What To Do With All of My Gadget Chargers? 696
legoman666 writes "On my desk I have chargers for the following gadgets: Nokia N810, LG Chocolate, Sony Ericcson Z310a, Canon Powershot SD1000, Cowan iAudio X5L, Lenovo Thinkpad, Logitech MX1000 and my Nintendo DS. Not a single pair of them share a similar connector. I have two power strips whose singular purpose is to energize these chargers. My question to Slashdot is: How do you organize all of your different chargers? Please, share your secrets."
Through them out (Score:2, Insightful)
News for nerds? (Score:4, Insightful)
USB (Score:5, Insightful)
Pack them all away and get USB charging cables for them all. Much easier and takes up much less space.
Re:Insomnia (Score:1, Insightful)
I have to agree. How did this make the homepage? Shouldn't this go in Slashdot Idle?
Serious issue! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Plug them out (Score:3, Insightful)
Use a power strip with switches on each output, then only switch on the ones you want.
Re:News for nerds? (Score:5, Insightful)
Some of use nerds have "wives", and desks messed up with mountains of chargers has a low WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor)... Anything with a low WAF will lower the chances of wife-provided entertainment, a.k.a. sex.
It matters, my friend. It truly matters. ;)
Welll (Score:4, Insightful)
What sort of answer are you expecting?
- I chop off all the connectors from my expensive, official chargers and solder them to cheap multi-level adaptors?
- I bought X, a thing which includes connectors for everything and lets you charge Watts of equipment simultaneously?
- I run DC electric around my house in multi-voltage and have purchased specific connectors for every piece of equipment I own and hope I don't plug my phone into the wrong voltage?
I don't think that there is a sensible solution at the moment. I tend to have a charging area - where I keep all the chargers on a power strip which is plugged in whenever I need to charge anything. My wife and I often want to charge two similar items at the same time - for those cases I purchase an extra charger (usually from eBay or a boot sale) or use one mains charger and plug the supplied car-charger into a 220-12v adaptor I bought that has a "cigarette lighter" socket on it.
The other options don't really bear thinking about. Running DC electric around a house is an absolute nightmare so you're basically going to want to lump all the things needing charge near a suitable DC output - which could be the official chargers on a powerstrip, or a multi-voltage thing, like a PC PSU or similar multi-out DC supply if you have THAT many but I'd check the efficiency of using such a thing when a single mobile phone is plugged into it.
So you have to have all your charging equipment in one place, and you can either rig up some Heath Robinson solution to charge any peripheral with any connector via any voltage or you could just plug the mains adaptors that you already have into a £2.99 power strip. You can neaten it up by hiding the actual blocks out of site and rigging up a bit of polished wood that can hold all the various gadgets with the right connectors already in place through holes on it. But that's just poncing about.
You don't save much by doing anything different - in fact, the exact opposite when something goes wrong or doesn't work first time. Forget the whiners moaning about the power used by extra PSU's on the strips - plug in an energy monitor while they are all idle if you are that worried, but the easiest solution is "plug them all in when something is charging, take them all out when nothing is", which is facilitated by an amazing invention called the main switch on a power strip.
There is no magic solution. Even "wireless charging" is bound to be the same in 100 years - every bloody manufacturer will use a different field strength, frequency, polarisation etc. so that you have to buy their charger. Until someone (ISO, I'm looking at you) actually standardises on a DC supply to a house and countries enforce its use in law, you're stuck with it. The only DC standard I'm aware of is in cars and that actually WORKS to a degree - a car charger is a car charger and will work in basically every car in the world (24v supplies on lorries not included, but they do usually come with rather large warnings on the dash and you can get 24-12v convertors for just such an occasion).
Re:Three Mobile Phones? (Score:2, Insightful)
He's only got 2 mobile phones - the Nokia N810 is an Internet Tablet. I'm never seen anywhere without mine. It's a geek thing...
Re:Serious issue! (Score:5, Insightful)
Boost/Buck converters negate those factors.
E.g. phones which can charge over USB dont use 5v batteries.
