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Power to the People

I hate powerbricks. It used to be that when you bought an electronics device that used an external power supply, it came with a giant block that plugged directly into the outlet. These were not power-strip friendly, and gave way to the powerbrick. The same giant block, only now moved halfway up the cord between the outlet and the device. The are clumsy and unwieldy. There has got to be a better way.

For example, when I visted my parents recently, I took along a few toys… Powerbook, DV Camcorder, Firewire HD. After shooting some video of my son playing with one of his gifts, I decided to whip up a little short with iMovie. Of the three devices, only the Firewire HD requires the powerbrick at all times; the Powerbook and the camcorder have batteries. Of course, these are normally in varying states of discharge, so I usually plugin in everything when using them together. This means three lumpy bundles of brick+wires in my computer bag, and three bricks taking up tablespace or getting under feet. It’s alot of bother.

Around the house it’s worse. Cellphone cradle. Scanner. Wireless Router. Sherri’s Palm Pilot. Everything has bricks. And whatever doesn’t usually has the old oversized plug. For every new gadget, get a new brick. And they’re almost never compatible.

Why have bricks at all? Well, the power in your wall outlet is around 115V AC. About right for lightbulbs and hairdryers, not so great for integrated circuits. For reasons I won’t go into, AC power is much better for transmission over the power lines that bring power to your home. Computers and gadgets of all sorts are designed for DC power… usually between 4.5 and 12V worth. The powerbricks convert the power from your wall outlet into what your device wants. This tends to generate heat, and a bit of space for the transformer. By separating this functionality into the brick, you remove weight and size from the device, and reduce heat dissipation issues. And if the brick dies, it’s much easier to replace.

Of course, everyone seems to use a slightly different voltage, or a different plug configuration, etc. What I’d like to see is a new spec… the Universal Power Bus. For example, any device that can accept a standard voltage and draw no more than a standard wattage could use UPB. It would feature standardized connector, for attaching a UPB-compliant Powerbrick. But here’s the good part… since everything is standard, you could replace the brick. For example, a PC could have a few UPB ports built in to take advantage of the PC’s power supply. Or you could buy a UPB Power Strip… a device the size of a couple of paperbacks that could sit under your desk or on a shelf and supply connections for 5 or 6 UPB devices. Airports and hotel rooms could offer UPB recepticles, allowing any compatible device to be powered or recharged with any UBP cord.

Now, I’m no electronics expert. I’m sure I’ve glossed over or missed some important details. I’m sure device manufacturers have reasons for differing power requirements for simliar devices. But I’m also betting many of things things could be solved. Here’s hoping someone will try. Like the rest of my site, this idea is Some Rights Reserved - released under Creative Commons Licence. Go on, build it!

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