Power Supply adapter

Zimaia

New member
Hi Guys,

My Minix U1 power adapter is dead.
The problem is i can only find in my city 5V 2A and not 3A as the original, of course i can order online but that means i would have to wait at least 2 or 3 weeks

The question is, can i use a 2A adapter? Does Minix U1 work with that Amp? If yes can i expect problems at short run?

Thank you
 
Yes you can use a 2A, 3A is only necessary if you plug more than one HDD into the USB ports. Just make sure the center of the connector is positive +.
Power supply adapters are mostly garbage out there. I suggest you get a reputable USB 12W-18W charger with a USB-A to 5.5mmx3.5mm coax cable to power your Minix instead they are fairly inexpensive on AliExpress like under $1.50usd.
 
Hi Guys,

My Minix U1 power adapter is dead.
The problem is i can only find in my city 5V 2A and not 3A as the original, of course i can order online but that means i would have to wait at least 2 or 3 weeks

The question is, can i use a 2A adapter? Does Minix U1 work with that Amp? If yes can i expect problems at short run?

Thank you

How long have you owned the device?

I'm assuming you know you're out of warranty which is why you've immediately looked for a 3rd party alternative, but it's worth clarifying ;).
 
I heard it is risky to play with lower than required current as well. I happen to know that some modern car makes can block the battery to provide energy to the car when they drop from a minimum current level, yet some actions will still be allowed (such as central locking and unlocking) while the voltage is still correct.

I was explained by an engineer that this is made on purpose not to damage the electronic circuits, since different parts work under different currents, and each requires it's own voltage as well, to reach the required current level some components could cause the system to bring a higher voltage to the components to match the current demand and damage the circuits if these was not taken into consideration.

So, if it is certain that having the correct voltage and over amperage doesn't harm the device (always make sure to use the correct type, AC or Direct according to the device requirement, of it will roast the same), having lower amperage under correct voltage, in a device that works with different voltages in it's components such as modern computerized circuits, especially graphic cards and mainbords, is not advisable at all.
 
Minix supplies the X8-H, X8-H Plus, U1 and U9 with 3A power adapter because they have more than two USB ports whereas on the X6 with a 2A adapter with only two USB ports. The box itself can function with as little as 1A. The reason why most USB hubs are junk is because the power adapter that comes with them are under wattage for the number of ports. Each USB 2.0 port should be able to handle up to 2.4A or 12W, so two USB ports will require 4.8A or 24W and three USB ports 7.2A or 36W. As you can see even with a 3A power adapter the USB ports are under powered and Minix is only calculating that the USB devices you plug into the USB ports do not consume more the 500mA per port. By proper definition Minix should be supplying a power adapter with 5V 8.0A or 40W.

Anyone that is really concerned about power adapters stated performances should really test their power adapter and chargers to make sure they are up to snuff. Get a tester like the RuiDeng voltage meter and an electronic load to stress the power adapter and phone chargers.

 
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Minix supplies the X8-H, X8-H Plus, U1 and U9 with 3A power adapter because they have more than two USB ports whereas on the X6 with a 2A adapter with only two USB ports. The box itself can function with as little as 1A. The reason why most USB hubs are junk is because the power adapter that comes with them are under wattage for the number of ports. Each USB 2.0 port should be able to handle up to 2.4A or 12W, so two USB ports will require 4.8A or 24W and three USB ports 7.2A or 36W. As you can see even with a 3A power adapter the USB ports are under powered and Minix is only calculating that the USB devices you plug into the USB ports do not consume more the 500mA per port. By proper definition Minix should be supplying a power adapter with 5V 8.0A or 40W.

Anyone that is really concerned about power adapters stated performances should really test their power adapter and chargers to make sure they are up to snuff. Get a tester like the RuiDeng voltage meter and an electronic load to stress the power adapter and phone chargers.


I agree things are much easier when refering power-in powe-out circuits. The device you point out is the only way to know exactly how much juice a device is taking when in action.

I had recently a doubt about charging the PS4 controllers with smart phone chargers, instead of the PS4 itself, and I thought it would be peacefully and universally accepted that any USB charger would do...

Fortunately I was also recently told about users having remotes fried with some smartphone chargers, and that came into mind. Digging deeper I found out that the smart phone chargers that allow a boost charge are not exactly the same as what these chargers used to be any longer, as they allow a charge of either 5v and between 500mA -the actual value for computer USB ports -I think that is a standard, my two laptops have that, and that is probably why Minix ports have that value- to 2000mA (depending on the charger model), up to 9v - and around little less than 2000mA!

