprised it was able to run the radio at 10W. The port is only rated for 22.5W. At 12V, that's a little under 1.9A... However, an IC-705 is spec'd to pull just under 3A while running 10W on Tx. I would figure you'd need a 36W port for it...
I would assume that the 10w/3a rating on the 705 is when you have GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, Full Screen Brightness, etc all dialed up. So I tested it and it did great.
@@temporarilyoffline maybe.... Could also explain that "flutter" when running FT8, if you are right at the threshold of power to where it is backing off because it can't pull enough. It would not be as noticable running SSB voice, because it is fluctuating regardless due to the modulation, whereas FT8 tries to run it full bore. 2 ways to test that would be either park a meter on the backside to see what it is actually putting out or turn down the power to the beginning of the flutter (and where it 'can' get enough power) to see if it holds steady. Just concerned it might be an issue down the line for ya...73 de KC5VAZ
@@amnchode Thanks and I totally agree. I did mention that in the video, but you can't beat the viewer up - this battery solution isn't my goto battery for every use - just for air travel where I need a powerbank for laptop, cell phone, radio. I didn't wind up even using my own radio while I was there -- but I was prepared!
@@temporarilyoffline I saw that you acknowledged the flutter, that it wasn't noticed with SSB voice, and that you believed it was possibly did to the FT8 tones....I just never saw you test the actual output or tried lowering the power to see if it got rid of the flutter. TBH, the bank caught my attention because of how compact it was but the low power specs caught my eye, as my X6100 would exceed it as well. I've noticed if my bank (a Renogy 266Wh/72000mAh power bank, about the size of a 1.75" thick tablet) drops low enough, it starts limiting power output, and figured your IC-705 was possibly doing the same right off the bat. Ah well, like you said, basically limited use item vs the norm, so 'meh' ;)...I still might snag one of those USB cables, though ....73
@@amnchode That USB cable was the source of all this anyway man - I knew that USB-C "can do it" - my macbook pro runs on USB-C... so why not my lower power radio? (or my higher power radio for that matter)... and now for absolutely no reason that makes sense, I want a USB-C to powerpole lead so I can charge my ham batteries with my laptop charger. Sometimes we just do things because we can, right?
I tried to replace 5.5mm x 2.5mm with 5.5mm x 2.1mm. No output. Measured 343k across original RA connector. Ended up restoring orig conn and buying 2.5mm to 2.2mm adapter. Rick K8BMA
Hey Steve, I think I got a bad cable. I went to plug in the pd cable to my x6100, and the barrel jack center pin was the wrong size. Did you ever find this to be an issue for you?
5525 was the one I got. Must have been a bad cable, I had a make a new dc jack lay around and put a new end on it, and ran great for my first pota activation. We Hams gotta be resourceful.
I was just commenting that the battery is only rated at 1.5 amps at 12 volts. I also came across a more convenient PD cable for me that I posted a link to. That was my bad. The cable is straight instead of the coiled cable for listed. I read that someone noted the coiled cable was out of stock. I could share the link with you, but I can’t locate your email anywhere on your page. I guess I am not very fluid with this RUclips stuff? Let me know if you would like the link, 73
@ericn7lpk800 ok, thanks! In youtube, the email is on the channel page under the about section... yep, it's buried. Re 1.5a - yes, it's not the best, it's a travel compromise and a true battery like the miady or bioenno is a much better option.
I would strongly recommend that you NOT show up at your next field day with your handy-dandy all-in-one power solution unless you do some very thorough EMI testing first. When those crappy "modified sine" inverters first came on the market, I remember myself and several other hams wasting half a field day tracking down massive local interference to one guy's noisy inverter. -- Remember what spider-dad said to young spider-ham "with great [switching regulator] power comes great responsibility [for RFI ]. Also, the Amp-Hour "puffing" you mentioned is actually even worse than you estimate in the video. It's not that they are specifying AH at 5 volts, so a correction must be applied at 12v... It's that they are just totaling all the [already inflated] claimed AH ratings of the individual 3.6v lithium cells. The original semi-honest "20,000 mAh" packs had 6 ea 18650 high capacity 3300mAh cells, so close to 20,000mAh - but only at the roughly 3.6v cell voltage. But the cell voltage isn't constant, and this makes the math a little complicated when converting to AH at a constant 5v or 12v output. For example, when up-converting from a fully charged lithium cell at 4V you might get 85% energy conversion efficiency from 4 volts to 5 volts meaning a 3.3 AH cell will initially deliver equivalent to something like 4/5 x 0.85 x 3.3aH equivelent, but then as the cell discharges, this bleeds down to maybe 75% energy conversion efficiency at 3 volts giving 3/5 x 0.75 x 3.3Ah equivalent. So doing the math, figure about 68% of the claimed "AH" at the beginning of the discharge cycle linearly ramping down to to 45 percent of the claimed "AH" towards the end, meaning at 5V you *might* get an overall average of something like 56% of the claimed 20000 mAh --- but that's making the very generous assumption that the individual cell ratings aren't total B.S. which they typically are in these Chinese products. One of them lies and pads their specs, then the next figures that that makes it ok to pad them a little more . . . and round and round it goes until you get to the point where you see a teardown of one "20000 mAh" bank that actually has 4 ea. x 1500mAh cells.
