Replace your AC outlets with this dual USB charger

[d_r]

[ficuswhisperer]

@Medievalist

Scale matters. If we all buy cool wireless chargers, thus wasting a significant portion of our charging current creating useless heat, how many people die? How many glaciers melt?

This assumes that a wireless charger would be poorly designed enough to be using full power when not charging a device. I’d assume/hope that they aren’t so poorly designed. A wireless charger that’s in “polling” mode should use minimal current draw until a device comes within range and then it bumps up the power to a level sufficient to charge the device.

[Restless]

We have seven cheap Chinese wireless chargers for our Nexus tablets and phones (two by the bed, two at the charging station, and one each at work, plus I have one in my car in my grip that I ginned up myself).

I hate glaciers!

[Leolo]

Better yet : do NOT replace your AC outlets with these crap gadgets.

They will be obsolete in a few years if not already (how much current can they supply?). They probably will break before that long. Active electronics inside your walls is a big NO NO. They are probably electrocution hazards. You can’t turn them off. They draw power even when not in use. You can’t unplug them to mitigate this last.

The least of misfeatures goes on and on.

[ficuswhisperer]

@art_carnage

If it was that dangerous, they wouldn’t sell them at Target.

As long as you cut the power from the electrical panel there’s zero risk of electrocution, and it’s pretty hard to mess up the wiring since it’s only 3 wires that should be clearly labeled.

Of course this assumes you cut the power to the right place, and that your stuff is wired to code. Really it’s a matter of taking basic safety precautions and reading the directions. Replacing a power receptacle or light switch should be something any homeowner can do.

[anon63581570]

@elliotk

I could see this being great if you have exposed outlets, but mine are invariably behind furniture.

I see it as useful for those counter outlets in the kitchen instead of those outlets near the floor.

[Boundegar]

I’ll bet you eat the homemade fugu, too. I think Darwin would like to have a word with you.

[TobinL]

@ficuswhisperer

Of course this assumes you cut the power to the right place, and that your stuff is wired to code.

And my grandfathered in 1940’s house with several decades worth of wiring in it… nope not gonna do that. We had to get the old school fuse box replaced with circut breakers just to move in/get it insured. Without a complete professional rewire of the house I am not gonna be doing much swapping of outlets thank you.

[ficuswhisperer]

@Leolo

Better yet : do NOT replace your AC outlets with these crap gadgets.

They will be obsolete in a few years if not already (how much current can they supply?). They probably will break before that long. Active electronics inside your walls is a big NO NO. They are probably electrocution hazards. You can’t turn them off. They draw power even when not in use. You can’t unplug them to mitigate this last.

I doubt USB will be going away any time soon. It’s too ubiquitous. Your other questions are answered on the page Mark linked to: they supply 4A@5V for USB devices (20W), and are UL listed. I’m of course making an assumption it can actually output 4A and is actually UL listed.

Nothing here screams “crapgadget” to me, though.

[Shuck]

So it’s effectively two chargers (plus the outlet) for only slightly more than the price of one?
I’ve got a single outlet that’s in the perfect spot for charging phones and other devices (and not forgetting that they’re there), but requires juggling what gets pluged-in, when. Something like this would be perfect for that spot.

[thaumatechnicia]

D’oh! I goofed.

[kupfernigk]

@Restless

It’s a great idea, but I don’t like the idea of plugging into USB without surge protection on expensive equipment like phones, tablets and our Jamboxes.

The MK version in the UK is more expensive than the Chinese ones and is fully CE approved. That’s what I’m installing.
Also the standby power is minimal, at the most a few pence a year. The convenience, however, for us and for guests, is considerable - as well as being able to dispense with multiway adaptors.

[edit - actual UL listing in the US is as good as CE but it is worth checking the certificate on Chinese products - some people joke that the CE mark on some Chinese goods just stands for “China Export”, but equally there are some excellent Chinese manufacturers nowadays - Huawei makes good infrastructure kit as well as phones.]

[cjankelson]

0.3 watts an hour, eh? Someone needs to learn his units.

[art_carnage]

@jackbird

Where else could they have put them? The NEC and the Decora standard make that layout about the best they could do; certainly better than bunching 2 USB ports in the middle, which is the other layout I’ve seen.

This, at least, allows one block to be used, without obstructing the USB ports.

[ficuswhisperer]

That design wouldn’t really work. You’d need a specialized wall plate (a Decora-style plate wouldn’t work) and I don’t see a typical single gang wall box having enough room to fit this – or if it did fit you’d have no ability to adjust it for fitment and placement.

[art_carnage]

@ficuswhisperer

That design wouldn’t really work. You’d need a specialized wall plate (a Decora plate wouldn’t work) and I don’t see a typical single gang wall box having enough room to fit this – or if it did fit you’d have no ability to adjust it for fitment and placement.

That’s not a photoshop mockup. That’s an actual product. So, it does work.

[art_carnage]

@Boundegar

I’ll bet you eat the homemade fugu, too. I think Darwin would like to have a word with you.

Oh, good lord. You probably call a woodworker to put your IKEA furniture together. After all, you might get a splinter!

How to Replace Electrical Outlets

[joeair61]

@art_carnage

If it was that dangerous, they wouldn’t sell them at Target.

They sell gas valves for furnaces and boilers at Home Depot and Lowes too, and I promise you those are dangerous if you don’t know how to install them. Last time I was in one of these stores they had a display of white Teflon tape right next to the valves. I asked the attendant if they sold yellow Teflon tape, and he said, yeah over by the piping. I asked if it would be wise to display the yellow tape by the gas valves, since you can not use white Teflon with Natural gas and the yellow is at least legal for Natural gas. He said no one buys the yellow because it is more expensive.

As a Steamfitter, I will tell you no one with any sense would use either of the tapes on a gas line. They also sold perfectly good pipe dopes that would be 100% better than even the legal tape.

Changing an outlet can be a DIY project, just do your homework. My issue with these USB outlets are, first the back is larger to include the electronics to get from 120 VAC to 5 VDC. There is never extra space in the handibox, so wire management can get tight. The second consideration is heat. Any Transformer / Power supply creates heat, and extra heat in an electrical box is never a good idea. In houses with great insulation, like sprayed in foam, this heat may stay in the handibox. I personally leave a power strip on my desk, and leave a few plugin USB adapter there. I just hit the off switch if I am not charging anything.

[robulus]

One reviewer said it will charge two iPads at the same time.

Wow! No shit?

[Boundegar]

Hey, splinters kill! What if I was hemophiliac? Or maybe it was a splinter of plutonium? Anything can happen!