How does power bank work if I want it to discharge 9V power instead of standard 5V?

[NotaNuffian]

This is a technical question for power bank usage.

The power bank in question is Baseus Blade HD. It serves as the input power source with its USB 1 (type A) to grant up to 30w of power in terms of 4.5V/5A, 5V/4.5A, 5V/3A, 9V/3A,12V/2.5A.

The output is to the VIN terminal of a servo HAT by Wave Share, with the required voltage to be around 6V to 12V and required watt to be 25w.

And this is here that I am confused by it all.

I have no idea if I can set the power discharge of the power bank manually or not. And I am having difficulty to find any wire with the supposed "smart chip" that tells the power bank what voltage and power I want and all the voltage convertors that I found just drops the power received by VIN terminal to a lot less than what I required.

 

[Tempokai]

ChatGPT:

Spoiler

Thought about power bank voltage regulation for 6 seconds

First, let’s clarify why you’re running into difficulty. By default, USB outputs supply 5 V unless a “smart” handshake (via USB PD, QuickCharge, etc.) tells the power bank to switch to 9 V or 12 V. So even though your Baseus Blade HD can supply 9 V or 12 V, it won’t do so automatically on its USB-A port unless the device on the other end negotiates for it. Simply plugging into a standard USB-A cable will most likely default to 5 V unless there is an appropriate handshake chip on the other side.


Below is an overview of how to solve this challenge:

---

1. How QuickCharge / USB PD Negotiation Works​

Modern power banks often support a variety of fast-charging protocols (USB PD, Qualcomm QuickCharge, etc.). Each protocol has its own “handshake” method to request a specific voltage level—5 V, 9 V, or 12 V, etc. For example:

• Qualcomm QuickCharge (QC): Uses specific signaling on the data lines (D+/D–).
• USB Power Delivery (USB PD): Uses the CC (Configuration Channel) lines on USB-C to negotiate up to 5, 9, 12, 15, or 20 V.

Your Baseus Blade HD​

According to your note, the USB-A port can do:

• 4.5V / 5A
• 5V / 4.5A
• 5V / 3A
• 9V / 3A
• 12V / 2.5A


But to achieve 9 V or 12 V on a USB-A connection, some type of fast-charge handshake needs to occur. A typical “dumb” USB-A to barrel jack cable will not request 9 V or 12 V from that port.

---

2. Getting 9 V or 12 V from the Power Bank​

Option A: Use a “PD (or QC) Trigger” Board / Cable​

A very common solution is a small “trigger module” or “decoy module” that negotiates with the power bank on your behalf. The trigger sets the desired voltage (5, 9, 12 V, etc.) then provides that as a simple DC output. You can find these modules by searching for terms like:

• “QC trigger module” (if your power bank supports QC over USB-A)
• “USB PD decoy” or “PD trigger module” (for USB-C outputs)

You would connect:

Power Bank (USB-A) --> [Trigger Module] --> VIN of your servo HAT


And then configure the trigger module to request 9 V (or 12 V if needed) from the power bank. The module typically has a small switch or jumpers to choose which voltage you request.

Note: Ensure the module supports your required current (3 A for 9 V → up to 27 W) so it can handle the servo HAT’s needs.

Option B: Use the Power Bank’s USB-C PD Output Instead​

If your Baseus Blade HD has a USB-C PD port (which many Baseus “Blade” models do), then you may have an easier path:

1. Get a USB-C PD trigger module (or a ready-made USB-C PD to barrel jack cable).
2. The PD trigger will negotiate 9 V or 12 V from the power bank’s USB-C port.

This approach is often more reliable than QC on USB-A because USB PD is a newer, more standardized protocol.

---

3. Why Not Just Use a Boost Converter from 5 V?​

You could theoretically take the default 5 V output and run it through a DC-DC boost converter to bump it up to 9 V or 12 V. However:

• Efficiency: You lose extra power via conversion. Your servo HAT at 25 W means you’d pull more current at 5 V in order to step up to 9 or 12 V.
• Current Limits: If your servo HAT needs ~25 W at 9 V (which is ~2.7 A), from a 5 V line that’s more than 4.5 A. Many cables and boost modules can’t handle that reliably without voltage drop or overheating.
• Simplicity: Getting the power bank to directly provide 9 V or 12 V usually yields a more stable solution.

In most cases, it is cleaner to have the power bank directly output the higher voltage it is designed for, rather than stepping up from 5 V.

---

4. Summary of Steps to Get 9 V from Your Baseus Blade HD​

1. Acquire a QC/PD trigger module that can request 9 V from the power bank’s USB-A or USB-C port.
2. Set the trigger to 9 V output (or 12 V if your servo HAT and current draw requirements are suitable).
3. Connect the output of the trigger to your servo HAT’s VIN pin.
4. Verify that the servo HAT’s current draw stays within your power bank’s rated output (e.g., 9 V/3 A = 27 W, 12 V/2.5 A = 30 W).

This way, your servo HAT sees a stable 9 V (or 12 V) input, and you won’t be forced to do heavy boost conversion from 5 V.

---

Key Takeaways​

• You cannot usually just “force” a USB power bank to output 9 V or 12 V without a handshake (QC or USB PD).
• A typical USB-A cable defaults to 5 V in the absence of that handshake.
• The simplest and most robust method is to use a small “trigger” (or “decoy”) device that negotiates the higher voltage for you.

