USB Power Delivery Tester PRO
For troubleshooting USB ports and USB chargers (Model: PM240)
- Test USB and Thunderbolt ports, chargers, and power banks by dissipating up to 240W to verify power output, voltage stability, and compliance with specifications.
- Check if a USB host can deliver its maximum specified wattage and its output voltage levels remain within specification under high load.
- Detect claimed wattage of chargers for optimized charging speeds and assess the true capacity of power banks under specific loads.
- Emulate USB chargers with a configurable 100W source to evaluate device compatibility.
- Measure the current consumption or the power usage of USB devices such as smartphones or power banks.
- Use it with the USB 3.0 Loopback Plug, to test communication speed, data integrity, and power delivery of USB ports simultaneously.
Two Independent Ports For Emulation
Diagnose USB Power
Tests the power delivery capability of USB ports up to 240Watts. Support for all current PD standards. FIX, PPS, AVS, EPR FIX, EPR AVS up to 48V, BC1.2 DCP, SDP, CDP, QC4+, proprietary Apple and Samsung, Thunderbolt 3 and 4.
Tests the power delivery capability of USB chargers (Detects proprietary chargers and adjusts the maximum current accordingly).
Negotiates voltage levels with host PD controller chip to switch between different profiles, or force a selected profile.
Emulate USB Chargers with a configurable 100W source port to check if a device can be powered or charged with different type of chargers.
Measure electrical ripple at 1kHz.
Measure the capacity of USB power banks and battery packs in mAh.
Test communication speed, data integrity, and power delivery of USB ports simultaneously.
Create step loads which adjust the amount of current drawn quickly to see if the charger can react safely to the sudden change.
Built-in protection against overcurrent, over voltage, over temperature and ESD.
Isolated USB Monitoring port which protects the monitoring machine.
USB Power Delivery
USB-PD ('PD' stands for 'Power Delivery') is a universal standard that can fast-charge a variety of devices that use USB-C to deliver increased power (more than 7.5 W) to devices with greater power demands. Devices can request higher currents and supply voltages from compliant USB-PD hosts, for example a phone may request 15W of power, where a laptop might request 45W.
The Extended Power Range (EPR) was added to the USB-PD specifications to increase the maximum power that a USB-C port can supply up to 240W (48V / 5A) from 100W (20V / 5A).
To enter EPR mode and use these higher voltages, many precautions must be taken to ensure safety. These precautions include completing an additional handshake procedure, a fast reaction to remove the voltage on a disconnect, and verifying the cable's capabilities.
Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS) was added to the USB-PD specifications as another method for allowing incremental changes in voltage.
AVS is similar to PPS (Programmable Power Supply) except that PPS implements a current limiting feature to improve the efficiency of charging batteries. AVS is more suitable for situations where the current can fluctuate, such as in computer systems for example.
An E-Marked cable (electronically marked cable) is a USB Type-C cable that uses a marker chip to provide the cable's characteristics e.g. its current carrying capability, its performance, vendor identification, etc. E-Marked chips are required when:
- The current through the cable will exceed 3A
- The data transmission exceeds 5Gbps
- Alternate modes are required
Evaluate Compliance
Controllable and configurable over USB interface. The API which allows you to change the load, read the current and voltage levels and Update the LCD contents.
Bootloader which allows updating the firmware in field.
Python Script example is now included.
Power Delivery Protocol Analyzer records and displays the power delivery messages sent to and from the USB Charger. Use this to check that the USB charger complies with protocol standards via a visual interface.
Safety Precautions
Do not block the air vents or restrict airflow. Ensure adequate clearance of at least 15cm around the device for proper fan operation and cooling of the unit. Also ensure there is airflow under the device.
Do not turn off the unit during high load testing, as the fan needs to operate to cool down the heatsink and the internal components.
Only use the USB PD Tester PRO with devices that claim compliance with the USB standards. A catastrophic failure of the device under test can result in the shorting of mains power to the USB cable. Which can both destroy the USB PD Tester and present a serious electrocution hazard.
Unplug the device under test from the sink or source port before turning off the unit, as some protections rely on main power.
Always have someone monitor the testing in case the device under test suddenly fails. Do not start a test and walk away.
Do not draw more current from the device than it claims to support. The port might be damaged as a result, or over current protection might lead to the port shutting down.
Some USB power supplies are known to not fully comply with the USB standards. Some also do not comply with relevant electrical standards in the countries where they are sold. Faulty or poorly designed devices can be dangerous! The USB PD Tester may expose design and manufacturing flaws in the device when putting the device under high load. The result can be catastrophic failure of the device under test. Which in turn can lead to fire, melting of the device under test, smoke, electrical shorts and even destruction of the USB PD tester PRO itself.
The USB PD Tester PRO is not a consumer device. It was designed for use by qualified electrical engineers.
Do not use with damaged with damaged cables or connectors. Replace the cable if required.
Related hardware
USB Power Delivery Tester
USB 3.0 Loopback Plugs
