The Werewolf VFLEX USB-C adapter is being tested as a way to run old barrel-jack electronics from a modern charger or battery without cutting into the gadget. That is useful for the pile of consoles, displays, lights and recorders still tethered to proprietary wall bricks. It is also a decent way to damage that pile if the setup is wrong.
VFLEX is an external programmable power adapter, not a retrofit that gives an old device a built-in USB-C socket. The user programs a small base unit with the voltage the device requires, fits an appropriate DC barrel tip, then connects the assembly to a USB-C power source. The unit asks the source for the selected voltage through USB-C power-delivery negotiation, according to hands-on reporting by The Verge and Lon.TV.
In other words, it does not magically make every old power brick obsolete. The charger or battery has to offer the exact voltage requested and enough power for the attached hardware.
How does the Werewolf VFLEX USB-C adapter work?
Programming can be done through Android and iOS apps or a browser-based computer interface, Lon.TV reported. The chosen setting is stored in the base unit, which makes repeated use convenient but creates an obvious trap: a unit last configured for a higher-voltage monitor must not be moved blindly to low-voltage gear.
The Verge’s Sean Hollister reported using VFLEX units with an Asus monitor, a Super Famicom, an RCA-to-HDMI adapter and an Atomos recorder, drawing power from USB-C batteries. Separately, Lon.TV tested a vintage Atari 2600, configured for 9V DC with center-positive polarity, from a USB-C battery. Its reviewer also reported powering a Sega CD at 9V alongside a Sega 32X and second-generation Genesis at 10V with three VFLEX units and a 160W PPS charger.
Those are individual tests, not proof of blanket compatibility. Lon.TV disclosed that Werewolf supplied its review unit; the company did not approve the review, it said. A Level 2 Jeff video that demonstrated a 5V clock-kit setup was sponsored and used products supplied by Werewolf.
What must match before connecting an old device?
- Voltage: Read the old device or its original adapter and program that DC voltage into VFLEX.
- Polarity: A plug that physically fits can still be electrically wrong. Center-positive and center-negative connectors are not interchangeable.
- Connector: The barrel tip must fit the device and use the required polarity.
- Power source: The USB-C charger or battery must be able to negotiate the selected voltage and provide sufficient wattage.
The charger limitation is where USB-C’s allegedly universal label gets a little less universal. Lon.TV found that a PPS-capable supply could offer a range of selectable voltages, while a non-PPS 100W supply in its test was limited to fixed 5V, 9V, 15V and 20V profiles. The Verge likewise reported that an Apple 140W adapter could not deliver the 19V requested by its monitor despite supporting several other voltage levels.
Lon.TV reported that VFLEX displays red and cuts power when it cannot obtain the requested voltage. That does not protect hardware from a user selecting the wrong voltage or polarity in the first place. Check the original adapter label, label each programmed unit, and treat the resulting setup as a configurable power supply, because that is exactly what it is.
Reported March and August pricing was $8 for a base unit, $4 for adapter cables and $48 for a kit with three base units and multiple cables. Those were review-time figures, not a promise of current pricing.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
