Keeping all your handy digital devices jazzed up is quite a challenge due to incompatible chargers and messy cables. How about using a universal charger which charges up all your devices wirelessly? If your answer is "Yes", then we have Qi (pronounced Chi) to your help.Qi which literally means "Lifeforce" or ‘Energy Flow’ in Chinese, is an open standard like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi which enables portable digital devices like mobiles, mp3 players, cameras etc.. to be charged wirelessly. The Qi standard is being developed and followed by "World Power Consortium", which has around 90 members including companies like Nokia, LG, Sony etc..
This standard was released in July 2010. The Qi standard makes use of a technology called "Inductive charging". Though this technology has been effectively implemented in various devices, Qi was proposed to bring interoperability among otherwise incompatible devices.
The working principle
Inductive charging uses electromagnetic fields to transfer energy from a charging pad to a compatible special receiver on or in a device. The power transfer happens when the charging pad is connected to the AC wall outlet and a compatible receiver is placed on the surface of the pad.
Enabling ‘Qi’ on devicesAny device can be made Qi-enabled by using appropriate add-ons. Add-ons are already available for popular devices like iPhone and Blackberry. Manufacturers like LG and Motorola have announced mobile phones which are Qi-enabled.
The cons
Qi standard currently supports only low power devices which operate in sub 5Watt power. However a new standard which supports devices like Laptops and Video cameras is under development.
1 comments:
ne of the biggest dangers when selecting a universal laptop charger is choosing one that provides the wrong voltage. Power adapters must convert the alternating current from the wall outlet to direct current, and if the charger provides too little voltage, your laptop’s battery will not charge properly.
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