Outlets of the Future aka in-wall USB Charger

Step 6 All done!

Project Complete: Now you will never have to look for a charger again, or have to leave a computer on all night just to charge an iPod.  Besides that once most appliances go to USB you'll be ready to go.

Side Note:
A:  If you have the means to soldier, there is no need to have the outlet behind the wall palte, you could just soldier the wires to the chargers, this is how I was going to do it, but this was so easy I couldn't see spending the extra time to soldier it. 

B:  You could also keep one of the outlets, and add only one USB port.   
 

Comments

[wtf is 555]

solder* not soldier

[asotelo]

Not only that but he says: "wall palte" maybe he has no spell check?

[popa27272]

great instructable, my new cell phone charges with usb and so does my camera this would be awsome at my house

[Neopopulas]

You can just buy these now, or will be able to.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/05/10-usb-power-outlet-leaves-no-plug-behind/

Much safer and not all that more expensive (a couple bucks maybe).

[Nykus79]

I think it's cool idea. I have GPS that i use car plug to recharge. But i don't felt comfort to plug it in and left it in car while i'm in home. Now i could bring it in and plug in "outlet of the future"

[Advocat]

What would be extra cool would be to have a mini-usb jack, and then you could double or triple them up on the one socket plate.Great job.

[danvines]

First - NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER solder wires that run A/C line voltage.  Not unless you want your house to burn down.

Second, I don't see how this will fit inside a standard wall box.  Wouldn't you have to cut the mounting ears off of the outlet to make it push back into the box far enough to make the face plate flush out with the wall?   Even if the box is deep enough, I'm not sure that it's a good idea to have it all suspended from the plate by glue and the friction of the charges in the sockets.

This is a neat idea, but I don't think that burning down one's house is the solution to getting rid of your wall warts.

[static]

 Permissible and safe to solder conductors carry AC. The first rule is that the connection be both electrically mechanically secure before applying the solder.

[swishinj]

 you posted that  1 too many times WE UNDERSTAND!!! but we don't care because this instrutable is beastly

[Whatnot]

You have to take care and be smart about it and follow some basic guidelines when soldering 110 or 230 volt wires, but come on, most any device has soldered mains wires.
Are you australian or something? (they aren't even allowed to put a plug on a wire, has to be done by people with a permit if you can believe it)

[Bobby Wong]

Agreed that most this will not fit into most wall boxes.  I will wait until they make usb converters with screw on or push in connections for 14 gauge romex.  I bet they'll be available within the next couple years.

[Hextor]

Just curious, why can't your soldier A/C lines?  if you open up electronic appliances you will often find soldiered connections.   Not saying your wrong, just want to learn.

[sdallesasse]

You can solder AC conductors, the limitation is where can they be soldered.

[mmmpi]

As long as the connection is mechanically sound you can solder it and
insulate with tape.

"Twist-and-solder wire conductors

Q: Does the NEC permit twisting all of the equipment-grounding conductors together and soldering them in a junction box? Can solder be used to splice branch circuit conductors?

A: Twisting conductors together for splices and taps and then soldering them is still an acceptable method of making connections. In 110.14(B) this sentence appears: “Soldered splices shall first be spliced or joined so as to be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then be soldered.” Tightly twisting the conductors together makes them mechanically and electrically secure and prepares them for solder. Solder flux used on the splice cannot adversely affect the conductors or equipment.

Because equipment-grounding conductors are being connected together, it is appropriate to look at connection methods permitted in Article 250-Grounding and Bonding. There is a sentence in 250.8 that limits the use of solder, but it does not apply to this question. The sentence that restricts the use of solder reads: “Connection devices or fittings that depend solely on solder shall not be used"

http://www.ecmag.com/?fa=article&articleID=6268

[bbxiao1]

 I believe most electronic appliances run on DC

[phyzome]

This is true, which is why they have an AC->DC power converter either built in or in an external power brick. The electrical outlet itself still supplies AC.

[sdallesasse]

All that plug into a receptacle use AC.  Some if not most will convert this to some form of DC.

[ethosrot]

Most appliances run AC, but many do run DC.

