Main > Everything Else
High Power USB at every wall socket.
MonMotha:
The USB standard (v2.0) calls for minimum 1500 cycles at 200 cycles/hr maximum. Honestly, this is probably comparable to the cheap 79c NEMA 5-15 outlets you get at the hardware store. "Commercial Grade" outlets will probably exceed that by a fair margin, but higher quality USB cable assemblies are also available.
The locking mechanism on micro USB isn't because the full-size connectors wear out too quickly, it's because the connector is too small to have a very reliable friction retention mechanism.
I've never actually worn out a full size USB A or B connector, though I'm sure it's possible. The design is actually pretty darned rugged; the only thing I can see wearing out very quickly at all is perhaps the retention clips, depending on how they're constructed (they could lose their spring).
What concerns me more is that the USB A connector is just a bad connector on several other points. It's not capable of very high current (500mA by the original spec; battery charging spec brings it up to 2A, but many connectors are actually only specified for 1.5A. This is only 10W (a linked article from the linked article indicates that there may be an effort to fix this, but it may just be the old USB + Power standard mentioned below - I can't tell since the link to the USB IF document is 404). There are also no provisions for adjustable voltage, which would be handy in a real low voltage DC power spec. It's 5V (and with pretty wide tolerance) or bust. The connector also suffers from being rectangular but requiring a specific orientation not immediately obvious from the physical shape. There are some guidelines for identifying the proper orientation using overmold artwork and similar, but these are regularly disregarded or ever flat out violated.
There is a "USB + Power" standard, but it never really caught on. It actually fixed all the problems I highlighted above at the expense of adding another part to the USB connector to transfer the high power.
As for isolation between the AC line voltage and low voltage stuff, it should be doable. If the low voltage is generated within the outlet housing itself, that's up to the manufacturer to get right (and, being a fully controlled environment, should be easy enough), and there's no problem in the box. That just leaves the possibility of a contact event on the plugs themselves. The linked article is probably just a concept drawing, but that would be a pretty terrible way to do it (they did at least put the connector on the neutral blade side). Proper recesses could make a contact event quite unlikely. It's such a shame that the US never adopted the popular Japanese practice of having the plug blades partially sheathed in plastic so that the exposed portion is insulated by the time electrical contact is internally made (like the EU Schuko plug).
Pinball Wizard:
Separating the high power AC and the low power DC is not a problem at all. You have to know a few guidelines but it is something I deal with at work on a regular basis.
Gray_Area:
--- Quote from: Howard_Casto on February 19, 2012, 04:28:34 pm ---
I think the way apple does it is pretty nice... a simple electrical plug to usb adaptor. It doesn't take up a lot of room and if you need multiple sockets you can either hook a usb hub up to it, or get a surge protector and plug in multiple adaptors.
--- End quote ---
I think all smart phones have this option, as mine came with one. So did one of my headsets. Have one at home, one in my bag. Also (because dedicated car chargers are just lame, and a stupid expense) I have a cable in the car to hook to my [aftermarket] stereo (though aren't USB ports coming standard in many vehicles, now?), which is especially cool because I don't need a dumbass Apple-like dongle-interface-standard to play from my phone.
ark_ader:
Looking down under my desk I can count at least 12 wall warts on one bar. I know I have about 12 more dotted around the room.
With all the marvels of science, could we please have a daisy chain-all-in-one plug for everything?
I can see why the Mac owners like their PCs = very few cables.
How about a universal cable for anything computer related. :applaud:
Gray_Area:
--- Quote from: ark_ader on February 21, 2012, 07:41:21 pm ---Looking down under my desk I can count at least 12 wall warts on one bar. I know I have about 12 more dotted around the room.
With all the marvels of science, could we please have a daisy chain-all-in-one plug for everything?
I can see why the Mac owners like their PCs = very few cables.
How about a universal cable for anything computer related. :applaud:
--- End quote ---
This is why there's more paperwork in the world, now.
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