I appreciate the comments and you are spot on - even with "specs" from real MFGs, I still give it a stress test before taking it with me. Could you imagine getting all prepped up and being at your destination only to find out your battery either doesn't work... or only lasts for 15 minutes? Honestly, as you know, the runtime of the battery is very dependent on band, time of day, duty-cycle, etc. Thanks for watching!
T.O, I forgot to ask you for the link at HamCation, but I got the info here. Just got mine today; hafta wait on the trigger cable. I’m curious, how did you know/figure out the trigger cable option? I’ve never heard of it until you enlightened me. Thanks! OH, and what’s the significance of the SIM card tool. I used it to put the strap/usb cable in the tiny holes. Took me a few minutes to figure out that the strap was also the charging cable, lol 73 de K0WHW @Bill-HRT
When I saw my laptop running off a USB cable, I knew it was something more than just 5v, so I looked into it. Not many people know that USB-C provides a variety of Voltages. When you see the other video, you'll see what I did with that Sim card tool 😃
The connector is 5525, I /think/ the 817 is 5521? I have powerpoles on my 818 and I have a 5525-to-powerpole adapter, so it will work on mine. Just enough bridging!
How does the pack put out 12v??? Does the trigger cable step it up? I have everything but the trigger cable, which I’m waiting on. The manual is so small print I find it useless!! Thanks. Enjoy your videos!
Its a feature baked into the new USB-C system - which is how modern laptops run off of USB-C power supplies. Voltages between 5-20 with lots of watts and amps available. Its called "USB-C Power Deilvery" and it needs a "trigger" (a chip built into the cable) to tell the USB-C power brick to put out more or less voltages. And then... you need a USB-C power brick that can put out the right amount of power. I wouldn't reccommed this power bank as your goto battery for QRP, but in the travel compromise it works great!
@@temporarilyoffline thank you!!! Was not aware of this feature !!
Drat. I just posed the same question on Amazon before I read this. Curiously it isn't boasted in the spec like all the other similar power banks do so I had doubts too. Thanks for a great, useful and informative vid. 👍
@@HKey_Root This battery back isn't really designed for 12v work, but it will put out 12v @ 1.5a which is "good enough" for emergency travel QRP work at 10w. I'd rather have a battery that was designed for 12v work specifically, but then I'd need other devices to get down to 5v... so its the compromise we make.
I've looked at the USB C PD spec a little and determined that the power source(battery module) can generate 5, 12, 15 & 20 VDC at up to 22.5 WATTS. The cable tells the power source what voltage it wants. You'll notice the cables are available for 5, 12, 15 & 20 Volts. Also, the above power source is rated at 20000mah(@5V ). The manual (really) fine print rates the product at 77wh. The battery type was listed as lithium polymer.
I have powered 2 rigs with a 12V configuration cable, a SW-3B and a KX2. The battery was freshly charged.
With the SW-3B, while receiving, the rig displays the voltage as 12.0V. When transmitting, the rig display drops to as 11.5V. No intermediate voltages are displayed. At 11.5V, PO was 3.85W. The SW-3B is rated at 5.0W @ 13.8V.
With the KX2, while receiving, the rig displays 11.7V while transmitting, the rig displays 11.2V PO was set for 5.0W, but was not measured.
In the original post, the author noticed some flutter in the battery voltage. I would think this was actually output voltage drop with load change.
I will run tests with the KX2 while varying PO and record measured battery voltage
My conclusion is that the battery module is the culprit but I am not sure if it meets the PD spec or not.
Steve this is great ! Being able to run a IC-705 or a X6100 from this is awesome ! More "tools" for the shack ! Well done !
Thanks 👍
Great Find Steve. Had to have one for my x6100 as soon as I saw it. I need to try this out in the field as soon as things warm up a bit. The battery life looks promising for short activations. I'm still waiting on my PD cable that's a few weeks out on delivery yet. So I found a PD adapter that will do the trick until the regular cable arrives. it's the 2.5 x 5.5mm barrel to USB C with the PD chip. The double USB C cable that came with the battery pack works with it. - Thanks for all of your videos!
Excellent!
I love those velcro ties, we've been using them for years in the ham kit, around the house and all over. they're the bomb!
I'm getting ready to put together an X6100 (replacing my X5105 i sold to a new ham to get him started) go bag and the battery trick is exactly what i was looking for, I'm looking forward to the next video on this. And thanks for the trigger cable info, i've got one in my cart now. See you in Dayton. 73 de W8MJL
You're welcome, see you there!
Love the Velcro one wraps. Have been to one of their facilities and watched those and other products being made.
Thata neat
As soon as I saw this vid I got one of these off Amazon, and a cable. Yesterday was my first opportunity to test. Had the 705 out in the field testing a new antenna. Only had about 90mins or so, but ran SSB for about half the time and FT8 for the other half. When I shut it all down the battery readout said 93%. What a trooper. It seems like "the little battery who could." SO GLAD you made this vid! These are the sorts of toys we all need to know about. 73, Tim KD9LAI
That is awesome to hear! Many happy activations to come!
