Piezoelectric Transformers

behoward writes "Tired of those big honking power adapters needed for all your portable toys? Me too! So far the best solution I've seen is the AC adapter for my G4 Powerbook, a sleek combo yoyo/flying saucer; but while it looks good on the desktop, it still makes too big of a bulge in my case when I travel. Now engineers at Penn State are working on a real solution. Hope Apple gets this technology in place in time for the G5 Powerbook."

Comments

Re:stupid problem in the first place

[Dun Malg]

The real problem is that there is no standard connector for low DC voltage. Why isn't there one? When I travel I have to bring 9 power supplies (2 laptops, mp3 player, still camera, video camera, 2 cellphones, razor, toothbrush).

Because there's no standard for low voltage. How many of those items use the same voltage? How many of them are even DC? Some devices are sensitive to as little as 2 volts difference plus or minus, and "low voltage" will generally be anything from 3 to 24 volts, plus they can be AC or DC. The connector isn't your problem-- it's the power your devices require.