There is no warning, but these two voltages are written on the side of the charger, should you have good eyes, or good spectacles, and interest, knowledge, and care to look for this info before connecting any USB device to it, believing it will do the trick.

For some strange reason, when you use one of these chargers that are being shipped with recent expensive phones you will put at risk your 5volts device because it sometimes happens the voltage it needs is not recognized perfectly by the charger, and this has apparently happened already with PS4 controllers.

Of course these controllers won't suffer if you connect them to a under wattage charger, it will take longer to charge and that will be it.

I won't dare to confirm a motherboard with all sorts of micro voltages acting between the several circuits and components can be safe under fed, when not safely protected between the ingoing power and the circuits by capacitors or batteries to level the power to safety zone, as it happens in the Minix as the power goes straight from the PS into the circuit. But I accept that the knowledge I have is old, that is why I doubt myself more and more these days, trying to keep out of trouble.
 
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I agree things are much easier when refering power-in powe-out circuits. The device you point out is the only way to know exactly how much juice a device is taking when in action.

I had recently a doubt about charging the PS4 controllers with smart phone chargers, instead of the PS4 itself, and I thought it would be peacefully and universally accepted that any USB charger would do...

Fortunately I was also recently told about users having remotes fried with some smartphone chargers, and that came into mind. Digging deeper I found out that the smart phone chargers that allow a boost charge are not exactly the same as what these chargers used to be any longer, as they allow a charge of either 5v and between 500mA -the actual value for computer USB ports -I think that is a standard, my two laptops have that, and that is probably why Minix ports have that value- to 2000mA (depending on the charger model), up to 9v - and around little less than 2000mA!

There is no warning, but these two voltages are written on the side of the charger, should you have good eyes, or good spectacles, and interest, knowledge, and care to look for this info before connecting any USB device to it, believing it will do the trick.

For some strange reason, when you use one of these chargers that are being shipped with recent expensive phones you will put at risk your 5volts device because it sometimes happens the voltage it needs is not recognized perfectly by the charger, and this has apparently happened already with PS4 controllers.

Of course these controllers won't suffer if you connect them to a under wattage charger, it will take longer to charge and that will be it.

I won't dare to confirm a motherboard with all sorts of micro voltages acting between the several circuits and components can be safe under fed, when not safely protected between the ingoing power and the circuits by capacitors or batteries to level the power to safety zone, as it happens in the Minix as the power goes straight from the PS into the circuit. But I accept that the knowledge I have is old, that is why I doubt myself more and more these days, trying to keep out of trouble.

The charging standards and USB chargers for smartphones is huge mess and full of confusion these days. You need to be a technical person to understand it now, no longer is the standard 5.0V USB standard a thing of certainty. Proprietary USB chargers for Qualcom Quick Charge 2, 3 or 4 for smartphones that have a Snapdragon CPU require Quick Charge 3 or 4 capable USB chargers to fast charge and to make things even more confusing can draw up to 3.0A and charge at 5.0V, 9.0V, 12.0V and even 20.0V depending on what the smartphone's circuits tells the charger to output. To make things even more complicated the USB group came out with their own new Power Delivery (PD) standard that normally uses a Type-C connector to compete with Qualcom Quick Charge standard. The stock charger and cable that came with my smartphone took 8-10 hours to charge, up on using my own tested charger and cable that charge time went down to 2-3 hours. So both the charger and cable plays a major significance on how fast your smart devices will charge.

You can use that tester to test the charging cables as well. This guy tests all the cables he sells in his store with this tester, I watched this with amazement ! ...LoL
 
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Quite amazing! o_O Now I am really convinced I must get one of those gizmos to test all my cables, I am looking suspiciously at all my supposedly "good" quality HDMI cables as well. As you said above, price and brand don't mean much!
 
Quite amazing! o_O Now I am really convinced I must get one of those gizmos to test all my cables, I am looking suspiciously at all my supposedly "good" quality HDMI cables as well. As you said above, price and brand don't mean much!

Lygte keeps an on going list of all the USB chargers he tested. You can get both the RuiDeng UM24(C) voltage tester and the LD25 load tester for under $25usd if you look hard enough on AliExpress or eBay.
https://lygte-info.dk/info/ChargerIndex UK.html

DodgeReviews keeps an on going list of all the USB cables he tested, he also has a Youtube channel if you want to checkout his reviews on these testers.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...MxQPyPC0_VR_0si6Q5VzDCXr0E/edit#gid=452430179
 
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