The other day I looked at a $25 USB meter that was perfect for anyone who wants to test if USB ports and devices like chargers and power banks are working properly. It is a great tool for those who are into gadget repairs.
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But if you’re more serious about diagnostics and repairs and have a slightly larger budget, you should get your hands on a full-featured USB multimeter that has all sorts of features, from the ability to log data to identifying if your cables support high power charging.
This tool is the Fnirsi FNB58 USB Tester.
Technical specifications of the Fnirsi FNB58 USB tester
- 2.0 inch ultra-wide viewing angle color TFT LCD screen
- Integrated USB-A, Micro-USB, Type-C ports
- Test voltage: 4 – 28V
- Test current: 0 – 7A
- Test power: 0 – 120W
- Support trigger detection of various fast charging protocols, QC2.0/QC3.0 trigger, FCP/SCP trigger, AFC trigger, PD2.0/3.0 trigger, VOOC/WARP trigger, Super VOOC 1.0/2.0 trigger
- E-Mark USB Cable Chip Reader
- DASH Data Reader Cable
The FNB58 is an all-in-one USB tester for USB-A, microUSB and USB-C ports. You can plug directly into a USB-A port and into microUSB and USB-C using cables.
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The display is a bright, crisp and clear 2.0 inch TFT LCD display, far beating many other USB multimeters on the market and making the displayed information easier to read.
Crisp, clear and colorful display is very user-friendly Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
With a built-in orientation sensor, the FNB58 automatically adjusts the display to match the orientation of the device. The tester features an intuitive rocker switch and back button for simple navigation.
Buttons are kept to a minimum Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
But that simplicity hides a lot of power, and I suggest downloading and getting familiar with the user manual, because there’s a lot going on in this gadget and it’s easy to run into some scary warnings.
Beware of scary warnings! Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
One feature of the FNB58 that I really like is the real-time voltage and current waveform display that gives me an at-a-glance idea of what the meter is detecting, which can dramatically speed up a diagnostic. For intermittent faults, the meter can store up to 9 hours of waveform data.
The waveform display feature is awesome
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Another useful feature is the ability to read data from the E-mark chip found in higher quality USB-C cables. This chip allows the cable to communicate with the devices it connects to, providing information about the cable’s capabilities, power capacity, and supported features.
Reading the capacity of USB-C cables from the E-mark chip Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
THE Fnirsi FNB58 is a powerful, versatile and, at just over $50, affordable USB test meter. Not only does it give you the usual wattage information in volts/amps, but it can also view this information as a waveform and even perform a data logging over several hours. It can read E-mark and DASH cable data, perform cable resistance tests (this can reveal internal cable damage that is otherwise invisible), display the charging protocols used, and much more.
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That’s quite a list of features, and it’s far from complete.
The display is one of the best I’ve seen on a USB meter and the user interface is simple. But there’s a lot more to this meter, and I recommend reading, re-reading, then re-reading the manual, and spending time experimenting with the meter to get used to what it can do and what to expect. from him.
If you want a cheap meter, the KJ-KayJI 2 in 1 USB Tester is a good option under $25, but if you want more features and capabilities, the Fnirsi FNB58 is a huge step up for just over double the money.
