PortaPow USB Power Monitor Version 2 (Multimeter/DC Ammeter for Solar Panels, Mains Chargers, etc)

If you have a cell phone or tablet, this is a must have accessory. You need to know that your phone is actually charging or is the battery or cable bad? With a power monitor, you can instantly check the output of a typical 5v phone charger that has a USB plug. The meter shows the voltage and current on the display.What I've found is that chargers will burn out, even the "good" ones that you pay extra for. I've even bought chargers that were dead from the get go but without some way of reading the charging current, there is little way to figure out what's gone wrong. I've had problems with cables that will not allow a full charge and your scratching your head trying to figure out if the phone battery is going bad.With the meter, simply plug your phone cable into the meter and read the charging current and voltage. Then you can swap cables and chargers to identify the problem. The cable allows you to twist the meter around so that you can see the display.Your charger should put out around 5.25 volts and depending on the level of charge in your device, the current will typically range from 0.01A (10 milliamps) to 1.5 Amps (1500 milliamps). USB is normally rated for 500 ma (milliamps) but newer phones such as Samsung that allow quick charge will take up to 1.5 to 2 Amps (1500 to 2000 ma). But a charger should put out at least 500 ma (0.5 Amps) and the device will only take what it needs so that you can plug a high capacity charger into an older phone and it doesn't hurt it.What you should see is higher current initially if the phone battery is low and then the current tapers off as the battery gets charged. If your having problems charging, I suggest that you buy an extra charger and cable that's rated for fast charging. The OEM Samsung chargers seem to work pretty well and put out up to 1500ma. The EZO Power dual outlet chargers work well also except you may have to put a piece of electrical tape over the LED light as it lights up the whole room at night. LOL PortaPow USB Power Monitor Version 2 (Multimeter / DC Ammeter for Solar Panels, Mains Chargers, etc)

Goods received in simple package, inside a sealed plastic bag within bubble wrap and envelop.As functionality goes, it works as advertised.I purchased innergie powerjoy pro (through brick & mortar store), wall charger dual usb that according to the box, capable of providing 2x 2 Amps but found out take too long to charge my Note3 or Asus Zenphone 2.So I tested the charger using PortaPow, and it turns out to just sending .45 Amp.Then I'm using the original samsung charger, it read 1.74A at 5.26V.Update 10 July 2015:The seller contacted me and reminded me on the screen protector (silly me - didn't read thru the manual). Off course it is blurred. Hence I peeled it off and yes, found the screen is clean, but minor stain is beneath the screen (see pic).As this is for tools, I don't really mind it and will keep it, but if this is a smartphone, I definitely reject it.Still holding back one star based on the following observation:1. The product still has stain mark beneath the screen2. Packaging: a small tab for the screen protector to be remove will help customer, but this is minor as it already put in the manual.The reason I gave 3 stars only, as I found that the screen is having scratch marks (see attached photo), and not as clear as a new device should be.Nevertheless, I'm happy with the function, rather than have good looking stuff that didn't deliver (powerjoy?).

I purchased the Portapow power monitor version 2 in Apr 2015. This is a very useful gadget for me. Like many other people, I accumulate many cables and chargers over the years. I use this power monitor to test them and decide which chargers/cables to keep/discard.For example, I have old iPhone 30-PIN cables that can draw in only 0.49A current while the good ones can draw in 1.82A for an iPad 2. That's a very big difference. Some chargers, although rated 2.4A, only provide 1.16A to an iPad 2, which draws 1.78A from other chargers.There is one thing though that I find really tiresome with this Portapow. I hate that the display is upside down. See photo. When plugged into a charger, the Portapow naturally hangs in a way that the display is upside down. So you try to read it the way it is, or turn your head, or turn the gadget up. I would much rather not have to keep turning the gadget up (so that the display is oriented properly) as frequent handling of the cable increases the likelihood of damaging it.The other thing I don't like about the Portapow is you have to keep the button pressed if you want the display lit. Now, when you're testing many cords/cables/chargers in one sitting, it's pretty annoying to have to keep pressing the button. I would much prefer having a switch to keep the display light on permanently (while plugged in to a power source) until I switch it off myself.Edited to re-add photo that Amazon didn't include during "review processing". Why does Amazon keep doing that?