Wires are good, but better without them. Wireless charges are coming

We are surrounded by an increasing number of various electronic devices that make life easier for us, and in some cases make it more interesting. But the problem is that all these devices need to be charged. I missed somewhere and everything - an important call or interesting conversation in Whatsapp ends in half and you have to go look for a source of electricity.

In order to make the process of charging devices easier, several years ago, experts from various companies began working on portable stations that transmit energy without any wires. There are several ways to transmit energy "through the air". But the most affordable and easy to implement can only be called a method using electromagnetic induction. This way of charging your devices, as well as charging stations of a new type, will be discussed today. We have experienced several charging stations working without wires and sharing our experiences.

How does it work?

First, a description of the principle of operation of charging using electromagnetic induction. An electric current is capable of transmitting an induction coil through the air. If you connect a power source to it, a magnetic field arises in such a coil. It is formed perpendicular to the turns of the coil. If you place another coil next to it, already without power supply, an electric current will appear in it. This is almost all you need to know about magnetic induction to understand how wireless charging will develop.
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In order for the phenomenon of magnetic induction to become possible to use for charging different kinds of devices, you need several conditions. The main thing - the coils should be in close proximity to each other. Removing a few centimeters already makes inductive coupling so weak that charging is not carried out.

In practice, you can use two technologies of wireless charging. The first standard uses strongly coupled coils; here we are talking about magnetic inductive charging, which is designated as MI. In the second, weakly coupled coils work, this is magnetic resonance technology, here the designation MR is used.

Both technologies are now used. But it so happened that the winner in the fight against consortia of wireless electromagnetic energy came MI technology. Accordingly, the specification for this technology appeared - Qi. This is not an abbreviation, but a Chinese term that is considered fundamental in Chinese philosophy. It is defined as “energy” and expresses the idea of ​​a free vital-energetic substance, which lies at the basis of the structure of the universe. Yes, technologists can be romantics too.

As for the Qi specification itself, it allows charging not only mobile phones, but also more powerful devices that require more energy - netbooks and laptops. Maybe soon there will be practical wireless charging for laptops, but for now only wireless charging for mobile devices is spreading around the world.

Who already supports air charging?

Many manufacturers have built-in support for wireless charging in their gadgets. Here is an incomplete list of phones that support this technology.


And here is a list of devices (also incomplete), for which specialized receivers are manufactured, which make it possible to charge the battery “by air”.


There are receivers in the above devices, or you can add them. As for transmitters, they are made by both noname manufacturers and well-known companies. The same Ikea at one time planned (and partially realized its intentions) to produce furniture with an integrated coil - energy transmitter. That is, the user need only put a phone on such a table and he immediately starts charging. Conveniently? By itself.



By the way, the Qi standard transmitter does not idle all the time while it is connected to an energy source. It starts working only when there is a receiver nearby. As soon as the receiver transmits a signal of full battery charging, the transmitter “falls asleep”.

In addition to tables and other furniture from Ikea, different manufacturers offer their own solutions. Their range is large enough, and the most well-known companies among manufacturers of wireless charging of various types are Mophie and Xvida. They have come forward relatively recently due to the fact that they are developing rozanye form factors for charging - from coasters to cases. In particular, there are charging for cars. Their wireless devices support various specifications, and the largest variety of models is that of the Xvida.



By the way, according to rumors, the iPhone 8 will finally be equipped with a coil receiver (although rumors that the iPhone will support Qi have been going since the release of the iPhone 5), so you can charge it without any wires. Presumably, manufacturers of apple accessories will tighten up and release a large number of very different models of Qi-charge.



As mentioned above, some manufacturers produce additional accessories for the iPhone, which add the function of wireless charging to these devices. The same company Xvida offers cases for iPhone 7 Plus and some other models. Inside the case is an induction receiver that connects to the phone and transmits the energy of the battery. The case has an additional Lightning connector and audio output, so there are no problems with connecting additional devices to the phone in such a case.



By the way, there are all sorts of universal wireless charging stations, which are offered by many Chinese noname manufacturers. But such stations, since they are designed for a wide range of devices, and not sharpened for a particular model, have a not too favorable effect on the phone's battery. It is clear that nothing bad will happen to the battery right away, but if you often use charging, the characteristics of which differ from those stated by the manufacturer, then the battery gradually degrades. Fortunately, this is a rather slow process.



Anyway, wireless charging is gradually becoming more common. And soon they will be even more. So far, with their help, you can only charge phones and tablets, but I want to believe that soon wireless chargers for laptops will appear.

Who to order?

For several years, we managed to test the charging of various manufacturers. So far, the best are considered devices from Xvida. Unfortunately, this brand is not yet represented in Russia, but will soon appear in the assortment of our online store. In Madrobots, you can pre-order wireless charging from Xvida. As soon as they appear, we will immediately notify the buyers of this.

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