I've been playing with this concept for awhile and the USB PD trigger cable (ordered) is a great find compared to the different cables I've been using. With barrel jack adapters, this will be one cable to rule them all for 12v output. There are some downsides to these batteries that everyone needs to be aware of. These are LI-ion and not LiFePo. Extreme temps will have a greater effect on them. I could not successfully charge them with an ambient temp over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (Texas Summer Field Day) and freezing temps will drain them faster if not kept warm. Thanks TO. for finally posting a video like this. These USB C PD capable batteries can be used to charge/run a ton of stuff with just a few cables.
You're welcome! Its a great compromise battery!
I've got a USB C to 9v barrel connector for my vinyl record player, I may just grab a 12v adapter so I can easily use some of my USB pd power banks for my x6100. Thanks for the video TO!
Anytime, sir!
12 volts from USB? I didn’t know this was even a thing!
Great video man.
Yeah, its a part of the USB-C PD spec - 5-20v depending on the handshake on the cables.
I believe that ham radio is an experimental, as well as a joyous, activity. You, my amigo, are on the cutting. I welcome each and every video that you generate. I love your little reviews as well as the major reviews. You are costing me a fortune! I have to have all the things that you mention. As per your advice, I am still glad that I passed on the 6100. Your knowledge base far exceeds mine buy a country mile. It is a good experimentation radio but not for an old fart like me. Thank you for taking your time to enlighten such as me.
Thanks for watching!
That is a sweet setup, Steve.
Thanks Kevin!
I have used those velcro ties for a long time now. They are very neat.
I'm a big fan!
I wondered about this as well, but I assumed the boost converter in the battery bank would cause too much rf hash. Thanks for testing the idea!
I didn't notice any hash, I was impressed!
I've been doing a similar thing for my QRP Labs QDX. I use a cable from blind spot gear. I believe Adafruit also has a similar usb-c cable that will trigger 12vdc 5a. Word of warning though, make sure your battery bank also has a 12v PD profile. Much like the power bricks mentioned in the vid, Not all battery banks provide 12v via PD.
Exactly!
With the G90 the 12 volt part is great but the problem may be with the amperage,
Immediately bought one. Would be useful for when I fly to visit the family
That would be good - I think this is a good compromise and might wind up as EDC for me
Grabbed two of these. Awesomeness!!!
Great, thanks!
Thanks ! Looks like a really neat battery, I have it on the way. I am wondering on the jumping power meter shot, maybe RFing ? Could try it in a dummy load to test further. The 705 is notorious for that issue on the USB cable.
Thanks for the tip! I'll look into it.
I bought the pack and cable for my 705. We will see how it pairs with the unit for occasional POTA work. Thanks Steve!
Very nice, let me know!
The Velcro one wrap ties are the best!
I don't know what I did in life before they existed!
Just ordered some.
@@phillyedhrj You'll love 'em!
Lol and just like that the cable is sold out! I love it! And great video
...you have a new subscriber.
My work here is done. Thanks for the sub!
REALLY helpful tip TO! Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you! Very useful information that I didn't already know!
Glad it was helpful!
Hello Steve. I would like to thank you for the info on the PD batteries. This technology is new to me. I have been in electronics all my life. I got my first Ham license in 1956. (Conditional license). And I still enjoy the hobby. I purchased this battery but found at 12 volts you are limited to 22.5 watts which is only 1.785 amps. That is probably why you were having power fluctuations on FT-8 and 10 Watts. I have sense ordered a 100 watt PD battery which is rated at 12 volts for 3 amps. Thanks again for the info. Bob AA7B
That's Great Bob! Thanks for watching. I wish I could say everything that needed to be said in a video, but nobody would watch! These kids and their short attention spans today!!!🤣
@@temporarilyoffline Keep up the good work Steve. Bob AA7B
@@RobertBobFair Will do, Thanks!
I looked at the quality of the output with a 9V trigger cable and transient loading of about an ampere. The sag and overshoot was very respectable and over with in short order. The issue is that under load it puts out quite a lot of 380kHz hash on the DC.
Strong work. Thanks for that!
Usually the amp hour rating on those batteries packs are in relation to the original cell voltage in those packs. Most lithium cells run at 3.7 volts, not five volts
Right.
Was going to say this. Let's them put a bigger number on the box for even more "puffing". Still when he gets 7hours operation from ft-8 that's a heck of an achievement and makes the Ah rating on the box moot anyhow.
T.O: you're not all hyped up, I like it. Did you drink your coffee today?
Only two pots today
Its the only method I use for powering my transceivers as it is so flexible. One additional warning....not all battery packs will produce enough amps. My power bank delivers 3A @ 12V which is enough to power my transceivers @ 10W of RF O/P. So make sure your power bank can provide sufficient power. The additional advantage to this system is it can be fast to recharge them with a good pd charger (not all wall chargers are born equal).
Right On!
The power meter fluttering during FT8 is because you are getting voltage sag. The USB C can't provide enough amps so the voltage is dropping and you aren't getting full power out. If you look at the VD display to the right, as soon as you start transmitting, the voltage drops. As soon as the TX cycle ends, the voltage goes back up.
