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edwin8888

2/8/2013 12:20 AM EST

You can further impress your family:

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Max the Magnificent

10/5/2012 2:28 PM EDT

The folks from Newer Technology got right back to me saying:

"The ...

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Power2U 4 Me!

Clive Maxfield

10/2/2012 4:53 PM EDT

I'm not as stupid as I look! (Who could be?)
Yes, of course I checked the main fuse box. I'm not a complete idiot (as I've mentioned before, my mother had me tested, and I'm happy to report that the word "complete" is unwarranted). All of the fuses were as they should be. And yes, of course I also checked the automatic circuit breaker thingy in the kitchen. No problems there…

By some strange quirk of fate, I happened to have two electrical-certified HVAC guys wandering around in my loft, so I explained when had happened and asked them to take a look.

First they checked the socket itself -- all wired correctly. Then they checked nearby sockets – no power there either. Then they checked the automatic circuit breaker thingy in the kitchen (they thought of that quicker than I had) – no problems there. Next they checked the fuse panel in the garage – all was as it should be.

Then we all stood around for a while stroking our chins and trying to come up with a new move. After a while, the HVAC guys wandered off back into the loft to check the wiring up there. Sometime later they returned with a purposeful air and walked around the kitchen looking at the sockets a little more closely. Ah Ha! There was a SECOND automatic circuit breaker thingy in the power socket located behind the flat-screen television. I don’t know about the HVAC guys, but I certainly felt a tad foolish.

But that's not what I wanted to tell you about…

On the way into work the next day, I popped into the local home improvement store to pick up a deeper box. That evening, while Gina and Joseph were in the family room, I whipped out the old socket and box and replaced it with my new, deeper box and Power2U. Now, all we see are two USB cables as shown below:


This really is much more convenient. We no longer have the two white chargers lying around, plus we still have two power sockets to play with. Gina's phone actually ends up being charged, and I am the hero of the hour.

The Power2U is one of those things that, when you first see it, you say to yourself "Well, that's an obvious idea – anyone could have thought of that." The thing is, of course, that it's only an obvious idea once you've seen it. All I can say is that I wish I'd thought of it first. Anyway, the bottom line is that I think the Power2U is a great idea and mine is here to stay!


If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).

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David Ashton

10/2/2012 10:27 PM EDT

3 or 4 hours work by the sounds of it Max and "I am the hero of the hour". Not a brilliant return on investment, but if your wife is anything like mine, it's a lot better than nothing....

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Max the Magnificent

10/3/2012 9:16 AM EDT

## "...if your wife is anything like mine..."

Can your wife lash a man at 50-feet with her tongue (and not in a nice way :-)?

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ReneCardenas

10/3/2012 11:00 AM EDT

I am with you Max on this time investment, even if it had taken a whole day to refurbish the kitchen counter to make this happen. It was time well spent to keep the queen of the house happy and on your good side ;-). I have spent days replacing, rewiring, and rearranging old fluorescent fixtures in an old warehouse to install brighter lighting for her art workshop.
Most friends tell me that a well paid electrician, could have done it for a small ransom and taken away my grief, but then again, the king would not have been flowered with complements by his queen would it?... ;-)

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Max the Magnificent

10/3/2012 11:14 AM EDT

LOL

It's certainly true that making one's wife happy is central to being happy oneself (my wife does not like to suffer "quietly or alone" one might say :-)

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ReneCardenas

10/3/2012 4:09 PM EDT

Max, my friend, well said. I feel your pain, on the "shared suffering" part! LoL

On playing with live power "I do not recommended" but I have to admit, I have done it in the rush of the moment, on couple of occasions and have paid the price with sparks and fright!

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Larry Shafer

10/3/2012 6:29 PM EDT

Max, great solution. I would have replaced the outlet with a 4x4 box so I could have twice the number of outlets, but then I am different.

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Max the Magnificent

10/4/2012 3:58 PM EDT

But then I would still have had the white charger boxes lying around on the floor

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altme

10/5/2012 2:01 PM EDT

what is the power consumption of the regulators when nothing is plugged into the USB connectors?

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Max the Magnificent

10/5/2012 2:09 PM EDT

That's a very good question -- I don't have a clue -- I'll email the folks at Newer Technology and ask them

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Max the Magnificent

10/5/2012 2:28 PM EDT

The folks from Newer Technology got right back to me saying:

"The NewerTech Power2U's energy efficient Spring-loaded Safety Shutters turn power off to the USB ports to eliminate 'vampire' energy draw when a connecting cable is removed. Also, when a device is plugged in for charging, the Smart Power design only outputs enough charging power required by the attached device."

Wow -- it looks like they've really thought this out (more than I did at any rate)

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