3 ms·

What you say about efficiency is right, but it's complicated. There are many domestic devices on 110 / 220v AC using less than 250W. They are native DC, but so

What you say about efficiency is right, but it's complicated. There are many domestic devices on 110 / 220v AC using less than 250W. They are native DC, but source AC because they must. These devices are not likely to go away soon. In fact they'll proliferate so long as the developing world is still developing. We can also expect proliferation of domestic battery and solar: both DC sources. A standardised domestic micro-grid of DC sources and consuming devices could be a boon to efficiency and reduction of single-purpose conversion devices such as power bricks and inverters. As an example, every type of e-bicycle currently has a different proprietary adapter. Just as mobile phones once did. Most e-bikes charge at around 40v. With 250W USB available we will likely see a switch to USB by e-bile manufacturers, resulting in more common lower cost equipment and better interoperability.

dTal 5y ago
It's a sensible vision, but USB-C is absolutely the wrong tech for it (which, from experience, means it's the tech that will get adopted). The connectors are fiddly and expensive and fragile and unreliable and require a bunch of silicon logic to work. You can't mess about with power delivery stuff, it needs to be robust and cheap. A domestic DC power plug standard should have a single voltage standard, three pins (+,-,G), and be able to tolerate being stepped on without causing shorts.
- lovemenot 5y ago
  I don't doubt you are technically right. USB-C is presumably not the final word in USB connectors. Let's hope for both vision and better implementation. What's wrong with having multiple set voltages? If it's the necessity of semiconductors, is that really so terrible in this day and age? On a separate note, I hope they'd have properly managed EMI in this standard. USB has so many makers of varying quality, I can imagine cheap, badly-shielded cables and connectors playing merry hell with noise.

dTal 5y ago

It's a sensible vision, but USB-C is absolutely the wrong tech for it (which, from experience, means it's the tech that will get adopted). The connectors are fiddly and expensive and fragile and unreliable and require a bunch of silicon logic to work. You can't mess about with power delivery stuff, it needs to be robust and cheap. A domestic DC power plug standard should have a single voltage standard, three pins (+,-,G), and be able to tolerate being stepped on without causing shorts.

lovemenot 5y ago
I don't doubt you are technically right. USB-C is presumably not the final word in USB connectors. Let's hope for both vision and better implementation. What's wrong with having multiple set voltages? If it's the necessity of semiconductors, is that really so terrible in this day and age? On a separate note, I hope they'd have properly managed EMI in this standard. USB has so many makers of varying quality, I can imagine cheap, badly-shielded cables and connectors playing merry hell with noise.