Some are better than others
I am working on some very low current Arduino projects using the Seeed Xiao. These use LoRa radio connectivity and I needed to go walkabout with the receiver module to check the radio coverage. A power bank seemed like a useful portable power source. The problem with some power banks is that they auto switch off if they do not see 50mA or so of current drain. My receiver was using much less current than this so the power bank kept turning off. Frustrating and irritating.
The good news is that one of my power banks is a Charmast device as shown below and linked.
Thoughtfully this device has a soft workaround. If you plug your device into the USB-C connector and turn on the power bank you will see the battery capacity displayed. If you then hold the power button in for a few seconds, the display changes such that the last digit of the readout cycles round its constituant segments every 15 seconds or so and the power will remain on.
I am guessing that there is an electronic timer in the power bank that pings a surge of current every few seconds to disguise the overall low current drain.
Not all power banks are made equal.
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