YZXStudio 8 Power Bank Review (4x18650)

[maukka]

This being said, I recently ordered a Tomo V8-4 from Tomo and I got it last Wednesday, about 10-12 days after ordering it off their website.

Not nearly as sophisticated, nor evidently as efficient as the YZX PB, but it works well and it's easier to swap in fresh batteries than with my Ruinovo (or my Xiaomi Mi--fixed,) or the YZX.

I also think the Tomo is fine if you use another charger and put in fresh batteries, since it chargers the batteries inside painfully slowly. And always use four of them. Mine overheats if I use only one 18650 and charge anything else faster than 0.5 amps.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I also think the Tomo is fine if you use another charger and put in fresh batteries, since it chargers the batteries inside painfully slowly. And always use four of them. Mine overheats if I use only one 18650 and charge anything else faster than 0.5 amps.

Thanks for the tip. I need to get some NCR-GAs for it, as I just had some laptop LG S2s to play with the other night. I need to see how fast it charges back up, as my Ruinovo has lost it's 2A input and so it's only 1A now, which as you say, is slow.

Hurricane season has now been upgraded, so these are just backups and don't get used on a regular basis.

Nice review and thanks!

Chris

 

[sidecross]

I also think the Tomo is fine if you use another charger and put in fresh batteries, since it chargers the batteries inside painfully slowly. And always use four of them. Mine overheats if I use only one 18650 and charge anything else faster than 0.5 amps.

I use the Opus BT-C100 for single cell (26650 battery) as a power bank and have had good results. The BT-C100 gives voltage, time, and other primary data. Foe $11 this is a budget purchase.

 

[maukka]

Here's the underside of the Tomo V4-8 after about an hour of outputting 1.75 A with 4 18650GAs. You can see where all the energy disappears.

 

[sidecross]

Here's the underside of the Tomo V4-8 after about an hour of outputting 1.75 A with 4 18650GAs. You can see where all the energy disappears.

Good engineering does come at a price. I would hope to see other power banks like the YZXStudio in the market place.

With power banks containing as many as 8 high capacity 18650 batteries I like to keep an eye on the parameters that would produce the heat that the photograph is showing.

 

[CuriousOne]

Thanks for the PCB photo, this power bank uses same solution from TI, which is used in Xiaomi and other high end banks...

 

[kreisl]

(deleted)

 

[sidecross]

My use of power banks is usually in combination with solar energy.

If using A/C current to supply power banks the efficiency of power use is low, but it is off-set by having ready to use energy where no plug or sun is available.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

My use of power banks is usually in combination with solar energy.

If using A/C current to supply power banks the efficiency of power use is low, but it is off-set by having ready to use energy where no plug or sun is available.

That's where I am now. I have them around to charge up basic stuff, or to charge batteries up that I need, which aren't already charged. I have a smaller 14w USB solar panel, so I can replenish the PBs when the sun is out.

When I get bored, I take one out and charge stuff up, just to exercise the cells inside.

I'm not out and about a lot, where carrying a PB would be necessary, they're simply an emergency backup for me and my GF.

Chris

 

[maukka]

I'm not out and about a lot, where carrying a PB would be necessary, they're simply an emergency backup for me and my GF.

I just started playing Ingress when Pokémon Go came out. That's where all of my iPhone juice is going. Power bank is an absolute necessity.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I just started playing Ingress when Pokémon Go came out. That's where all of my iPhone juice is going. Power bank is an absolute necessity.

Yeah...no doubt.

I use an LG flip phone, but nobody ever calls.

Chris

 

[too]

I just got V3 version.
Where can I get English firmware for it?

 

[maukka]

I just got V3 version.
Where can I get English firmware for it?

I got my English firmwares from Franky, his ebay shop http://stores.ebay.com/99centHobbies

 

[StandardBattery]

This looks like an interesting power bank, but I can't find it available anywhere.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

This looks like an interesting power bank, but I can't find it available anywhere.

From the OP it looks to be only available through one website and you have to go through a fair amount of effort to get it from them perhaps indirectly through an "agent"? The power bank looks awesome but like the OP I would have to contract someone to weld the batteries together for it. It makes you wonder if someone could develop a high current low resistance battery contact system for power banks like this allowing you to replace the cells in it sort of like the ones for AAs into D cell maglights that were popular for running hotwires years back.

