Tester Product | Cable Tester

USB Cable Quality Tester

Looking for a quick tester to test out the cable quality of your USB cable?

This USB cable quality tester provides production a means to test and instantly know the quality of the USB cable.

It is also known as the USB wire connector resistance tester.

Things that affect USB cable performance

USB cable issue can depends on the following factors.

Cable wire material
Quality of contact between the wire and the USB connector.
Cable length

What can happen if a low quality cable is used?

List of common problems due to poor USB cable quality

Problem charging phone with USB cable.
Intermittent Linux OS hanged while running Raspberry Pi

Miniature connector on USB cable are commonly used for mobile phone, computer and electronic devices.

USB cable have pretty small connector (USB-C, USB-micro, Lightning connector) and may not be properly manufactured.

Improper manufacturing process can result in poor cable connectivity quality. When these imperfect USB cables are deployed on site, it may result in intermittent failure.

This is especially happening frequently in high current usage like mobile phone charging. Using poor quality cable, you may find that your phone charge very slowly, or charging inconsistently and perhaps at times not even charging at all.

In high current consumption like a Raspberry Pi computer, the Linux system may get hang or buggy because of a poor quality USB cable.

This is often due to the poor quality joint between the wire and the miniature USB connector. A poor joint result in a higher contact resistance. This will cause a drop in voltage when more current is drawn from the supply.

It is important to ensure that the USB cable is of good connectivity quality before it is shipped out to the customer.

What you need is a tester where you can plug in your USB cable to, and it will tell you whether this cable is suitable for high current application.

Suitable for

USB-C
USB iPhone
USB micro
Any other connectors.

USB Tester Features

Quick test and simple to use tester.

Plug in and auto start testing.
Test for Pass or Fail result (base on 3A load).
Buzzer sound and light indicator for Pass or Fail result.
Display resistance of the wires.
Voltage drop (base on 3A load).
Report print out for the measured parameters.
Check for missing wire or mis-connected wiring.

Check resistance of each wire. For USB-C it is up to 24 wires.

Recommended USB Cable Specification

For a good quality USB cable, it is recommended to use USB cable that can handle at least 3A of current without much drop in voltage. This will ensure that devices that requires high consumption will work as it should using a good quality USB cable.

Go for cables of size 24AWG or lower. The lower number indicates a thicker wire which is also smaller wire resistance. Thicker wire can allow more current to flow without causing significant drop in voltage.

It is best to keep the cable wire resistance at about 0.1Ω and below. This is especially for power supply wires conducting a current of not more than 3A. This will help keep the voltage drop within 350mV.

USB Cable Tester tool available on the market

QooPow™ qualMeter X, qualMeter Basic

URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1187836018/qoometer-finally-a-smart-usb-cable-charger-tester

Can buy from this URL: http://www.qoopow.com/store

Huitoo USB Cable and Power Adaptor Tester

Video Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG8vgK0bE7Q

Can buy from this URL: https://pedaco.web.app/item/5167675055.html

USB Cable Checker

Can buy from this URL: https://www.tindie.com/products/BitTradeOne/usb-cable-checker-2-assembled/

Can buy from this URL: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/133741548396

USB Jog Cable Tester

URL: https://www.cablejog.co.uk/PBCPPlayer.asp?ID=2159616

Advanced Cable Tester v2 (from Total Phase)

URL: https://www.totalphase.com/advanced-cable-tester-v2/

Can buy from this URL: https://www.totalphase.com/products/advanced-cable-tester-v2/

Tester Not Recommended

These USB cable tester only perform basic connectivity test. They do not test for the USB cable’s resistance. They are very low in cost, but not recommended as a useful tester tool.

USB Cable Tester Fixture

NOTE: This tester only perform simple connection test of USB cable. It check s for open/short circuit if the USB wiring to the connector. It does not check for the USB cable quality from the resistance of the cable. This is a simple checker and is not a recommended USB cable tester.

Can buy from this URL: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32901143423.html

DT3 USB Cable Tester

NOTE: This tester only perform simple connection test of USB cable.

Can buy from this URL: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003234917670.html

Compact Affordable USB-C Cable Tester

NOTE: This tester only perform simple connection test of USB cable.