Exactly! This isn't a "go box" battery, this is just a pretty cool thing you can do for travel. I have another (hopefully even better) travel battery coming.
Great vid. As usual.
Thanks Matt
Another great video Steve! Thanks.
I wonder... can one work the station while getting charged by the battery?
I'll have to find out
Thanks for the video...great idea, but can you describe the three cables that you used the one-wrap ties on? I assume one was your USB cable from the radio to the laptop, but what were the other two cables?
Sure, there will be a new video out on that case soon. Its the 5525-PowerPole cable for regular shack/ham-battery use. The USB-C cable for FT8/Data Modes. The L4001 Cable to run the XPA125b Amp. Here is the original video: ruclips.net/video/YL9icxTSg1g/видео.html Then the case hack: ruclips.net/video/s8_KwEfNgDI/видео.html
They need to make a version of that cable with Anderson Power Pole connectors!
Don't tell anybody, but I made up adaptors to go to male and female 5525 as well!
3:55 it's not 20Ah at 5v, it's 20Ah at 3.7v, the native voltage of the Li-Ion cells inside.
I can accept that
Take a look at the Zendure SuperTank Pro. It has two PD ports rated at 100w. If you use both ports at the same time, they are 60w each. There are a total of 4 usb-c ports.
26800mAh battery.
20 oz
4.9 in x 2.9 in x 1.8 in
Nice, there are a ton of them out there! Those Tanks look nice.
Nice one, Steve! Battery and PD cable ordered, I'm excited to try this out in the field. I'm working on a SOTA bag, where this will be just the right size with my X6100 and/or G106. Do you think that this battery will work with your FT818?
72, Jan (M7HNK)
I'm doing an 818 battery test series, I'll add this one to the list.
That's a heck of alot cheaper than the variable power supply I just bought.
It would actually pair nicely with it. 👍
I bet it would!
Nice review. Love your channel. Any suggestions for a PD Trigger Cable for the G90?
You'd have to make your own because of the connector on the G90. The G90's manual says 8amps max, so this battery pack can't be used at 20w output power, you'll need to get a better power source or do some testing. Here's where I would start:
Connector: ebay.us/P9CZlP
100w/12v DC Trigger Cable: amzn.to/46yvqUk
5525 Project Cable: amzn.to/45uKEbH
And then you're really pushing the limits of most battery banks - you want a 12v/100w+/8a+ battery pack and most USB-C battery banks are made to recharge cell phones.
What I'd recommend instead:
G90 Powerpole cable: ebay.us/7PQzhU
12ah Bioenno Battery: hamsource.com/product/blf-1212a-12ahr-lifepo4-battery/ (comes with charger)
I see Hamsource has the Bioenno 9ah with charger too, but no charger with the 6ah. 9ah seems like plenty for me. Got a G90 on the way and looking forward to trying some POTA activations soon. Thanks! @@temporarilyoffline
@@MrJimBe.W5URF it's not very clear, but in hamsource's front page it says they give chargers with all their bioenno batteries.
Very cool. Im using a 7Ah sealed lead acid battery which works pretty well for my XIEGU G90 but definitely will give this 20Ah power station a closer look as I upgrade my setup. I put the battery in my amazon cart for later purchase. thanks for the vid!
btw, what was the Max Current you saw on the Power Tester when performing TX at 10W output?
about 1.7 amps
@@temporarilyoffline technically that is over the spec of the product. Mine sagged voltage at the 10 watt setting and only gave me about 6 watts out.
@@prussianblue222 Yeah, its pushing it for sure.
So you can actually use a Powerbank connected via this cable to run the radio or does it only charge the internal Battery while you operate the radio on internal battery?
You can run the radio off the battery at 9‐10w for ~7 hours.
love the USB C PD . but all not the same. have to check manual. I have seen that voltage flutter on USB C before. I have a USB C PD tester. looks like voltage reg jumping around a tad . most things have a filter cap on that so wont be in audio on TX or FT8 noise. nice links for trigger cable and the cable ties. some HT's have a 12V charge. 73's
You're right! Thanks for watching.
Battery pack is rated at 22.5W charging current. 22.5W / 12V = 1.875A. X6100 wants 3.5A for 10W out. IC705 on FT8 probably want more current than battery can supply. 45W charging current needed for 10W on X6100.
Rick K8BMA
Thanks for the info!
so what cable connects to the 200amp power tester device to the to battery pack as it power tester is an anderson power pole connector
I have adapters made up to go from Anderson to 5525 male and female.
I don't recommend running the 6100 at full 10w on FT8. I burned up the output transformer and the surface mount capacitor feeding the transformer. It melted the enamel off the wire and the coil started to smoke. I have a replacement 6100 coming. I found example of the output transformer but no luck on transmit, only receive.
I have seen that on a few models, always have to manage heat with FT8.
Some technical comments... this battery bank is spec'd at only 1.5A when using PD at 12 volts. This was NOT enough to give me 10 watts out of my X6100. On CW the voltage would sag and I only got a little less than 6 watts on 20m. Also, the 20,000mAh claim is at the cell voltage of 3.7 volts, not 5 volts as you state. These capacity claims are often inflated on these devices. I will test the capacity and see what it really is. So for me I don't get 10 watts CW from this. It is still a nice product.
