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Technical Editor Margery Conner's PowerSource streams the latest developments in electronic power design and related technologies. Follow Margery on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/margeryc.

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Universal charger should be available in EU by 2010

Jun 29 2009 9:46AM | Permalink |Comments (10) |

Ten companies, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, Texas Instruments, RIM, and Samsung, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission in Brussels to develop and standardize on a universal charger based on the micro-USB connection. These chargers will work with data-enabled mobile phones that support USB data exchange.

Pre Touchstone wireless charging via iFixit photo According to this article in the BBC, “Currently there are more than 30 different types of chargers for handsets throughout Europe. EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen says he also wants to see the common charger expand in the years ahead to cover other phones, existing phones, cameras and laptops.”

It will be interesting to see how the move to a universal charger plays out vs the option some devices, like the Palm Pre and the new iPhone, have for optional or add-on wireless charging. (Don’t miss iFixit’s excellent tear-down of the Pre Touchstone wireless charging option.) Are users looking for the convenience of tossing their phone onto a charging pad (in spite of the inefficiency of the power transfer in wireless charging) or are they really after the simplicity of having One Charger to Rule Them All and not haul around different chargers for different devices? I’ve heard a rumor that Brian Dipert has a wireless charging adapter from WildCharge for his new iPhone and is running a rigorous hands-on testing program…

[EU MOU heads-up courtesy of Matt McKinney at TI…]

Related entries in: Power Sources/Controllers | Power Supplies |

Reader Comments

at 6/29/2009 2:57:23 PM, John L said:
At first blush... this is a great idea... eliminating all the different chargers required of someone with multiple devices... But upon further reflection, not so good an idea. Fine, a group of companies want to standardize the charger interface. But to involve the European Commission? why? would this lead to a "forced" standard for all battery powered devices? if so, I think it is a very very bad idea. primary reasons - (1) I know of no one capable of telling the future of technology - or anything else (2) technology of electronics is still changing quickly (3) reduces market's ability to adopt new products - great new product! too bad it won't work with the battery charger standard in force in the EU! - effectively reducing innovation Basically.. short term -OK, long term -bad. then there is the "human" element, look at all the different layouts for driver controls in cars... would make sense to eliminate these variations... would certainly be safer when renting a car.. but it would kill improvements.

at 6/29/2009 3:31:27 PM, Gunnar C. said:
Excellent! This will be a good start just like USB 1 was and will evolve from here. It's about time power sources got included in this progress we enjoy.

at 6/29/2009 3:56:41 PM, Cliff G said:
John L: note that there is common interface on a car to put fuel in it: imagine if I had to go to a "GM only" station, couldn't fill my Honda up there. To continue the analogy,there not (yet) an effort to standardize the user interface to various phones, MP3 players, etc: that would have no effect on the multiplicity of chargers & energy waste. Who REALLY unplugs all the wall warts they are not using? (Need wall warts that auto-sense a load and go to sleep when not at work.)
There will need to be staging of a few different charging current capabilities: USB current would take days to recharge my laptop and the small form factor of the plug matters less. Right now, its 3 phone brands=3 different charging plugs in my house.

at 6/29/2009 4:57:53 PM, John L said:
Yes, common standards.. developed by the market. When a given technology is changing quickly.. very few good examples of forced standards (there are some). Indeed, before the market established some standards for car fuel, it created some limitations on the usefulness of the auto. There were many fuel variations (elec, steam, etc..)..... until the market finally settled down...... Today, standardized fuels has made car into what we know today... and this standardization has created another monster - that kills public transportation, and alternative fuel options... too much of a good thing (standardization)? maybe... I can except a certain level of standardization on technology that is slowly changing, it creates useful growth and scales of economy ... but not on fast changing technology with little or no safety issues. Battery chargers, not a good example for forced standards.... moderation in all things.... and if the EU is going force a standard for battery chargers... WHY NOT STANDARDIZE THE POWER OUTLETS THROUGH OUT EUROPE?.. seems more important to me.

at 6/29/2009 11:28:56 PM, mad scientist said:
This is a brilliant idea to save energy! Not by the fact that you will use less energy using the product, but the dozens of fewer chargers you will need at home and at work, which each take many kilowatts to manufacture. While at 3 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity we don't normally care, when multiplied by the millions of chargers made and then tossed every year when you find out your new phone doesn't work with your old charger, it will add up quickly. I personally only buy products that charge with micro USB connections, which now work with my Cell phone, GPS, Camera and a few other devices.

at 7/1/2009 9:06:26 AM, gnuarm said:
I don't get the aversion to mandated standards. Cell phone wouldn't even work if it weren't for mandated standards! How do you think that a number of companies can make hand sets for all of the network providers? Because they all design and build to a set of mandated standards.

I don't see how a power supply standard is very likely to adversely impact any sort of innovation in design of cellphones. Do you?

On the other hand, if I have a choice of buying a phone that charges through its USB connector or a phone that uses a dedicated connector and charger, I know which I will buy. I am sure the marketplace has been demanding this for a long time!

at 7/1/2009 11:08:41 AM, DS said:
Surely the standardisation cannot go much further than the CONNECTOR, rather than the charger ? To claim to be a universal charger would require either a universal battery else a much more complex & costly power supply to accommodate all devices that have a micro-USB socket ?

And I don't know why this news is such a big deal: the Chinese govt has been driving to a micro-USB socket standardisation for mobile phones for a few years now. And it is also an initiative supported by the USB-IF. With the EU signing up I guess (hope) it is a good thing as you would think the more that sign-up the greater chance it has of happening.

at 7/2/2009 1:06:33 PM, IH said:
Excuse me, but is there anything more to do than simply deciding to endorse the USB Battery Charging Specification? This has been with us for well over a year (see www.edn.com/article/CA6531593.html) - why must we wait until 2010?

Actually, I can predict why: existing USB chargers don't contain enough gratuitous "IP", and none of the big manufacturers would therefore get to collect patent royalties. They therefore need time to invent some pointless and unnecessary "technology", in order to keep the prices paid by the consumer up.

Grrr.

at 7/7/2009 12:34:23 PM, JC said:
I think this is an excellent synergy that has been a long time coming in the Cell world. It is about time that we see the consolidation of certain cellphone technologies, it is just the beginning, but a good one!

at 7/30/2009 8:28:00 PM, seacrow said:
Just another example of Eurofascist "standards" retarding progress and innovation. By the time a standard is imposed the tech will already be obsolete. God, I love the USA--despite the creeping Obamatron globies trying to squeeze us Yankee square pegs into into the Euro round hole.

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