Smarter Wireless Charging for Wireless Smartphones
Steve Maurer, IME
I don’t know about you, but I’m rarely without my ‘electronic leash.’ My phone goes with me everywhere except the tub or shower.
Well, okay … there was that one time. But never again.
(Needed a new phone anyway, right?)
A major advantage of mobile smartphones is, of course, mobility. They’re more like mini computers than the old brick type cell phones. I have a Samsung Galaxy S10, and it serves double duty as my ‘satellite office’ when I’m away from home.
I get phone calls on it, of course, as well as texts. But it’s also a post office for getting my emails, too. And while standing in line or waiting for my food at a restaurant, social media apps and YouTube videos keep me entertained.
Streaming to my television is possible, allowing me to stream the Discovery+ channel and even movies to the larger screen of my TV.
All of this computer and entertainment use on my phone leads into the one disadvantage. Charging.
The little power sucker can drain that battery before you know it, no matter what the manufacturers tell us. And for a long time, I had multiple phone chargers scattered around the house, taking up valuable receptacle space.
With my aging eyes, it’s sometimes a bit of a challenge to ‘thread the needle,’ getting that little bitty USB-C plug into the miniscule charging port on my phone.
But then a great new innovation (that really isn’t that new) arrived on the scene.
And I love it.
Wireless Inductive Charging Ditches the Charging Cord
As mentioned, the concept isn’t all that new. In fact, the early stages of induction technology dates back to the 1800s, to the age of Michael Faraday’s and Nikola Tesla’s adventures in electricity. And it’s similar to the technology used in transformers that we all know and love.
Simply put, an induction coil in the charger creates an alternating electromagnetic field. The receiver coil in the smartphone converts this back into electricity and it’s converted to DC voltage to charge the device.
The most commonly used charging device is a round pad, housing the induction coil. You just lay the phone on the pad and it goes to charging without having to plug the phone in. But the ubiquitous round disk isn’t the only charging configuration you’ll see.
In fact, as I’m sitting here typing this article, my phone is sitting in front of me, drawing it’s go-juice from the wireless charger built into the computer stand.
There are several types of inductive tech to use in chargers. The most interesting to me is the Qi (pronounce 'chee’) standard. It was developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Qi wireless chargers use a resonant inductive coupling between the sender (the pad) and the receiver (the phone). An oscillator in the charger creates the induction and a rectifier in the phone converts the signal into DC voltage.
One major advantage of the Qi technology is that the base only activates and beams the energy when there is actually a device on the charger.
The one downside to the little round chargers is they take up valuable table top or desktop space. Oh … and one other disadvantage. They look an awful lot like drink coasters.
Don’t ask me why I know that.
Anyway, wouldn’t be great to not only get rid of the cord, but the clutter as well?
You can.
Wall Mounted Phone Chargers, With or Without Receptacles
There are a couple of manufacturers offering wall-mount chargers. The chargers I checked out come in two configurations and both mount in a single gang wall box. And both have flexible phone cradles to keep your phone snugly in place.
The first is just a wireless charger with the cradle. It mounts directly into the single gang box. While it can replace one of the outlets in a room, if you’re installing one in a new or remodeled home, you might want to place a new box higher on the wall, perhaps the same height as a desktop.
The other one is what I’m considering in my own office. And it would be a great add-on for your electrical clients.
It has a duplex receptacle on one side and the charger next to it. The receptacle mounts in the wall box while the charging pad lays flush with the wall. The snap on cover doubles as the outlet cover and the phone cradle. The receptacle can be purchased in either a 20-amp or 15-amp model.
Included on the receptacle are two USB ports, the normal flat one and a USB-C. These can be used to power/charge additional items like a tablet or similar device. (I have a USB powered fly catcher … hmm.)
I’m thinking of replacing the receptacle beside my desk with one of these. I can charge the phone and still use it as a speaker phone if necessary.
And I could put one in the bathroom in place of the receptacle for my wife’s hair dryer.
