Recommended 5 Volt USB Wall Charger for 120 volts

[frank]

I recently purchased a new Theta V for real estate 3D & 360 imagery and I’m totally loving it.

I’ve read elsewhere that the Theta should only be charged via a laptop/computer with supplied USB cable. I’ve also read elsewhere that some people reporting their Theta’s get damaged when they used a wall charger.

After joining this forum, it appears we can use a wall charger, but is there a preferred brand that is recommended? I know a “decent brand” should be used that provides at least 1amp?

I use wall chargers for some of my other expensive equipment but after reading about some negative issues some people had when using a wall charger with their Theta, I figured best to post my question here first before moving forward.

Thank you!

[craig]

I have personally used a variety of wall charges with the THETA V for years. Make sure you try a few different cables if you have a charging problem.

I usually use a 2amp charger, though, I think that anything over 1amp will work. As the 2amp chargers are around USD $8, seems like a reasonable buy.

Additional info on charging a THETA V, including a link to a cheap device that can monitor the charging current into the camera.

Fastest Way to Charge RICOH THETA V - With Electrical Current Test Results

I’m in the process of testing different USB ports to see how well they work for charging the RICOH THETA camera. I’m using the Keweisi KWS-V29 USB Voltage Tester, which I bought for $7 on Amazon with free shipping. This device is useful for conditions when your camera won’t charge and you’re trying different combinations of USB cables and ports, but you don’t know if the problem is with your cable, the camera, or the USB charger. Test Cases USB charging port built-into my desk from Costco A…

[frank]

Thanks for your reply Craig, and voltage meter tip too! That’s a gadget I can use!

Over the years, I’ve found that there’s a huge difference between cheaply-made wall chargers and decent wall chargers. I know you folks cannot likely promote specific brands, but would something like this be safe to use with the Ricoh Theta V? I use an Anker car charger for my iPhone 6S Plus and it charges my phone perhaps twice as fast than the Apple cube.

PowerPort Elite 2

Thanks again!

Frank

[craig]

The RICOH THETA V is a like an Android phone. The device you list should work. However, it’s best to buy it from a vendor with a return policy just in case you run into problems. The internal components of the THETA V are the same Qualcomm components that are used in many Android mobile phones. I’ve heard of friend-of-a-friend stories where a charger caused a failure of a THETA V. However, no one has posted this problem directly on this forum, at least not that I can recall. I believe that in order for the charger to fry the camera, the camera would need to have a pre-existing defect.

There are some additional tests here:

http://theta360developers.github.io/community-document/live-streaming.html#_theta_v_streaming_with_ethernet

With the setup I used, the max current draw from the THETA V was 0.41amps using a dedicated 2amp wall charger.

[frank]

Just wanted to say that this charger works great with the Theta V as well as my iPhone, iPad, etc. It charges about twice as fast as the Apple cube charger too! Great little charger!

[jcasman]

Thanks for posting the info and your experience using the Ankar PowerPort Elite 2. You said you use it for real estate. Can you describe normal usage? Is it a full day / half day / couple of hours of going to properties and taking pictures? Do you build virtual tours while you’re out, or is that later, maybe in the evening. Just curious how it’s being used.