"Wireless" Charging pads for devices...geeks needed

[markgoodrich]

I travel a lot, and these days take a small laptop, ipod, Droid X, small camera, and probably a couple of other things I'm forgeting. This means I take a literal bag full of chargers along with me. I've seen ads for charging pads, which I assume work via induction (magic, in other words).

 

1. Do they work? Do you have to take along just the pad, or are there other things which might make the pads even more of a hassle than all the wired chargers?

 

2. If they works, what's the best one?

 

Thx.

[FlyingFinn]

Electrical power without wires??? Humbug!

 

 

--

Mikko

[EddyQ]

Getting voltage out of thin air is possible. But getting decent power is not possible unless you wish to wait a very very long time.

 

I've witnessed rather large aluminum electrolytic capacitors charging to over 10 volts over night, but the power contained in the capacitor is peanuts compared to what a cell phone lithium ion battery harnesses.

 

Don't waist your money . . .

[ghaverkamp]

1. Do they work? Do you have to take along just the pad, or are there other things which might make the pads even more of a hassle than all the wired chargers?

 

2. If they works, what's the best one?

 

No first-hand experience. I've read several reviews of the Powermat, but it does seem to introduce more problems than it solves. You've got to have adapters for the devices, because no one actually makes compatible devices yet. As far as I know, no pad will charge a laptop yet.

 

I only travel with one charger: my laptop's. It can charge both phones, and the iPad (if I've bothered bringing it). So, then you've got one block (the laptop's, which you'd have for the pad, anyway) and 1 or 2 USB cables (which you'll probably have, anyway). Depending on the camera, that's probably the tough one. Most everything else (except, of course, Apple's stuff) charges with a mini- or micro-USB cable. Worst case, bring along a small, wall-wart USB charger to go along with the laptop.

[EddyQ]

Getting voltage out of thin air is possible. But getting decent power is not possible unless you wish to wait a very very long time.

 

I've witnessed rather large aluminum electrolytic capacitors charging to over 10 volts over night, but the power contained in the capacitor is peanuts compared to what a cell phone lithium ion battery harnesses.

 

Don't waist your money . . .

 

I may have spoken before I really understood the technology.

THIS powermat is a big battery which couples its power wirelessly to a receiving device that charges your batteries. No reason why that wouldn't work. I have no experience with them. Sorry.

 

Although, the wireless transfer of power will likely be rather inefficient. Not the case with a direct wired solution. So, depending on the wireless design, you may not get much "juice" from a rather big storage battery.

[markgoodrich]

The Powermat does seem to simply introduce more complexity. I may stop at Best Buy today to look at one, but Greg, your idea is the obvious answer: let the computer charge the phone/ipod through the USB ports. Camera's native charger is so small it's not a significant space issue.

 

It WILL be cool when I can simply drop my phone/ipod etc on a pad, and have it charge up overnight.

[RichEdwards]

The technology is there. My Phillips Sonicare electric toothbrush sits in a cradle and charges with no direct electrical connection. No wires or metal contacts.

[SageRider]

All those wall adapters you take with you are actually inductive chargers. They have transformers which work on exactly the same principle as the charging mats do.

The difference is that in these transformers, the spacing between the two inductors is very close for maximum energy transfer.

The mats do work and are a great idea, but still in their infancy.

At this time there are very few devices that have been designed to work with the mats. Any other devices require an adapter.

 

I use the USB 2.0 ports on my laptop to charge both my smart phone and my MiFi. I also have a USB joiner cable which permits using the output of two USB ports to charge a single device (1 Amp total) which matches the outputs of the wall chargers I have.

The cables I use are 6 inches or less, so take virtually no space.

 

If buying a new laptop there a couple of thing to look for: USB 3.0 ports, which have far greater power output capacity as well as improved speed. Just coming to market now.

"Sleep and charge " USB ports (either 2.0 or 3.0) which permit charging external devices even when the computer is shut down. (already available)

 

[markgoodrich]

All those wall adapters you take with you are actually inductive chargers. They have transformers which work on exactly the same principle as the charging mats do.

The difference is that in these transformers, the spacing between the two inductors is very close for maximum energy transfer.

The mats do work and are a great idea, but still in their infancy.

At this time there are very few devices that have been designed to work with the mats. Any other devices require an adapter.

 

I use the USB 2.0 ports on my laptop to charge both my smart phone and my MiFi. I also have a USB joiner cable which permits using the output of two USB ports to charge a single device (1 Amp total) which matches the outputs of the wall chargers I have.

The cables I use are 6 inches or less, so take virtually no space.

 

If buying a new laptop there a couple of thing to look for: USB 3.0 ports, which have far greater power output capacity as well as improved speed. Just coming to market now.

"Sleep and charge " USB ports (either 2.0 or 3.0) which permit charging external devices even when the computer is shut down. (already available)

 

Michael, that's just what I need, "sleep and charge." Is it possible to add that feature to the power settings on my Sony VAIO VPCS111FM?

 

EDIT: Wait, maybe I've figured out a way to do it. I created a power setup which holds the computer from sleeping for two hours when plugged in. That should be enough time to charge the stuff up, then the computer goes to sleep??????

[DaveTheAffable]

Powermat is the best known. I'm a propeller head and looked into it a little.

 

What if you want to take just one of your devices for a day? You lose.... gotta have that powermat with you. What about the devices I want to leave home to charge? You lose... 'cause you had to take the powermat with you.

 

Take a look at reviews here... Powermat Reviews - Amazon

 

Out of 73 reviews. 36 people gave it 1 star (out of a possible 5).