That means I’ll never drop the phone in the tub again.
I hope.
Well, okay … there was that one time. But never again.
(Needed a new phone anyway, right?)
A major advantage of mobile smartphones is, of course, mobility. They’re more like mini computers than the old brick type cell phones. I have a Samsung Galaxy S10, and it serves double duty as my ‘satellite office’ when I’m away from home.
I get phone calls on it, of course, as well as texts. But it’s also a post office for getting my emails, too. And while standing in line or waiting for my food at a restaurant, social media apps and YouTube videos keep me entertained.
Streaming to my television is possible, allowing me to stream the Discovery+ channel and even movies to the larger screen of my TV.
All of this computer and entertainment use on my phone leads into the one disadvantage. Charging.
The little power sucker can drain that battery before you know it, no matter what the manufacturers tell us. And for a long time, I had multiple phone chargers scattered around the house, taking up valuable receptacle space.
With my aging eyes, it’s sometimes a bit of a challenge to ‘thread the needle,’ getting that little bitty USB-C plug into the miniscule charging port on my phone.
But then a great new innovation (that really isn’t that new) arrived on the scene.
And I love it.
Wireless Inductive Charging Ditches the Charging Cord
As mentioned, the concept isn’t all that new. In fact, the early stages of induction technology dates back to the 1800s, to the age of Michael Faraday’s and Nikola Tesla’s adventures in electricity. And it’s similar to the technology used in transformers that we all know and love.
Simply put, an induction coil in the charger creates an alternating electromagnetic field. The receiver coil in the smartphone converts this back into electricity and it’s converted to DC voltage to charge the device.
The most commonly used charging device is a round pad, housing the induction coil. You just lay the phone on the pad and it goes to charging without having to plug the phone in. But the ubiquitous round disk isn’t the only charging configuration you’ll see.
In fact, as I’m sitting here typing this article, my phone is sitting in front of me, drawing it’s go-juice from the wireless charger built into the computer stand.
There are several types of inductive tech to use in chargers. The most interesting to me is the Qi (pronounce 'chee’) standard. It was developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Qi wireless chargers use a resonant inductive coupling between the sender (the pad) and the receiver (the phone). An oscillator in the charger creates the induction and a rectifier in the phone converts the signal into DC voltage.
One major advantage of the Qi technology is that the base only activates and beams the energy when there is actually a device on the charger.
The one downside to the little round chargers is they take up valuable table top or desktop space. Oh … and one other disadvantage. They look an awful lot like drink coasters.
Don’t ask me why I know that.
Anyway, wouldn’t be great to not only get rid of the cord, but the clutter as well?
You can.
Wall Mounted Phone Chargers, With or Without Receptacles
There are a couple of manufacturers offering wall-mount chargers. The chargers I checked out come in two configurations and both mount in a single gang wall box. And both have flexible phone cradles to keep your phone snugly in place.
The first is just a wireless charger with the cradle. It mounts directly into the single gang box. While it can replace one of the outlets in a room, if you’re installing one in a new or remodeled home, you might want to place a new box higher on the wall, perhaps the same height as a desktop.
The other one is what I’m considering in my own office. And it would be a great add-on for your electrical clients.
It has a duplex receptacle on one side and the charger next to it. The receptacle mounts in the wall box while the charging pad lays flush with the wall. The snap on cover doubles as the outlet cover and the phone cradle. The receptacle can be purchased in either a 20-amp or 15-amp model.
Included on the receptacle are two USB ports, the normal flat one and a USB-C. These can be used to power/charge additional items like a tablet or similar device. (I have a USB powered fly catcher … hmm.)
I’m thinking of replacing the receptacle beside my desk with one of these. I can charge the phone and still use it as a speaker phone if necessary.
And I could put one in the bathroom in place of the receptacle for my wife’s hair dryer.
That means I’ll never drop the phone in the tub again.
I hope.
Photo courtesy of Bryant Electric
