Novel circuit helps make laptop charger smaller and cheaper
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.
FINsix’s first product, which the company will unveil at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, replaces a conventional charging brick with a device 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. The device will be available by the middle of 2014.
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.
FINsix’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 is smaller, it is simpler to manufacture, and it uses far less material.
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.
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.
Visit FINsix at finsix.com
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