Charging shelves

[Windmill]

Like I suppose many others, I now have a couple of dozen things which have to be recharged fairly often.

Has anyone come up with a good way of dealing with this? I've been thinking in terms of a low wall shelf, fairly deep, with one or more individually-switched 8 or 10 way extension leads for the wall warts etc., and small tie-on labels to quickly identify which is for what.

Annoyingly, most devices need different voltages, DC with normal or reverse polarity, sometimes AC rather than DC, and different current levels. So it's important not to make mistakes.

[Tim Streater]

A device will try to take the current it needs. So provided the voltage, polarity, and AC/DC business is correct, the current rating has merely to be *at* *least* what the device requires. More doesn't matter.

[meow2222]

It does with chargers. Regulation also matters. Its easy to write what it is on the plug, and easier to read than tie-ons.

NT

[Syd Rumpo]

No, simple chargers can rely on their current limiting to avoid damaging batteries.

Cheers

[Tim Watts]

Any device with Li cells will have to have on board charge control by regulation (because Li goes bang if abused).

So I would say charger merely needs the correct voltage and connection and sufficient current.

The OP did say "devices" and not "batteries" (as in plain cells).

[Dave Liquorice]

That's sort of what I have. Except that on the wall is a 2' x 2' board for wall mounted chargers. At the bottom of this board is 6 way individually switched socket strip. Below the board/socket strip is a shelf for plonking things on whilst charging, the aldidle AAA -> D battery charger sits on that as well. Wall warts for other devices are labled on their bodies and the cable kept folded up as delivered so it's easy to find the right cable end for any wart and they don't form a rats nest.

[Harry Bloomfield]

There is a major problem at the moment with e-cig chargers, as has been in the news due to various fires caused by them, but not the actual reason...

There are two identical screw on charging fittings, one expects a 5v supply, the other a 3.7v. Get the wrong one and the Li battery explodes rather violently.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Wonder how many other fires were caused by 'chargers' during the same period?

Thought you'd realise the press love a good story - instead of a cigarette causing a fire, the new fangled electronic types do the same...

[Theo Markettos]

There is, it's called USB Type C: does 5V, 12V and 20V at up to 100W.

Theo

[Tim Watts]

That has some interesting potential to do interesting stuff if it ever gets confused!