Its a very nice battery pack that works in a pinch... I turned my radio down to 9w and was able to get steady TX out of it. That flutter I demonstrated in the video went away.
I bought your setup as well and can only get 5w ssb. Love the channel by the way. Learning tons.
@jameswelch3011 I wonder if they changed the battery or the PD cable? Thanks for the kind words, glad I can help out.
@@temporarilyoffline I have used two different PD cables. The one you specified and another. The battery voltage as indicated on the radio sags with either one (charging off, power setting at 6 watts). There is a sensing algorithm in the radio that automatically changes the Xmit power to 5 watts max when it sees a voltage lower than 9 volts (that is my estimate). I suspect your X6100 may have had different firmware without this battery sense & xmit power change algorithm. Just a guess.
I don't doubt it. Have you tried 8 or 9w?
Is it possible it fluttered on ft8 because it's a 22 watt output unit?
If so, perhaps a 60w or higher unit would be the way to go?
Great video, thanks!
It could be, but I was able to put out more power on voice. My guess is it's something to do with to tones in the signal. I wanted to make people aware of it so they could make an educated decision- its a compromise battery for travel charging.
Nice, but I'm more interested, now you tried to compare IC705 vs X6100. I have the same power bank from China, only with a capacity of 50Ah, unfortunately the seller is a bit misleading, because he calculates the capacity from a lower voltage without losses during conversion to 5V
With radio it's hard to calculate because it's not a constant 1.5Ah draw, but an up and down. I got 7hrs of use, but consumed 5Ah from the battery. Math gets you to the real world, and from there everything goes Pear shaped.
I just got a hundred of these velcro cables reusable cable ties one side's red the other side's black for 794 on Amazon
Score!
FYI: Measured 3.43K across RA connector. This is value of remote sense resistor.
73 Rick K8BMA
Thanks Rick!
Hey T.O., Wondering if I got two of these bad boys - one for me 705 the other for my Surface Go 1. Of course, I'd have to roll my own interface for the Surface - unless someone knows of an off the shelf ready made cable. ;)
Surface cables are out there! I remember the weird connector
I received my cable this morning and it’s not working on my 6100. I think I read in a comment somewhere in this thread that another person’s cable didn’t work. I’ll keep trying. Maybe I received a funky one.
Do you have a multi-meter? Check it out make sure its giving you the right output power?
Bought same battery pack and cable for use with KX2 and SW-3B QRP rigs. Notice 12.0V -> 11.5V drop between receiving and transmitting CW both rigs. I believe this is the "wiggle" you saw transmitting in your demo. Any guess on why and how to correct? 73, Rick K8BMA
A better battery would do well, this video was about a good compromise for travel, it works for charging your cell phone, laptop and can even QRP - especially SSB QRP. I'd assume this battery can't deliver the right amperage at 12v, but does "well enough" a bioenno battery would be great for QRP, and some boost/buck converters would do well to solve the cell phone or laptop question.
Those hook and loop ties are the bomb. I use them on everything. Which port did you plug the 12V cable into? Did you try to use the 12V and charge a phone or use any other USB devices at the same time? I am cautious because I saw this in the review ... "I plugged in a 5v device into the red USBA port, and then a 12v USBPD device into the USBC port and it destroyed the 5v device. The 5v device did not support PD."
I didn't try that, but good call!
I have 12v power bank for router with 2A can I use it directly with the supplied cables ........
Check with your multi-meter to make sure all the polarities line up, then read the numbers on input and output for voltage and amps, and if everything lines up, there you go.
So i bought it tried it with ft8 could not get it to stay at 12v kept going back to 7.8v and the x6100 kept jumping back to 5w sending it back going to try one of the other 100w computer power banks. I will let you know how it goes
Let me know how it works!
HOLD ON Lets pack that 705 instead of the 6100 Please
I would, but the 6100 packs smaller. I love them both... for wildly different reasons.
I don't think this battery will work with the X6100. I tried it out and it's true that it will deliver 12v to the radio but as soon as I key up voltage drops to 8v. What I think is happening is that for normal operation the current on the battery is low enough that it can provide the 12v but during transmit current draw increases and the battery negotiates down to a voltage which it can support, likely 5v. At this point the radio is running from internal battery and transmit power is reduced to 5W. After I'm done transmitting the voltage pops back up to 12v so if you're not watching the voltage indicator it's easy to miss the voltage drop. The radio will also adjust the max transmit wattage down to 5w if it was set above that before transmitting.
I was able to test with a friends Bioenno LiFePo battery and the radio operates just fine at 13v even during transmit. Transmit power is confirmed at 10w.
Yeah, I prefer the Bioenno batteries also, this is a great compromise for charging all the things while on a trip.
I don’t get how that VRURC powerbank would work since it is only rated at 1.5A at 12V; the X6100 requires 3A at 12V. I use a Veektomx powerbank which us rated at 12V 3A and runs my X6100 just fine.
That Veektomx looks good. Thanks for the info.
Steve, will the IC-705 fit in that case also ?