Because chargers cost $0.99 to make (Score:3, Insightful)
And you are more than happy to buy one locking you to a specific manufacturer for $19.99. Same reason the headsets are all different.
The manufacturers are simply giving you what you ask for. YOU are the problem.
Re:Three step process... (Score:1, Insightful)
Dump it all for an iPhone ... yeah right !!!
Just because you are willing to compromise on everything doesn't mean the rest of us should ...
Nokia N810 = 800 x 480 display
iPhone = 320 x 480 display (FAIL)
Canon Powershot SD1000 = 7.1 megapix
iPhone = 2 megapix (FAIL)
Cowan iAudio X5L = 30GB storage
iPhone = 4GB or 8GB (FAIL)
Lenovo Thinkpad = erm, it's a Laptop
iPhone = erm, it's NOT (FAIL)
Logitech MX1000 = erm, it's a Mouse
iPhone = erm, it's NOT (FAIL)
Nintendo DS = erm, it's a good little games console
iPhone = erm, it's NOT (FAIL)
To be honest, I can't think of a single, sensible reason to buy an iPhone. It is jack of all trades and master of none.
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
USB spec says half a amp, less means that the device is charged slower.
Not a big issue.
And the regulators are mandatory anyway. CPUs dont run on the 3.7v or so of Lithium cells.
Re:News for nerds? (Score:4, Insightful)
How eerily accurate, even for the Wife Beta-version (aka. "SignificantOther")
Re:Serious issue! (Score:4, Insightful)
One would assume that the manufacturer's motivations remain where they "should" be, to insure profit. If you lose or break a charger, or if it just plain fails, you can either order another one from the manufacturer for some unreasonable amount, or you can buy a whole new unit. I've had to buy a whole new unit on several occasions.
The packs are almost always marked for voltage and polarity, but the hardware rarely is. (the packs are probably required by UL to be marked) So if you lose the pack you have no idea what the requirements are to replace it yourself. Experimenting is very likely to lead to smoking the equipment. (see first point, I'm sure they're very satisfied with this possibility)
Most larger airports have a shop that sells a variety of fixed packs and universal packs for travelers that have forgotten to pack the cord to their gadget, cordless razors in particular. I'd be interested to see some input from one of those employees.
USB only supplies 5vDC nominal, and not at terribly high current, so I don't think that would make a good universal standard. Firewire would be a better choice for current and voltage, but it can vary between what, +12 and +24 or something like that, and isn't nearly as popular to begin with so that's probably also out.
Many of my toys are 12vDC, of the round pin variety. Polarity is totally random, as is size of the center pin, but many are compatible. If they're going to standardize, this is probably where to go.
Re:Three step process... (Score:5, Insightful)
I said keep the laptop, did I not? Reading for comprehension: FAIL
Besides, I ALWAYS have my iPhone with me. And it can, to some extent, and in most cases to the extent necessary, stand in for all of those other things.
You on the other hand, may or may not, depending on whether or not you loaded up your Batman utility belt that morning, be carrying the LG, the Nokia, the Ericcson, the Canon, the Cowan, or the Nintendo. Nor, given the subject of the post, will you be totally certain that any or all of them are charged up and ready to go. (BTW, you forgot to mention the book reader/Kindle, GPS/Magellen, ...., ah, never mind.)
From my perspective, having the perfect dedicated device for each and every function does me no good whatsoever when it's sitting on the shelf at home because I didn't feel like being an electronic pack mule that day.
Re:News for nerds? (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the first insightful comment you have ever made, #1345021.
That's exactly the kind of thing government should mandate, just like the shape of the plug that goes into the wall and the gauge of wire that should be built into new houses.
Re:News for nerds? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
I've had several mobile phones from Nokia, and they've all used the same connector (even if the voltage ranges from 3.3 to 5.8 at least it can get you out of trouble). My latest Nokia has a much smaller connector which annoys me. It means I have to carry the charger around instead of just leaving them where I use them (in bedroom, in kitchen, at work...)
