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New Power Adapter Fixes Space Issues

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the for-those-who-didn't-like-the-clutter-of-the-squid dept.

Tributaries has just announced a solution to all or your oversized power adapter woes. The new T12 power strip features 12 different outlets and eight of them are located on the edge and can be rotated by as much as 90 degrees. The adapter also provides surge protection for RJ-11, RJ-45, and Coax if you so desire.

11 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Why by ZoneManSPW · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is a press release "stuff that matters?"

  2. Price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    For $120, I'd rather buy a couple regular power strips that would fit just as many, if not more power bricks, and have a bunch of money left over.

    1. Re:Price by orclevegam · · Score: 5, Informative

      Or even better, buy a PowerSquid.

      --
      Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
  3. Hasn't this been solved already? by effigiate · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can just buy one foot sections of "extension" cable that allow you to use all the outlets on your strip...plus they're cheap.

  4. A makeshift fix at best by HotNeedleOfInquiry · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What we really need is standardized low voltage supplies, target devices and connectors. Then the "outlet" strip could have a single, high efficiency converter with multiple outputs.

    --
    "Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
    1. Re:A makeshift fix at best by lexarius · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not necessarily for everything. When I look at my powerstrip jungle, I see that the only AC cables running into a device belong to the workstations and monitors. Everything else (which is most of it) is a mess of bricks and giant plugs. If those devices were standardized, one brick could service all of them. Or have a couple categories with different plug shapes for 5, 12, or other voltages. These devices don't have their converters physically close to their circuitry to begin with, so it shouldn't be a problem.

  5. WAY too expensive by d3ac0n · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ok, 12 rotating power outlets and surge protection for $120.00 US....

    Or I could just get 3 of these: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/81f6/

    for less than that, still have surge protection, and get 3 MORE outlets to work with.

    How the hell does this garbage rate Slashdot front page status?

    --
    Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
  6. Power Squid = Better by corsec67 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Power Squid or PowerSquid Surge are better, since you can get the same amount of outlets for cheaper, and they can be plugged into larger wall-warts easier. Even better is that you can often get the Power Squid for free from ThinkGeek through the geekpoints program.

    This /. advertisement is just silly, this isn't news, and is barely stuff that matters.

    --
    If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
  7. I don't like it by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The thing is overpriced and it won't work as advertised. Look at your big wall wart, it is considerably wider than the plug and usually hangs out below the ground plug on the bottom. Look how close together those side plugs are. You would think the operative mode would be to alternate between top and side to plug in the most, but if you have them turned all the way down to the side then the wall wart will smack on the floor (causing the whole strip to rest at an angle).

    From what I see this strip won't be able to handle more than 5 oversized wall warts (two on each side, one on the top) without interfering with other plugs, which is not something I'd spend $120 on.

    Frankly, the plugs look rather jammed together on there. I have some power strips like that were even regular three prong plugs occasionally have problems (some manufacturers go crazy on the plastic around the plugs).

    For the next version of this strip, I suggest a few changes:
    1. Forget this rotating stuff, just space the plugs out on the top and put two of them on each side.
    2. Spread the plugs out a bit more
    3. Drop the price by half, or let Monster rebrand your equipment
    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  8. Nothing New by forceofyoda · · Score: 3, Informative

    I bought one of these about 8 months ago. What's so great about this new one?

  9. Re:What's in it for then uncooperative companies? by swm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wall warts are driven by the fact that UL ignores anything under 30 volts.

    If your product plugs directly into the wall, then it's a 120V device, and you have to get it UL approved, which costs $$$.

    Instead, you buy a wall wart.
    The wall wart is 120V, but the wall wart vendor already got it UL approved.
    Now your device is low voltage, and you don't need UL approval.

    This is a true, global economic saving, because the single UL approval for the wall wart saves the cost of UL approval for every product that uses it.

    Wall warts inconvenience consumers, because they block adjacent outlets on power strips, but few consumers make purchase decisions based on wall wart form factor, so there isn't much market pressure on vendors to deal with this problem.