No it won't. I'm still searching for a 705 solution. Right now I'm using a 50cal ammo can.
A good power option.
Wondering if it would power a Xiegu G1M?
Good question, I don't have one (yet). My gut says "probably", esp in the described travel scenario. I'd still go with a "real" battery for a go-box, but as a power bank that can charge my phone,laptop and run a radio, this thing is great.
@@temporarilyoffline A super, multi-use power source - Good stuff, many thanks.
Hi, I tried the cable with my 6100 and a PD powebank, the volts on 6100 show 11.8v but when I tx it drops to 7.5v and only 5w does this mean my PD powerbank is not sufficient enough ?
It could be that - is your PD power bank saying it outputs the 12v source? My macbook pro PD power supplies don't output 12v.
@@temporarilyoffline yes it says 12v 1.5a, not sure if something is wrong with my 6100, I tried portable car starter pack, 12v 10a it outputs 3000mah, it will only go to 7watts again voltage drops. What amps does xiegu pull at 10w cant be more than 10amps. I also went to depot and bought a energizer 48,000mAh power station lifepo4. Voltage drops again on tx, that would only put out 7watts, voltage drops 12.8 to 10.4.
@ronaldcphotography sounds like a pickle. I'd try to find a way to isolate one or the other to figure out which one is having a problem.
@@temporarilyoffline unless the hardware is changed in newer 6100s and it needs 13.8v
couldn't find the correct pd cable, my power bank devlivers pd usb c, the cable I bought doesn't support pd I think. couldn't find your cable with your link. :-(
Interesting, let me know how it goes.
@@temporarilyoffline do you any alternative link for that cable you are using?
@@johnkatz5820 try this one: amzn.to/40ZQD6f
i have the same battery , bought a different usb cable that wont provide 12v , ill need to buy another to try , will comment after new cable .
Ok, thanks
Can I ru n the Inovato at the same time? (Different cable)
I'll have to check! (Probably)
I have a jumpstarter for my car. Unfortunately, the USB-C says 5v@3A so it won't work. However, it also has a 12V/10A output with a barrel connector.
But wait! It also has USB-A 5/9/12V output! Ok, some experimenting may happen. 🙂
Let me know how it works out. Sounds interesting!
i use a 706mk2g with an ldg at100pro tuner. i have done some tests with an inline amp meter and at standard operation with tx at 10w it draws about 5amp max , when i tune however the tuner drew around 11amps and obviously the length of time it draws the power for would change depending on antenna ect. usb c pd is new to me, do you think this system could handle the tuner? many thanks for the awesome video and for any insight you could lend. 73 M6YEN
You might have some problems with this setup. This is a compromise battery for travel. I'd recommend a bioenno or a denco battery for a real go box?
Im having the same power issue with my 705 were you able to figure out the issue. I'm running the 705 wireless using a 15ah battery, so it's not RF or a power issue. Thanks
Oh. Good to know. Honestly I don't think I ever paid any attention to it before this. I think "it's fine" is the answer - especially after 7 hours of doing it.
Thanks, i've never paid attention either
Now you have me second-guessing myself lol
@Scott11B the struggle brother!
I wonder if the RF is getting in a regulator in the battery. I have an after market battery for a Icom T70 that shuts off the radio whenever I Tx on 440 with that battery. Stock battery is fine. The. Ompany sent me another battery & its fine too.
I use this Lifepo4 which is quite portable:
the link got blocked.
@@temporarilyoffline here it goes
TalentCell 12V LiFePO4 Battery Pack LF4100
I wish my hands could go that fast :)
The magic of video editing!
Given the right adapter, would the truSDX work with this? I know the truSDX takes 13.8 V.
Yes, it would.
@@temporarilyoffline Noice
@@temporarilyofflineWould the trigger cable fit the truSDX?
I don't think so, and I don't have my (tr)uSDX anymore to check. The cable I linked is 5.5mm X 2.5mm - but there are others... or POWERPOLES!
@@temporarilyoffline Just wanted to be sure. Power poles it is then! Thanks, Steve! 73
"USB-C Power Deilvery" and it needs a "trigger" (a chip built into the cable) to tell the USB-C power brick to put out more or less voltages. The cable you have the link to, has the chip built in yeah??
Sure does
@@temporarilyoffline Great thanks for the reply, the only problem I have now is that I cannot seem to get that battery bank seems discontinued ??
@@temporarilyoffline Great thanks for the reply. this battery pack is not available anymore do you know of any other battery packs that have this PD for 12v out?? BTW I am HS0ZJB from Thailand.
@@chrisreid8604 It might be a regional thing with amazon? When I click on the link it shows "In Stock" for me???
@@temporarilyoffline Ok thanks I will check around.
Will the cable work with 817nd?
Electrically Yes, Physically No -- You'd need an adapter to go from 5525 to what the 818 uses (I have a PowerPole adapter on the 818 and a 5525xPowerPole adapter also)
I bought the battery and cable listed in the description but when I plug them into my x6100 sometimes the radio will go up to 10W and sometimes it won't. Also when its at 10W sometimes it will randomly drop down to 5W without me doing anything, sometimes halfway through a transmission. Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas on a solution?
