The external power adapter Is dead
Cette publication existe aussi en Français
The market for external power supplies for mobile phones and laptops is set to transition over the next 12 months to a new form factor of USB-C converters in sockets in the wall.
The move to in socket USB-C chargers will also drive innovation in consumer equipment using fast charging battery technologies.
This isn’t to say that production of external power supplies will stop. It’s a market worth $26bn, and millions of units will continue to be made over the next few years, but the market will transition to in-socket designs that will dominate the industry.
This has been driven by a combination of factors, not least legislation in Europe for a single USB-C connector. Much of the technology advancements are coming from European companies such as Pulsiv in the UK and Eggtronic in Italy as well as Power Integrations and Silanna in the US who have been developing designs for several years.
Planar magnetics tool boosts wall socket charger designs
Pulsive today launched a 65W reference design for the AC-DC portion of the charger that fits into the existing 25mm spacing in a socket, which is more than enough for a mobile phone or robot vacuum cleaner.
“It will be tipping in 12 months as you get to 140W in socket the use cases balloon for charging in five minutes,” said Tim Moore, chief product officer of Pulsiv.
The smaller size is key to allow a simple retrofit by replacing a socket, rather than having to dig out more of the wall to fit the charger in. This has limited the installation of in socket USB-C charger to new buildings.
But the next step is a 240W version in the next three months in the same form factor that can charge laptops and power tools quickly from the wall socket, and this is where the industry changes.
Wide bandgap semiconductors are driving up efficiency, meaning less power is lost to heat. This is important as the power converters in a socket have limited cooling. The lower heat means higher reliability for the electrolytic capacitors in the design. This is important for both the cost but also for the fact that the power converters will have to last ten years, or even 25.
This is very different from the external power supplies that only last a year or two before becoming electronic waste.
At the same time there have been significant innovations in the design and construction of transformers and inductors to reduce the size of the converters.
There has also been innovation in the battery technology used in consumer designs. Fast charging batteries from companies such as
“Where I think the world is heading is higher power with power in furniture, lamps, and then there is also a whole push in domestic appliances and that’s my background as CTO at GHD and at Shark/Ninja,” says Tim Moore. “Fast charging at rates of 40 or 50 C is not unheard of.” Companies such as Nybolt and Echion are in production with fast charging and long lifetime battery materials and cells that are much, much safer than lithium ion cells.
This changes the design of the equipment. “With fast charge you can use less cells. That’s a whole new paradigm and that inherently makes it safer,” said Moore. He sees more equipment making use of the USB-C connection, from lamps to sensors.
There are also global consequences to this change.
There is no requirement for a switch for the in socket wall chargers, which also adds to the bill of materials cost, so the no load power consumption is key. A charger in millions, even billions, of sockets around the world can potentially consume significant amounts of power. So reducing the no load current is vital. The requirement is currently below 210mA, but the latest designs are at 170mW, and are heading down to 80mA and below.
This also changes the supply chain. Socket providers such as Schneider, Eaton and Jasco have already moved into the market, and as the external charger market declines so companies such as Anker, Belkin and Aukey, as well as hundreds of white label suppliers will be looking to transition. This will also drive up demand for USB PD (power deliver) controllers form companies such as STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, Texas Instruments, Infineon Technologies, Weltrend, MPS, Renesas Electronics and Realtek.
That may change with the higher power levels of 140W and 240W which will command higher prices. “As you go up in power levels the chip price gets lower relatively smaller proportion of the overall BoM,” says Moore.
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