 

I'm not saying it's not a fine product / idea. But look at these reviews and focus on the reviews that talk about hassles, wires, adapter, lack of convienience.

[SageRider]

I created a power setup which holds the computer from sleeping for two hours when plugged in.

That would work. Set so the screen goes dark almost immediately. Then the only concern is if there is fan noise from the computer loud enough to be annoying.

There also may be additional settings required at the device level to keep the USB ports from shutting down.

Easy enough to test at home just by hooking the devices up and observing the charge indicators over the necessary period of time.

Since most power adapters charge devices at about 1 Amp, charging from a single USB 2.0 port at 0.5 Amp will take about twice as long.

[VinnyR11]

I had looked into the Powermat a while back for investment purposes. Doesn't seem to solve much. Still not wireless because the mat has to be plugged in, plus you need adapters for your devices. Seems like it adds complexity instead of simplifying things.

 

You can find inductive chargers in a a variety of areas. The power toothbrush given above is a good example. One of the biggest issues slowing the adaptation of this technology is that they still have not developed industry standards for inductive charging. Once they do that you can envision an inductive mat built into hotel desks, a table at home or whatever and simply lay any of your low power devices on it.

 

 

[JR356]

I too have read mixed reviews about the Powermat and similar.

 

This system may cut down your clutter with its changeable tips for many electronics,cameras,phones,have adapters for laptops too.

 

http://www.igo.com/

 

 

 

JR356

[SageRider]

I tried an iGo system a few years back.

What I found was the iGo transformer for my laptop with the accessory cables for my phone and PDA took up more room than the individual chargers for each. My iGo also failed after about 18 months...

 

 

[RichEdwards]

Or you could get a SmartPhone (like the iPhone) that does everything:

-phone (of course)

-e-mail

-web

-gps

-e-reader

-still camera

-movie camera

-music player

Then it's only one device that needs charging. And packing it is quite easy.

[SageRider]

As my iGo post said, that was a few years ago.

I do have a smart phone now, although it is an old model which will likely be replaced early next year.

In any case, the iPhone or other current smart phones are not an adequate replacement for my laptop, so now I'm up to two devices.

 

Until Verizon permits simultaneous voice and data on their network, I am at 3 devices due to needing a MiFi or equivalent.

It is not worth switching to AT&T to eliminate this need.

 

I carry one charger with me for the laptop, and a total of 12 inches of USB cables to charge the smart phone and/or the MiFi.

[Effjay]

An interesting device for inductive charging of my Palm Pre Plus smartphone is this Touchstone dock. The Palm phone has the typical micro USB port, but its not required for charging unless the dock is not on hand. I chose this particular phone primarily for the wireless mobile broadband hotspot capabilty (same as a MiFi 2200), plus Verizon currently offers an unadvertized promo of no add'l charge for 5 GB per month of broadband data beyond that of mandatory smartphone data charges. Its perfect for travel - no more searching for WiFi!

[markgoodrich]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm taking the laptop and its charger and a USB cord. That'll do the Droid X and the Kindle (although it appears, so far, the Kindle will last through three very long books before needing a charge).

 

Weird, packing a suitcase instead of sidecases. Not a single tool or extra oil, or zip ties, or even duct tape.

[markgoodrich]

Electrical power without wires??? Humbug!

 

 

--

Mikko

 

I love all those photos of Nikola. Every one was posed, of course, but still.... I've read two biographies of him, plus the book about him and Marconi. If not for him, we'd all be using DC current...imagine the pollution from those zillions of little plants....

[Starfighter]

We have devices at home that uses a contact charger to recharge the batteries.

Works great..well.......one area requires that you fiddle around to get the device exactly in the right place.......

I believe that as the technology matures they'll get even better.

[CoarsegoldKid]

Not a single tool or extra oil, or zip ties, or even duct tape.

I carry the 3Ts. Tools, ties, tape. Used them all but not necessarily on my bike.

[Kritou]

............. I use the USB 2.0 ports on my laptop to charge both my smart phone and my MiFi. I also have a USB joiner cable which permits using the output of two USB ports to charge a single device (1 Amp total) which matches the outputs of the wall chargers I have.

The cables I use are 6 inches or less, so take virtually no space.

 

If buying a new laptop there a couple of thing to look for: USB 3.0 ports, which have far greater power output capacity as well as improved speed. Just coming to market now.

"Sleep and charge " USB ports (either 2.0 or 3.0) which permit charging external devices even when the computer is shut down. (already available)

 

I believe that USB outlets on laptops may feature a constant voltage or current charging regime. My old Dell would happily charge my mobile or Garmin Quest from any state of discharge (constant voltage?) whereas my Samsung Netbook refuses to cooperate if the devices have been significantly discharged (constant amperage?)

 

Where did you find your USB joiner cable?

[SageRider]

Where did you find your USB joiner cable?

Mine came with one of the external USB hard drives I purchased.

However a google search for "dual input USB power" should turn up some results for you.

Here is an example

USB 2.0 ports by spec provide a nominal 5VDC at 0.5A maximum.

Most computers need to be on to keep the ports alive, and one must check the power savings settings to ensure that the ports actually stay on as desired.

[Ken H.]

The thing that grips me about inductive charging systems (such as the Powermat) is that they are so darn inefficient. By one review I read, only 20% of the power a Powermat consumes actually ever makes it to the device being charged.

 

We already have a big problem with ‘parasitic losses’ in many homes packed with electronic doodads that consume power even when not in use, by some estimates now 10% of many households’ total load. Do we really need yet another device that is hugely inefficient at charging something just because we’re too damn lazy to plug our gadget(s) in?

 

/rant