Have you tried it with the internal battery fully charged and the charger option turned off?
@@temporarilyoffline yes I did, that was the condition of the radio when I was having this problem. I will re check when I'm using it next and make sure but I'm pretty sure it was charged with the charge function turned off.
@@temporarilyoffline Tried it again making sure the battery was charged and charger function turned off, still switches back to 5W transmit randomly and also drops the backlight from 10 down to 5 randomly as well.
@@golden_shadow_defense I wonder if you got a bad PD cable or battery - what is the voltage at the 5525 plug? Do you have a way to measure amp draw? Might be a fun experiment.
@@temporarilyoffline that would be my luck. I'm sure I can find a multi meter around somewhere and figure out how to use it. What should the values be?
Hello Steve, I was toying with the idea of removing the x6100's internal battery in favour of just using an external. Have you thought about this? More so for safety reasons etc. 73's
It wouldn't be hard to do at all. I wonder if the radio's firmware would care.
@@temporarilyoffline Good point!
This does not work on my X6100. Turned charger off. Display showing 12 volts. TX Power 10W. Drops voltage and then the TX output drops to 5W.
What results are you getting with your X6100 ??
My display shows 11.7v, I set TX power to 10, set mode to AM and PTT into a dummy load while whistling... it did not change the output setting. Is your radio a newer model?
@@temporarilyoffline Yes, Few days old. Updated. New power bank and new cable. Seams like the power bank isn't maintaining voltage. Tried a larger Power Bank with same results ( still 1.5 amps output), Same results.
Did you have yours keyed long enough to call CQ ??
@@chadadventure I have heard there are hardware changes on the new radios. Maybe this is another victim of the update.
Manual on the X6100 says power supply shall be at least 3.5A Specs on the 705 say "Less then 3A (10W) on TX" If it was less then 2A I think they would of Noted it. So how can this Power bank that specs 1.5A at 12 volts run the IC 705 at 10 watts ??
@@chadadventure It works because "3a" is a worst case scenario if all things inside the radio are active - Bluetooth, Wireless, screen at full brightness, D-Star at 10w, etc. The radio consumes "up-to" 3a. That's why I put it to the test and also give a disclaimer that this is a travel compromise and you're better off running a 12v bioenno for "real" work
Surprised it was able to run the radio at 10W. The port is only rated for 22.5W. At 12V, that's a little under 1.9A... However, an IC-705 is spec'd to pull just under 3A while running 10W on Tx. I would figure you'd need a 36W port for it...
I would assume that the 10w/3a rating on the 705 is when you have GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, Full Screen Brightness, etc all dialed up. So I tested it and it did great.
@@temporarilyoffline maybe.... Could also explain that "flutter" when running FT8, if you are right at the threshold of power to where it is backing off because it can't pull enough. It would not be as noticable running SSB voice, because it is fluctuating regardless due to the modulation, whereas FT8 tries to run it full bore. 2 ways to test that would be either park a meter on the backside to see what it is actually putting out or turn down the power to the beginning of the flutter (and where it 'can' get enough power) to see if it holds steady. Just concerned it might be an issue down the line for ya...73 de KC5VAZ
@@amnchode Thanks and I totally agree. I did mention that in the video, but you can't beat the viewer up - this battery solution isn't my goto battery for every use - just for air travel where I need a powerbank for laptop, cell phone, radio. I didn't wind up even using my own radio while I was there -- but I was prepared!
@@temporarilyoffline I saw that you acknowledged the flutter, that it wasn't noticed with SSB voice, and that you believed it was possibly did to the FT8 tones....I just never saw you test the actual output or tried lowering the power to see if it got rid of the flutter. TBH, the bank caught my attention because of how compact it was but the low power specs caught my eye, as my X6100 would exceed it as well. I've noticed if my bank (a Renogy 266Wh/72000mAh power bank, about the size of a 1.75" thick tablet) drops low enough, it starts limiting power output, and figured your IC-705 was possibly doing the same right off the bat. Ah well, like you said, basically limited use item vs the norm, so 'meh' ;)...I still might snag one of those USB cables, though ....73
@@amnchode That USB cable was the source of all this anyway man - I knew that USB-C "can do it" - my macbook pro runs on USB-C... so why not my lower power radio? (or my higher power radio for that matter)... and now for absolutely no reason that makes sense, I want a USB-C to powerpole lead so I can charge my ham batteries with my laptop charger. Sometimes we just do things because we can, right?
I guess you did think about it. 😂
I'm always thinking about something... might get me in trouble... but I'm thinking about it!
Can I replace 90 deg conn on pwr cable?
I guess that depends on what you want to change it to. It's just a 12 volt power source, so if you're changing to something else that is 12v, sure.
@@temporarilyoffline
Existing RA connector does not make connection with my KX2. My assumption is that "smarts" are on battery end of cable.
@@user-vc7yx9kg8d I believe they are in the USB side also.
I tried to replace 5.5mm x 2.5mm with 5.5mm x 2.1mm. No output. Measured 343k across original RA connector. Ended up restoring orig conn and buying 2.5mm to 2.2mm adapter.
Rick K8BMA
Buy 2.5mm to 2.1mm adapter.
