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Review on πŸ”Œ Enhanced USB Cable AC-LS5: 5V-4.2V Drop Voltage Camera Adapter for Sony DSC-RX1 DSC RX100 RX1R by George Utley

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Not recommended. The output voltage is not adjustable.

I really don't recommend this NP-BX1 battery adapter. Mechanically it fits my Sony RX100m7 and allows an external power source to be connected to the camera, albeit with the lid open. The problem is that this dummy battery is completely devoid of voltage regulators. This means that the external source voltage is transferred directly to the camera's battery input. Why is it important? The NP-BX1 battery has a nominal voltage of 3.6V and 4.2V when fully charged. It is standard single-cell lithium-ion chemistry. When connecting a dummy battery to the USB 5V power supply according to the instructions, 5V is applied directly to the RX100 battery input. This input voltage is significantly higher than any normal input voltage of a power supply. You can certainly use this adapter with an actual power supply set to 3.6V, or with a large 3.6V single-cell lithium-ion external battery, but it's clumsy. I recommend instead choosing one of the similar NP-BX1 battery adapters, which include a built-in 4.2V voltage regulator and are available from Revain. I accidentally discovered this problem by measuring the output voltage at the battery terminal. My initial guess was that there would be a voltage regulator in the dummy battery. Unfortunately, that's not the case, it's just an empty shell. When you buy that dead battery, it comes with an instruction manual with some cautionary tales about how you can ruin your camera with anything other than a 5V USB power bank. How true, I couldn't help but agree. But even with a USB power adapter, I don't feel comfortable exceeding the maximum battery voltage of 4.2V by that amount. If anyone is interested, I took the time to read the Sony RX100m7 specs to see if a battery voltage of 5V is acceptable. Sony lists a battery voltage of 3.6V. I did not expect anything else.

Pros
  • Best in its niche
Cons
  • Will be added later