In a related rant, I have several devices that run off 12V. Problem is they use the same connector but some have reverse polarity. Someone has already blown a wireless router by switching its power with a modem's. Even two devices from the same manufacturer suffer this problem (I'm looking at you, D-link). Those DC connectors are good, it would be better is they all had the same polarity!
Re:Serious issue! (Score:1, Insightful)
USB only supplies 5vDC nominal, and not at terribly high current, so I don't think that would make a good universal standard.
USB 3 allows for up to 900 mA. The voltage issue is solvable [wikipedia.org]. As computers are everywhere and virtually all have USB, there's no need to even take a charger with you all the time.
Desktop computers can supply USB current even when switched off.
Re:USB (Score:1, Insightful)
Don't try it is right. All the power supplies have a common ground - trying to connect 5v and 12v is going to cause smoke to come out the back, not give you 7 volts. (Power supplies tend to be forgiving of shorts to ground, but I've found they're not nearly as forgiving of connecting, say, 12 volts to the 5 volt rail).
Re:USB (Score:3, Insightful)
Right, replace a wasteful solution with an even more wasteful one. Running a 500W power supply to supply maybe 20 W on average, dumping another 20W into resistors plus the internal losses of the power supply. It also won't take up less space than the wall warts you replace, plus it requires active cooling (another component to go wrong in the long term, and drive you crazy with noise in the meantime).
Also, you hardly ever need to charge all your gadgets at once, making your concerns a bit unlikely. And if you overload the USB on a computer, you get a message and the offending port is cut off, instead of smoking the power supply. If you need more power, get a powered hub.
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
The majority of devices that use USB will charge from the current provided - a defacto power standard. For non USB devices and given the low current requirements of most gadgets, designing the charging/regulation circuitry to a defined standard would be almost trivial. In fact, most use commonly available regulation ICs to save mfg cost.
Given the increasing onus on manufacturers to provide environmentally conscious disposal for their products, most will eventually opt for a standardised power/charging arrangement. It's a consideration when purchasing that I already make.
Re. the income from extra adaptor sales aftermarket - the cost of maintaining the supply chain for these items barely justifies making them available at all. Hence the ridiculous prices for OEM chargers.
Re:Because chargers cost $0.99 to make (Score:5, Insightful)
Ahhh... but say you want the car charger? That'll be an extra $25. They find ways to make money on sales of these things. If all devices used USB, you wouldn't have these charges.
Re:News for nerds? (Score:3, Insightful)
You're new here, aren't you? Either she goes, or we revoke your /. login.
USB is the answer (Score:5, Insightful)
Simple.
Chuck all the stupid crap toys you have that use proprietary connectors.
I have made a decision: In the small electronics area, I will ONLY buy devices that use the mini-USB style connectors. I flatly refuse to buy anything that cannot be charged or connected via USB to my PC, or a USB base station.
Yes, this does mean that I will miss out on some "hot" tech items. For example, I do not have an iPhone. Why? Not because I think it's a bad device or because I cannot afford it. I think iPhones are very nice and I can certainly afford to buy one. I don't have an iPhone because it uses a 30 pin proprietary dock connector. The means that I would have to buy all sorts of expensive connecting devices from Apple that I have no intention of spending money on like a moron.
The same goes with most other phones. I selected my Motorazr cell phone because I can charge it with a USB connector. I selected my Creative Zen MP3 player because I can charge it with a USB connector (the same one I charge my phone with) Should the need for any other small devices come along, I will select the one I can recharge with a USB connector. If no devices have that option, I will forgo the device altogether. NO device is so important that I should have to clutter my life with useless connectors and chargers, when a simple mini usb 2.0 connector will do everything these idiotic proprietary connectors will do AND MORE.
It's time we as consumers put our feet down. Manufacturers need to stop trying to follow the "give away the razor handle and sell the blades at a 500% markup" model and start selling their devices, unlocked, with a standard unified connector at a reasonable price.
It starts with each one of us deciding to change this one thing in our lives by only buying devices with USB connectors. I have made the change, who will join me?
Re:USB is the answer - Uh, about that... (Score:2, Insightful)
The iPhone comes with a cable to connect its 30 pin proprietary dock with USB. It charges over USB.