Notice RX/TX voltage droop mentioned else where.
Rick K8BMA
Hey Steve, I think I got a bad cable. I went to plug in the pd cable to my x6100, and the barrel jack center pin was the wrong size. Did you ever find this to be an issue for you?
No issue with the one I got. Did you get a 5525 or 5521?
5525 was the one I got. Must have been a bad cable, I had a make a new dc jack lay around and put a new end on it, and ran great for my first pota activation. We Hams gotta be resourceful.
@@DieselJim you got that right!
i use 3 power banks adn the cheapest one was the best.. a goal zero sherpa 100, the audio wasnt so good
I hear goal 0 makes good stuff.
Sorry for my improper post earlier. I understand and will comply. 73’s
Did you remove it? I don't see anything?
I believe RUclips did? I posted a link and I guess I shouldn’t have as per the guidelines. Again I am sorry
@@ericn7lpk800 hmm no harm on my side (I assume) feel free to drop the link in the discord or email me. Thanks for trying.
I was just commenting that the battery is only rated at 1.5 amps at 12 volts. I also came across a more convenient PD cable for me that I posted a link to. That was my bad. The cable is straight instead of the coiled cable for listed. I read that someone noted the coiled cable was out of stock. I could share the link with you, but I can’t locate your email anywhere on your page. I guess I am not very fluid with this RUclips stuff? Let me know if you would like the link, 73
@ericn7lpk800 ok, thanks! In youtube, the email is on the channel page under the about section... yep, it's buried. Re 1.5a - yes, it's not the best, it's a travel compromise and a true battery like the miady or bioenno is a much better option.
I would strongly recommend that you NOT show up at your next field day with your handy-dandy all-in-one power solution unless you do some very thorough EMI testing first. When those crappy "modified sine" inverters first came on the market, I remember myself and several other hams wasting half a field day tracking down massive local interference to one guy's noisy inverter. -- Remember what spider-dad said to young spider-ham "with great [switching regulator] power comes great responsibility [for RFI ].
Also, the Amp-Hour "puffing" you mentioned is actually even worse than you estimate in the video. It's not that they are specifying AH at 5 volts, so a correction must be applied at 12v... It's that they are just totaling all the [already inflated] claimed AH ratings of the individual 3.6v lithium cells. The original semi-honest "20,000 mAh" packs had 6 ea 18650 high capacity 3300mAh cells, so close to 20,000mAh - but only at the roughly 3.6v cell voltage. But the cell voltage isn't constant, and this makes the math a little complicated when converting to AH at a constant 5v or 12v output. For example, when up-converting from a fully charged lithium cell at 4V you might get 85% energy conversion efficiency from 4 volts to 5 volts meaning a 3.3 AH cell will initially deliver equivalent to something like 4/5 x 0.85 x 3.3aH equivelent, but then as the cell discharges, this bleeds down to maybe 75% energy conversion efficiency at 3 volts giving 3/5 x 0.75 x 3.3Ah equivalent. So doing the math, figure about 68% of the claimed "AH" at the beginning of the discharge cycle linearly ramping down to to 45 percent of the claimed "AH" towards the end, meaning at 5V you *might* get an overall average of something like 56% of the claimed 20000 mAh --- but that's making the very generous assumption that the individual cell ratings aren't total B.S. which they typically are in these Chinese products. One of them lies and pads their specs, then the next figures that that makes it ok to pad them a little more . . . and round and round it goes until you get to the point where you see a teardown of one "20000 mAh" bank that actually has 4 ea. x 1500mAh cells.
I appreciate the comments and you are spot on - even with "specs" from real MFGs, I still give it a stress test before taking it with me. Could you imagine getting all prepped up and being at your destination only to find out your battery either doesn't work... or only lasts for 15 minutes? Honestly, as you know, the runtime of the battery is very dependent on band, time of day, duty-cycle, etc. Thanks for watching!
The video seems mostly legit.
But Watt’s law not Ohm’s law
Legit
please enjoy my donation to your amazon affiliate account!
Thank you thank you
T.O, I forgot to ask you for the link at HamCation, but I got the info here. Just got mine today; hafta wait on the trigger cable. I’m curious, how did you know/figure out the trigger cable option? I’ve never heard of it until you enlightened me. Thanks! OH, and what’s the significance of the SIM card tool. I used it to put the strap/usb cable in the tiny holes. Took me a few minutes to figure out that the strap was also the charging cable, lol 73 de K0WHW @Bill-HRT
When I saw my laptop running off a USB cable, I knew it was something more than just 5v, so I looked into it. Not many people know that USB-C provides a variety of Voltages. When you see the other video, you'll see what I did with that Sim card tool 😃
Which vid with cliffhanger for the sim tool?
It's not public yet. This battery pack belongs to my ADSB Go Box, so you'll see it there.
Very cool! I wonder if the cable will work on my 817 🤔
de KC1JMH
The connector is 5525, I /think/ the 817 is 5521? I have powerpoles on my 818 and I have a 5525-to-powerpole adapter, so it will work on mine. Just enough bridging!
Well, that’s one more doodad you’ve sold me on. 73 de W8IJN
hope it serves you well!