Can buy from this URL: https://www.tindie.com/products/petl/usb-c-cable-tester-c2c-caberqu/

Custom Tester

Check out more USB cable tester from our DIY cable tester page.
Or visit this page for other more commercial general-purpose cable tester for your USB cable testing.

Universal Cable Tester Tool CCT-01

CCT-01 Cable Tester Tool — Click here to check out our **cable tester tool**.

Circuit Board Tester for RFID

Simple one button test for a quick, instant test result.

A circuit board tester to verify if the production board is functional.

Introduction

This is a custom circuit board tester for RFID board. Operator simply place the PCB board onto the placement jig and start the testing. The tester can auto detect the board and proceed testing the RFID board.

Test RFID Reader circuit board
Detects and read RFID Tag ID

There are testing instruction and video demonstration on this page to guide operator in using this circuit board tester device.

Parts & Description

Tester Package Content

The tester set consist of main 5 items.

RFID Circuit Board Tester
RFID Reader Circuit Board
USB-C cable
RFID Tag
Flat Cable for RFID Board

Tester

This test is easily powered up with a USB-C cable detect to support the testing of the RFID Reader circuit board.

There are two ways to test the board. Either by using the spring loaded contact pins, or using the 6 ways JST ZH cable.

The picture on the left provides a basic description of the tester’s device.

RFID Reader Circuit Board

The RFID Reader circuit board reads RFID tags.

Communication is using I2C through a JST ZH flat cable (6pos, 1.5mm pitch) to a controller board.

RFID Tag

The tester is programmed to read only Mifare Classic tags. For RFID Tag, you can use the following RFID tags.

Mifare Mini S20 (320 bytes)
Mifare S50 (1 Kbytes)
Mifare S70 (4 Kbytes)

Physical Dimension of RFID Reader Circuit Board

The board is small at about 40 x 43mm. It has 4x mount hole size at ø3.2mm for M3 screw mounting. One of its corner is chambered as a marker to ensure that the board orientation is correct when position itself onto the tester device.

Testing Procedure for RFID Reader

Power up the tester using the USB-C cable.
Place the RFID Reader circuit board onto the tester.
Take note of the corner marker for the correct board orientation. Press the board slightly with finger to ensure that the 6x spring load pins get contact with the RFID reader board.
Using another finger, press in the TEST push button.
The tester will first detect the presence of circuit board.
The tester will then test to check if the reader circuit board is able to test read a RFID tag. Remember to present a RFID tag on top of the RFID reader board.
The RFID tag ID is displayed for verification if it can be detected by the RFID Reader.
Test is PASSED.

Finger pressing down to secure circuit board during testing. — Finger pressing slight to ensure that the board is engaged to the tester via the spring loaded test pins.

Video Demonstration 1 – Successful Testing Procedure

Click the video to playback.

The video demonstrates the complete process of testing the RFID Reader circuit board.

Video Demonstration 2 – No RFID Tag Detected

Click the video to playback.

The video demonstrates the same process but without any RFID tag presence. The board is detected and test is passed.

Video Demonstration 3 – No RFID Reader Board Detected

Click the video to playback.

This is a negative demonstration. The tester could not detect the board or if the board is faulty. Board fail to be detected.

Alternate way of testing the board using flat cable.

If testing through spring loaded test pins is tiring, you can test the board using the JST flat cable instead.

Using this method, you do not need to apply constant force to hold the board during the testing process.

The same procedure applies, except that the connection is now via the flat cable instead of the spring loaded test pins.

Circuit board testing using the flat cable.

Connect USB to Computer for Detailed Test Information

This tester can be connected to a computer system as a virtual serial communication port. You can open this communication port in a terminal console to monitor the testing procedure and information with more details.

Schematic, Gerber files, BOM

Not available online.

Custom Circuit Board Tester Design

Cable Measurement Testing Equipment Products

These are very comprehensive cable measure and testing equipment selection. High end tester that can not only test cable wiring connection, but also the conductivity and the insulation between the wires. Suitable for very detailed measurement and testing of your cables.

For those who are looking for a simple cable connectivity tester to test if the wires are connected correctly between the connectors and harness, you can click here for a list of simple cable tester tools.

You can also visit our cable tester selection guide page for detail on selecting the right cable tester equipment for your cable production workshop.