While there may have been some fuzzy statements in there, if you reread the beginning of the post you were replying to you'll notice that he said that he'll "ONLY buy devices that use the mini-USB style connectors," and that he selected his ZEN mp3 player because of the fact that it will charge with the same style cable as his phone.
I don't believe that a cable that simply plugs into a USB jack but still takes a proprietary adapter to enable it to do so would conform to his quite narrow standards.
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:USB is the answer (Score:5, Insightful)
I will and I have. The benefit is that I now have NO wall warts or AC chargers, and I can travel with all my devices using either a USB to USB-MiniA or USB to USB-MiniB connector.
That's a phone, camera, MP3 player, GPS tracking token and wireless mouse all sharing two very small and light cables, whereas previously I'd need a whole nuther bag for the charging silliness.
We, as consumers, need to get more people behind this.
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
So you're saying that introducing competition into a market which was otherwise a monopoly and reducing the cost to produce a product will not lead to reduced prices? I find that hard to believe.
Re:shouldn't ever be posted (Score:3, Insightful)
but we should make the best of this question, because it is a good one.
Only recently have manufacturers jumped on a bandwagon. Many cell manufacturers are providing mini-usb connectors for charging and sync. With the recent addition of the new USB (3?) offering higher output voltages, we may see more manufacturers moving to a common charging system.
There are, of course, several manufacturers that require proprietary connectors or needle barrel plugs who should be encouraged to change to a standardized connector.
With the possibility of a common connector on the horizon, we may see the exact opposite of this post in the future. "I can't plug all of my devices in because I don't have enough USB ports" or "I can't find additional USB cables because they're so popular that the stores are sold out"
OK, so the latter will probably never happen, but I frequently run out of USB ports and have to make a decision about what gets unplugged.
Re:USB is the answer (Score:3, Insightful)
And yes, I know my name is stupid. I wish I could change it, at least once. I hate my l33t name. :(
This is the Slashdot equivalent of tattoo regret. Maybe there's money in it ...
1. Slashdot l33t name regret
2. ???
3. PROFIT!
Re:Serious issue! (Score:3, Insightful)
Future Shop and Breast Buy sell standard USB device cables for $30. Then the salesman tells you that if you buy a cheap one, it will suffer from signal loss and lower speed. If the world standardized small electronics on one power port, manufacturers can ship their products entirely without chargers. Then the "Pop-up add" style salesman can sell you a USB-mini charger for $50 and tell you that your warranty will be void if your "un-certified" charger ruins your device. He can then sell you a product protection plan on your charger for an extra $10. Or you can go with the "Monster Cable" charger that has extra line filtering... bla bla bla.
Re:Serious issue! (Score:5, Insightful)
All devices should have over-voltage protection by default. Even if the device you are manufacturing comes with a super-wahzoo psu that is absolutely limited to 5Vdc output, your device should be able to handle 30Vdc and not have a problem. Simple electronics design, not complicated rocket science. Varistors are cheap. Resetable surface mount fuses are cheap. Voltage regulators are cheap.
Re:USB is the answer - Uh, about that... (Score:3, Insightful)
How about other types of connectivity you might want on a device? In addition to USB, my iPod photo also provides S-video out (maybe composite as well; I know composite video is available through the headphone jack), audio in/out, control (for things like car stereo connectivity), and FireWire. My Treo puts RS-232, audio in/out, and some other signals on its connector. On a larger device, you might get away with including all of the appropriate connectors somewhere on the device. For something like an iPod or a phone (at least one that's not just a phone)? Not so much.
FWIW, I tend to charge most of my stuff by plugging into a USB port on a computer, a USB hub, or a cigarette-lighter-to-USB adapter. Standardizing one end of the connection on something that's small and ubiquitous isn't a bad idea. Insisting on doing the same with the other end of the connection, though, is unnecessarily limiting in terms of what you can do with it. I'd like to see you try driving a projector with the mini-USB port on your Zen for a slideshow. I've run several from my iPod.