Proximity Chargers

As far as I know these ads are pure bull.

This technology is definitely coming, but the device to be charged needs to be enabled somehow: wired to capture the RF or electromagnetic energy, regulate the resulting charging voltage, and route it to the battery.

-Skip
 
So let me get this right based on the 2nd link (first one doesn't work for some reason):
To charge your laptop, you have to buy the mat that plugs into the light socket (most likely with a brick power converter of some sort that's not shown). Then you need a specialty charger gizmo that lays on the mat and plugs into your laptop to move the power from the mat to your battery. Just be careful to not bump the thing off the mat or it'll sit there doing nothing instead of charging. The other devices apparently have the same kind of thing going for them too.
Yep. That sounds like a far better deal and way less hassle than the charger that already comes with your laptop and plugs into the wall then into the laptop. I mean it has to be easier since it's already what you have plus couple extra pieces cluttering up your desk.
 
Looks like a simple two part transformer to me. What's not at all clear is what the "special module" required for each device looks like but I suspect that it's something that you wouldn't want to leave connected to the phone and if that's true I don't see any advantage over a conventional "wired" charger. Using a high enough frequency the "special module" could be made fairly small but it's still gotta add some bulk and weight to the phone unless it's in the form of a modified battery and in that case it's gotta reduce the size (and capacity) of the battery.

But technically I think this is completely feasible.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
thats what I call em anyway.
do they work or are they an out and out scam?

http://www.askmen.com/tech_info/2006_dec/dec_14_wild_charger.html
http://www.betanews.com/article/PowerMat-intros-an-innovative-battery-charger/1231304062
Click to expand...

Of course they work. You ever had an electric toothbrush that had no metal terminals on the end? They use induction to transfer the juice - sorta like having half of a transformer in the base.

You read this part?
Of course, you'll need a special module for your gadget's batteries, but the simplicity of the WildCharger makes it all worth while
Click to expand...
That means you'll have a black box with the coil in it that has a connector for your gizmo's power jack. It also means your phone will be a bit wider and heavier.

What these save is having to deal with the fiddly little power plugs on each device. I think that's worthwhile.
 
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I do have a Sonicare, Mike - that's what got me interested in this...the toothbrush has no electrical connections to the charging base!

The other thing that got me interested is the tangled mess of innumerable charger cables forcing themselves out of this drawer!

Sounded too good to be true.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I do have a Sonicare, Mike - that's what got me interested in this...the toothbrush has no electrical connections to the charging base!

The other thing that got me interested is the tangled mess of innumerable charger cables forcing themselves out of this drawer!

Sounded too good to be true.
Click to expand...

As Mike and I pointed out, the main downside would be the extra bulk and weight of the "special module" which would have to be permanently attached or there would be no advantage.
 
Here is a wireless charging system for you.


I built a much smaller one of these in college to measure the dialectic constant of air. Mine only had about a 1/2 million volts on it and ran at a frequency of 890khz.

Tesla, who worked tirelessly to develop wireless power transmission, did fail in his efforts. But he did prove Edison wrong in that AC was a far better way to transmit power than Edison's DC plans.
 
smigaldi said:
Here is a wireless charging system for you.

I built a much smaller one of these in college to measure the dialectic constant of air. Mine only had about a 1/2 million volts on it and ran at a frequency of 890khz.

Tesla, who worked tirelessly to develop wireless power transmission, did fail in his efforts. But he did prove Edison wrong in that AC was a far better way to transmit power than Edison's DC plans.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine built one in college. It was in the basement of the house he rented and "grounded" to the drain on the shower.

We fired it up one day and heard a loud scream from upstairs - followed by "Are you running that tesla coil again?"....

His girlfriend was taking a shower when we fired it up...

Oops
 
smigaldi said:
Here is a wireless charging system for you.
Click to expand...

That would make an excellent security system and critter deterrent. I mean how many people or animals would be willing to sneak over your chain link fence with that thing running? :nono::lightning::lightning:
 
jesse said:
It is coming soon. The standard is being developed.
Click to expand...

A leading researcher in the field is Marin Soljacic. MIT, Princeton, for starters. Marin is Croatian (as is my wife) and she had a very small part in Marin's getting accepted to MIT as an undergrad. Later Marin received a MacArthur Fellowship, a so-called Genius Grant - $500,000 no strings attached.

I am sure I saw a newspaper article stating he has wirelessly powered a color TV across a conference room, but I can't find that now.

The first application that springs to my mind, is a pad or hotspot in a hotel room where you can drop all your battery powered devices and they will all charge. Requires that all your devices have an integral system of some sort to receive the power. But think, no more power bricks!

http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537289/k.9A70/Marin_Solja269i263.htm

-Skip
 
I have been tempted to put my bagel in front of the radome at some stops, see if I can do the Mobile Radar Range thing!
 
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