Also, while its true that you really shouldn't do this / solder unless you really know what you're doing, tin/lead solder is used all the time in the appliance industry, and will not cause any problems.

That being said, you should not be trying to solder something like 12 guage standard solid copper wire to anything. If you are, stop now, and get someone who knows what they're doing.

[Whatnot]

I soldered some solid 230V wires, but not for use with  power but as a handy source of solid copper wire for other projects, but to do that I used a gas burner and not a soldering iron since you'd need one heavy iron for thick solid copper wire
But yeah don't do that with stuff where you actually put power on them, and even with stranded wire make sure you use a heavy soldering iron and not some 15 watt model,
And don't trust electrical tape will stay on it for extended time, better to use something else like heatshrink or better yet, if there is any possibility, or the wire is not fixed, you use the common wire connectors for mains and not soldering.

[static]

 Well if one cans the cheap tape and buts good electrical tape the tape will serve years and unwrap readily whenever one wants to do so.

[ethosrot]

Conceivably, a person could also take those USB chargers apart, remove the metal spades and solder some size 14 stranded copper directly to the terminals, heatshrink it, and seal it all back up. As long as the box grounding stays intact and its well-sealed, this may offer a better alternative.

[Hextor]

True, but the power going into them is AC,  until it converted into DC.

[Whatnot]

There are many appliances that use AC, heaters, including ovens and roomheaters and toasters for instance, and washingmachines use AC motors, although the very expensive ones use DC motors but to get that kind of DC and power it becomes very costly so those types cost triple what a normal washingmachines costs, the only reason they are made is that DC motors are much more quiet.
And dryers, also AC, both clothes dryers and hairdryers.
And regular lightbulbs also use AC, and blenders also,  so you see there are many things in the home that work on AC.

[dlhamby]

Why not just plug the mini USB chargers into existing outlets and use them like they were designed?  and save all that work. 

[toogers]

people won't "borrow" them, it's much more handy, this project gives you pride, this instructable will spark the future of usb.

[coolK3N]

 for better look or kill the time 

[dlhamby]

My time is usually long dead and cannot be revived.

[studdmstr]

I don't see the advantage of doing this other than the WOW factor.  Seems to make more sense to me to just keep the outlet like it is and plug in 1 or more USB chargers as needed.

[digsretro]

One of the last things you said was that you could use just one of the USB converters and keep one electrical outlet...how would you do that if the one outlet is sunk way back into the wall?
If that's the case, why not just forget about the whole instructable and leave the outlet the same and use the USB adapter on the outside like it was intended to be used?  That way it doesn't have to be a dedicated USB outlet all the time.
Personally, I would be scared to have some Made in China USB adapter permanently glued inside my wall.

[randy82k]

Interesting mod, not sure it is worth the effort? I'll wait for the factory version. That said soldering is OK if it is also mechanically attached also. Problem being if something were to over heat the solder could melt out, but you are inside a box, and behind a breaker or fuse, so would be protected. The adapters should be of the switching power supply type and only using power when a device is connected. Green shouldn't be an issue here. Bottom line is that someone in China is at this moment probably bringing a commercial version of this to market which will include push in connectors for 14 Ga solid copper. But isn't it fun to be ahead of the curve!

[acron]

Neat idea, but not very "green".  The AC-to-DC converter in your USB connector is a constant drain on the electrical system.  Perhaps if you converted a "switched" outlet, then you could turn it off.  May bedrooms will have a wall switch that controls the current to one or more outlets around the room.

[mikefazz]

While I don't know code I agree that putting the little transformers in the wall boxes is a bad idea.

A better route would be to run dedicated low voltage wires to each desired wall plate and use keystone connectors like these:
http://homeavcables.com/usb-a-wh.html

They could all be wired to a single 5V DC transformer located near the panel.  The new USB3.0 will allow up to 900mA power which will help a bit too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#USB_3.0

Or you could put the USB adapter outside the wall plate (duh)!

[chiptraders]

I really don't see an advantage for all of this.  You lose a mobile charger and a precious outlet.  But, I guess if you were to do it, then just crimp the lines rather than solder.