The 'World's Smallest And Lightest' Laptop Adapter Debuts On Kickstarter
A new kind of power adapter that's barely bigger than a plug.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Dec 2013, 04:23 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
This charger is four times smaller and six times lighter than its regular counterparts, and it also comes with a 2.1A USB port
The enabling technology here is a highly efficient VHF (very high frequency) power conversion, as refined and patented by MIT. As you'd expect, the Dart is compatible with most laptops, and there's even a special version for MacBooks that don't need more than 65W of power.
engadget.com
The first 1,000 backers will be able to grab a standard Dart for just $79 a pop, and latecomers will only have to fork out an extra $10 per piece. Both lots are cheaper than the $119 retail price, but rather than arriving in the summer as expected, these won't be shipped until November -- following product certification and field tests in the earlier months, of course.
gigaom.com
As for the limited MacBook version due December, the first 500 units will cost a staggering $148 each, followed by $168 each for the remaining 1,500 units. FINsix explained that this huge price bump is because it has to buy the original MacBook adapters (also $79 each), in order to repurpose the MagSafe and MagSafe 2 connectors for its Darts. The good news is that FINsix is also hoping to work out a long-term agreement with Apple, in order to offer the MagSafe Dart at a much lower price.
geek.com
For this Kickstarter campaign, the Dart's aluminum body will be available in either blue, magenta, silver, gunmetal or orange
The device is built with a US plug, but it'll work with different voltages and frequencies around the world, so non-US folks can just add a plug adapter. Since the Dart is geared towards road warriors, chances are its backers already have a travel adapter, anyway. FINsix has also previously told us that it's quite easy to scale the Dart in terms of power output, so here's hoping that the startup will consider a 90W or even a 150W version, for the sake of those chunky mobile workstation bricks.
engadget.com
The story below was done before FINsix unveiled the adapter at CES in January 2014...
Power electronics innovator FINsix Corporation will unveil the world's smallest laptop adapter at the 2014 International CES show
A startup called FINsix has developed laptop power adapters that are 75 percent smaller than their conventional counterparts.
technologyreview.com
The technology employed could also be used to improve the efficiency of a wide variety of devices and appliances, including washing machines and air conditioners.
businesswire.comIt replaces a conventional charging brick with a device just a little bigger than an ordinary plug
The 65-watt power adapter—which delivers more power than many laptops use—can charge multiple devices at once. It will be available by the middle of next year.
technologyreview.com
The power adapter is the first commercial application of a novel circuit design developed by David Perreault, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT
The researchers at MIT and FINsix developed a way to recycle much of the energy that’s normally lost inside a power adapter, improving efficiency and making it practical to use frequencies 1,000 times higher than those used in conventional power adapters.
technologytell.com
“The rest of the field is making incremental changes and getting diminishing returns,” says Charles Sullivan, a professor of engineering at Dartmouth, who is not involved with the company. But FINsix, he says, is “leaping past that barrier.”
businesswire.comFINsix’s power adapter is an after-market charger that can work with a variety of laptops and other devices
The company is also working with a laptop manufacturer to produce a dedicated charger. The power adapter has the potential to be far cheaper than conventional ones, because it’s smaller, it’s simpler to manufacture, and it uses far less material.
technologytell.com
In addition to shrinking power adapters, the new circuit design could reduce the size and cost of a variety of devices known collectively as power electronics
These devices manipulate electricity, changing properties such as voltage and converting between AC and DC power; they can precisely control the power that goes to electric motors and compressors.
technologyreview.comBetter power electronics can improve the efficiency of, say, household air conditioners, but they typically aren’t used in such applications because of their high cost.
gizmodo.com
FINsix’s technology shrinks power electronics by increasing the frequency at which these devices operate
The higher the frequency, the smaller the device can be. But ordinarily, higher frequencies also reduce efficiency.
businesswire.com