Charging your device isn’t quite as straightforward as it should be these days as so many devices now have different charging requirements. Not only that, but there are also many different types of charges that have different wattage and amperage, so it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the optimal charge from your charger. That’s why getting something like the Plugable USB-C Voltage & Amperage Meter V.3 (USBC-VAMETER3) can be very helpful as it can take the guesswork out of charging and show you exactly how much voltage and amperage you’re getting as well as which direction the electrical current is flowing. This new USBC-VAMETER3 is designed to handle more power (up to 240W) which takes advantage of the PD 3.1 extended power range.
Instead of messing with what was already a pretty perfect design, the new USBC-VAMETER3 looks exactly the same as the previous model. It is still roughly the size of a USB flash drive and still has an OLED screen. It also still has the orientation button to flip the screen in the direction you need. Lastly, there’s a transient voltage suppressor to prevent an inrush of current spikes.
What makes the new version different from the old version are the internals. It can now handle much higher input voltage from 5 to 48V and 240W. Aside from this new upgrade, everything else about the USBC-VAMETER3 is pretty much the same when it comes to why you’d use it and how you use it.
So what makes the USBC-VAMETER3 a needed item is its usefulness. Mainly, you want to always be monitoring charge information, whether it’s from a power source to your device, or your device to another device, such as an external hard drive. It’s a multimeter that can keep tabs on healthy power delivery and can also help alert you when something is wrong. On the display, you’ll see measurements for Voltage, Amperage, and the calculated Wattage. How does the USBC-VANMETER3 calculate the wattage? Easy. It’s just Power(W) = Voltage(V) x Current(A).
Does it work? For the most part, yes it does. I’ve used it mostly from different power sources to my devices to check whether my devices were charging normally or fast charging. This is a great way for me to test chargers to see which ones actually give me fast charging capabilities. I do this because what it says on the charger isn’t always correct. Using the USBC-VAMETER3 in conjunction with your charger will let you know if the charger is working as advertised.
So yeah, the Plugable USBC-VAMETER3 does come in handy, especially since I’m sure most of you have a collection now of charging blocks from all different sources and brands and probably have no idea how much power any of them supply. This will help you identify which will work with newer devices and which should be thrown out or used only for low-power devices. With that said, the Plugable USB-C Voltage & Amperage Meter V.3 seems like an accessory everyone needs to have in their tool kit. It is accurate enough that you can get an idea of what’s going on with your devices and how they charge and that could definitely help you out in a pinch when you need to diagnose a charging issue.
The Plugable Voltage and Amperage Meter 3 (USBC-VAMETER3) can be purchased now on Amazon.
