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Standardized Laptop Charger Approved By IEC

Posted by timothy on from the best-news-all-month dept.

Sockatume writes "The IEC, the standards body which wrote the phone charger specification used in the EU, has approved a standardised laptop charger. While the 'DC Power Supply for Portable Personal Computer' doesn't have a legal mandate behind it, the IEC is still optimistic that it will lead to a reduction in electronics waste and make it easier to find a replacement charger. Unfortunately the technical documentation does not seem to be available yet, but previous comments indicate that it will be a barrel plug of some kind." I wish they'd push a yank-resistant and positive-connecting plug along the lines of Apple's MagSafe.

6 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. There's probably patents involved by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    On a magnetic yank resistant plug

    1. Re:There's probably patents involved by slim · · Score: 5, Funny

      A Yank resistant plug might do well in Europe and Asia, but I think most manufacturers wouldn't want to alienate the American market.

  2. So Would Apple by Kagato · · Score: 5, Informative

    "I wish they'd push a yank-resistant and positive-connecting plug along the lines of Apple's MagSafe."

    So would Apple since they have a patent on the MagSafe design. I suspect it would be quite the patent windfall.

  3. Re:patented by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's interesting actually... I genuinely wondered why you don't get mildly electrocuted when you touch the completely exposed connectors end of it, until I actually saw what they'd patented: What they've patented is that it won't provide power until it's acted on by exactly the right magnetic field to indicate that it's plugged into the laptop already.

    At least for me, that passes all the tests of non-obviousness and first people to think of it.

  4. Re:patented by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 5, Informative

    > genuinely wondered why you don't get mildly electrocuted when you touch the completely exposed connectors end of it

    Why would you expect to get mildly electrocuted by a low-power DC plug? The only danger w/o the magnetic control is that you'd fry the charger by shorting the plug.

  5. Electrocution is death caused by electric shock by dhaen · · Score: 5, Informative

    Electrocution = Electro + execution = dead! There's nothing mild about dead!