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New circuit design allows for elimination of laptop charger brick
PhysOrg ^ | 12/24/2013 | Bob Yirka

Posted on 12/25/2013 4:39:05 PM PST by bkopto

Power electronics maker FINsix Corporation has announced the development of what is being called the world's smallest laptop adaptor—one that is just a quarter the size of traditional models and just a sixth the weight—it comes as a standard wall plug, eliminating the "box on the ground" format so familiar to laptop users.

The new adaptor has come about due to the development of a new circuit design by MIT professor David Perreault—it's able to run at higher frequencies (between 30MHz and 300MHz-a thousand times faster than conventional adapters) due to a power reclaiming scheme he developed.

The result is a 65 watt power adapter that can be used to charge a variety of laptops or other devices such as smartphone or tablets (because it comes with a 2.1A USB connector)—it can even charge more than one device at a time.

FINSix says the tiny adapter is just the first of what will be a whole new line of power electronics devices based on the new circuit design—from AC/DC converters to power controllers in devices ranging from air conditioners to more efficient electric motors—all courtesy of the increased frequency range.

The new design allows for recycling power that in traditional designs is lost, preventing the loss of efficiency that typically occurs with other circuits when upping the frequency range.

Representatives for FINSix say the new design (which uses what they call Very High Frequency power conversion technology) leaps over conventional barriers and will pave the way for more efficient electronic devices that are also smaller and lighter.

(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Science
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Picture at the link
1 posted on 12/25/2013 4:39:06 PM PST by bkopto
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To: bkopto

2 posted on 12/25/2013 4:45:03 PM PST by cableguymn (It's time for a second political party.)
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To: cableguymn
I want to see a schematic. ;)

/johnny

3 posted on 12/25/2013 4:45:34 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper

I’m with you. However, I suspect its probably not something one might whip up after a quick trip to RadioShack.


4 posted on 12/25/2013 4:47:51 PM PST by bkopto (Free men are not equal. Equal men are not free.)
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To: JRandomFreeper
I want to see a schematic. ;)

=[ ]------->

5 posted on 12/25/2013 4:50:05 PM PST by builder (I don't want a piece of someone else's pie)
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To: bkopto

Nice idea, but my laptop won’t charge from power applied to a USB port. Next generation perhaps.


6 posted on 12/25/2013 4:51:08 PM PST by Bob
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To: builder
LOL!

It's FM. ;)

/johnny

7 posted on 12/25/2013 4:51:48 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: bkopto

That scheming Bastard.


8 posted on 12/25/2013 4:52:55 PM PST by right way right (What's it gonna take? (guillotines?))
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To: bkopto
The new design allows for recycling power that in traditional designs is lost, preventing the loss of efficiency that typically occurs with other circuits when upping the frequency range.

Hmmm....

AC motored Hybrid Drivetrain Knuckle and use regen-braking back to a storage device with their Circuit?

How will this work with a "Graphene Ultra-Capacitor"?.... Wow a brave new world..

9 posted on 12/25/2013 4:58:02 PM PST by taildragger (The E-GOP won't know what hit them, The Party of Reagan is almost here, hang tight folks....)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

Just in time to miss Christmas! Thanks bkopto.


10 posted on 12/25/2013 5:02:06 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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IF: it runs twice as hot, and only has 1/3 the life expectancy of the older brick types.

THEN: smaller is not so good.

FYI: issues the article does not address


11 posted on 12/25/2013 5:10:41 PM PST by RBStealth (--raised by wolves, disciplined and educated by nuns.)
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To: JRandomFreeper

From the description it sounds like a way to build a switching regulator without the typical trade-off in efficiency that comes as you increase the switching frequency. This would allow a big reduction in size due to the smaller passive components that could be used.


12 posted on 12/25/2013 5:13:33 PM PST by Scutter
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To: bkopto; a fool in paradise

Revolutionary discovery of the month. Never to be heard from again.


13 posted on 12/25/2013 5:16:27 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: bkopto

If they go public, I’m buyin’ some of their stock.


14 posted on 12/25/2013 5:17:10 PM PST by Cementjungle
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To: JRandomFreeper

probably using IGBT’s to run that fast. Surprised tht is hasn’t been used before


15 posted on 12/25/2013 5:17:26 PM PST by Ouderkirk (To the left, everything must evidence that this or that strand of leftist theory is true)
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I’ll bet that passing radiated/conducted emissions was tricky.


16 posted on 12/25/2013 5:18:39 PM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: Scutter
They must have found a supply of those -10K Ohm resistors.

/johnny

17 posted on 12/25/2013 5:18:48 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: Bob

the unit provides 65 watts enough power for a laptop.

you wouldn’t be able to power the laptop from a USB charge port.


18 posted on 12/25/2013 5:25:51 PM PST by RitchieAprile
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To: RitchieAprile

While I could be wrong, I’d think that with 2.1 amps you could power the laptop and have a bit left over for charging the battery. The laptop’s circuits though would need to be designed to allow that much input current through the USB port.


19 posted on 12/25/2013 5:35:25 PM PST by Bob
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To: bkopto

I have designed switching power supplies for a living. I’d like to believe this, but like Johnny, I want to see the schematic. How are they charging/discharging the gate capacitance so quickly? Power FETs or IGBT’s usually have large gate capacitance. I want to see how they eliminate this or get around it. They’d have to if they are going to run the switcher at 300 MHz.


20 posted on 12/25/2013 5:38:07 PM PST by backwoods-engineer (Blog: www.BackwoodsEngineer.com)
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