 

[StandardBattery]

From the OP it looks to be only available through one website and you have to go through a fair amount of effort to get it from them perhaps indirectly through an "agent"? The power bank looks awesome but like the OP I would have to contract someone to weld the batteries together for it. It makes you wonder if someone could develop a high current low resistance battery contact system for power banks like this allowing you to replace the cells in it sort of like the ones for AAs into D cell maglights that were popular for running hotwires years back.

If they wanted to standardize on particular batteries such as the GA or generally unprotected cells that are within +/- 1mm of the 65mm spec in length they could use a pogo pin type of connection which would be more than good enough if they secured the batteries in place well. I'm guessing the availability means it's still really under development and not ready for primetime. Maybe it's in an extended testing phase. I've not really liked any replaceable battery banks to date, this is the first that interests me. The Huge 26800mAh packs from Anker and RavPower are quite impressive and use GA cells. They are a bit bigger than I need for most stuff, but the RavPower is on sale (see site for coupon) making it a great deal right now (little more than the cost of the cells). I'm like the recent small 10000mAh range banks, because of size and weight.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

If they wanted to standardize on particular batteries such as the GA or generally unprotected cells that are within +/- 1mm of the 65mm spec in length they could use a pogo pin type of connection which would be more than good enough if they secured the batteries in place well. I'm guessing the availability means it's still really under development and not ready for primetime. Maybe it's in an extended testing phase. I've not really liked any replaceable battery banks to date, this is the first that interests me. The Huge 26800mAh packs from Anker and RavPower are quite impressive and use GA cells. They are a bit bigger than I need for most stuff, but the RavPower is on sale (see site for coupon) making it a great deal right now (little more than the cost of the cells). I'm like the recent small 10000mAh range banks, because of size and weight.

I agree the pogo pin idea is a good one if done right you could swap out batteries easily enough. One thing I would really love to see is a separate "bank" or case to house batteries with a power cable and connector and a separate module with the computer and electronics to charge/discharge and maintain batteries. A bonus would be if such module had the ability to have two input connectors and be able to switch between them. Imagine a stack of battery "packs" and one of these YZX computer modules plugged into your favorite stuff and your battery gets drained and you can just hit a button after plugging in a second battery pack and keep going. What would be the ultimate bonus is if you could charge both packs at the same time specifying current to each pack... or have a charger only module for the packs that has no power bank ability.
In this way you have 1 "all in one" module, 1 separate charger only module, and a stack of various size and capacity packs to connect up ranging from 1-8 cells. The charger only module could have an analyzer built in and you could have a chip in the battery packs to store information that it stores in the pack so when you connect it up there is no guessing as to how many cells, how much capacity and you could even set the maximum current rate you want the pack charged at.

 

[StandardBattery]

I agree the pogo pin idea is a good one if done right you could swap out batteries easily enough. One thing I would really love to see is a separate "bank" or case to house batteries with a power cable and connector and a separate module with the computer and electronics to charge/discharge and maintain batteries. A bonus would be if such module had the ability to have two input connectors and be able to switch between them. Imagine a stack of battery "packs" and one of these YZX computer modules plugged into your favorite stuff and your battery gets drained and you can just hit a button after plugging in a second battery pack and keep going. What would be the ultimate bonus is if you could charge both packs at the same time specifying current to each pack... or have a charger only module for the packs that has no power bank ability.
In this way you have 1 "all in one" module, 1 separate charger only module, and a stack of various size and capacity packs to connect up ranging from 1-8 cells. The charger only module could have an analyzer built in and you could have a chip in the battery packs to store information that it stores in the pack so when you connect it up there is no guessing as to how many cells, how much capacity and you could even set the maximum current rate you want the pack charged at.

That would be a good design. They use something like that in hand held radios (or transceivers to be more correct). They battery pack just slides off and another one can be simply slipped on. Each pack can have a separate jack for charging, and they make sealed packs as well as ones that open up and use user replaceable cells all for the same system. That way people who just want to use factory packs can, and those that want to use replaceable cells also can. As you say it is then easy to have multiple packs and potentially even multiple charger modules with different capabilities or using older packs on newer designed say and updated USB-C module in the future.

 

[write2dgray]

I'm most interested in a powerbank with replaceable cells that supports QC3 protocol.

Could someone point me towards the review of the MMP8? I'm not familiar with this model. Thanks!

 

[kreisl]

I used MMP8 as name for the OP's model since the model has no name. Maybe there is no QC3 powerbank with replaceable cells out on the market yet.