Once you have that in place, feeding ~9 V (or ~12 V) at up to 3 A from a power bank to the servo HAT becomes much more straightforward.

I don't know what these things mean fully, but good luck.

 

[NotaNuffian]

ChatGPT:

Spoiler

Thought about power bank voltage regulation for 6 seconds

First, let’s clarify why you’re running into difficulty. By default, USB outputs supply 5 V unless a “smart” handshake (via USB PD, QuickCharge, etc.) tells the power bank to switch to 9 V or 12 V. So even though your Baseus Blade HD can supply 9 V or 12 V, it won’t do so automatically on its USB-A port unless the device on the other end negotiates for it. Simply plugging into a standard USB-A cable will most likely default to 5 V unless there is an appropriate handshake chip on the other side.


Below is an overview of how to solve this challenge:

---

1. How QuickCharge / USB PD Negotiation Works​

Modern power banks often support a variety of fast-charging protocols (USB PD, Qualcomm QuickCharge, etc.). Each protocol has its own “handshake” method to request a specific voltage level—5 V, 9 V, or 12 V, etc. For example:

• Qualcomm QuickCharge (QC): Uses specific signaling on the data lines (D+/D–).
• USB Power Delivery (USB PD): Uses the CC (Configuration Channel) lines on USB-C to negotiate up to 5, 9, 12, 15, or 20 V.

Your Baseus Blade HD​

According to your note, the USB-A port can do:

• 4.5V / 5A
• 5V / 4.5A
• 5V / 3A
• 9V / 3A
• 12V / 2.5A


But to achieve 9 V or 12 V on a USB-A connection, some type of fast-charge handshake needs to occur. A typical “dumb” USB-A to barrel jack cable will not request 9 V or 12 V from that port.

---

2. Getting 9 V or 12 V from the Power Bank​

Option A: Use a “PD (or QC) Trigger” Board / Cable​

A very common solution is a small “trigger module” or “decoy module” that negotiates with the power bank on your behalf. The trigger sets the desired voltage (5, 9, 12 V, etc.) then provides that as a simple DC output. You can find these modules by searching for terms like:

• “QC trigger module” (if your power bank supports QC over USB-A)
• “USB PD decoy” or “PD trigger module” (for USB-C outputs)

You would connect:

Power Bank (USB-A) --> [Trigger Module] --> VIN of your servo HAT


And then configure the trigger module to request 9 V (or 12 V if needed) from the power bank. The module typically has a small switch or jumpers to choose which voltage you request.

Option B: Use the Power Bank’s USB-C PD Output Instead​

If your Baseus Blade HD has a USB-C PD port (which many Baseus “Blade” models do), then you may have an easier path:

1. Get a USB-C PD trigger module (or a ready-made USB-C PD to barrel jack cable).
2. The PD trigger will negotiate 9 V or 12 V from the power bank’s USB-C port.

This approach is often more reliable than QC on USB-A because USB PD is a newer, more standardized protocol.

---

3. Why Not Just Use a Boost Converter from 5 V?​

You could theoretically take the default 5 V output and run it through a DC-DC boost converter to bump it up to 9 V or 12 V. However:

• Efficiency: You lose extra power via conversion. Your servo HAT at 25 W means you’d pull more current at 5 V in order to step up to 9 or 12 V.
• Current Limits: If your servo HAT needs ~25 W at 9 V (which is ~2.7 A), from a 5 V line that’s more than 4.5 A. Many cables and boost modules can’t handle that reliably without voltage drop or overheating.
• Simplicity: Getting the power bank to directly provide 9 V or 12 V usually yields a more stable solution.

In most cases, it is cleaner to have the power bank directly output the higher voltage it is designed for, rather than stepping up from 5 V.

---

4. Summary of Steps to Get 9 V from Your Baseus Blade HD​

1. Acquire a QC/PD trigger module that can request 9 V from the power bank’s USB-A or USB-C port.
2. Set the trigger to 9 V output (or 12 V if your servo HAT and current draw requirements are suitable).
3. Connect the output of the trigger to your servo HAT’s VIN pin.
4. Verify that the servo HAT’s current draw stays within your power bank’s rated output (e.g., 9 V/3 A = 27 W, 12 V/2.5 A = 30 W).

This way, your servo HAT sees a stable 9 V (or 12 V) input, and you won’t be forced to do heavy boost conversion from 5 V.

---

Key Takeaways​

• You cannot usually just “force” a USB power bank to output 9 V or 12 V without a handshake (QC or USB PD).
• A typical USB-A cable defaults to 5 V in the absence of that handshake.
• The simplest and most robust method is to use a small “trigger” (or “decoy”) device that negotiates the higher voltage for you.

Once you have that in place, feeding ~9 V (or ~12 V) at up to 3 A from a power bank to the servo HAT becomes much more straightforward.

I don't know what these things mean fully, but good luck.

I get most of it.

Thanks.

I don't know how to write in name for google, hence the back and forth time wastage and frustration.

 

[Triskele_Lynx]

Watts = amps x volts. The 9V/3A setting should work if you can figure out how to use it.