Smallest Power Supply! (Powerbook?)

[srobert]

Interesting gizmo:

Measuring only 0.8 x 1.45 in., it boosts a 5.3-volt input to a 5000-volt output. Sandia is looking for a private company to commercialize the device.

Link to the full article (http://popularmechanics.com/science/technology_watch/2003/12/smallest_power_supply/print.phtml)

Here is another more complete article (http://www.sandia.gov/news-center/news-releases/2003/renew-energy-batt/high-power.html)

How do you think the powerbook could benefit from such a small power supply?

Could/should Apple use this?

Could/Should Apple come up with their own version?

I wonder how much heat this thing is producing.

http://popularmechanics.com/science/technology_watch/2003/12/smallest_power_supply/images/tb_powersupply-lg.jpg

[coopdog]

Well a powerbook doesn't need 5000V. I imagine the power supply in Apples laptops are very small, about that size. The reason that Desktop power supplies are so big is that it has to turn 120/240V into highly regulated 12V, 5V, 3.3, and processor power. Right now my 3.3V is actually at 3.296V so the powersupply has a very inportant job and and is large for a reason. Once you get up into 5000V unless you are dealing with super presice instruments you probally won't care even about a few volts +or-. I don't see the big deal about the size.
Look at self defence tazers, they turn 5V into 5,000 to 30,000V and are roughly the samesize.

[srobert]

Ok, I tought it was big deal because of the article said: "Unable to find a power supply small enough for their portable µChemLab ... put their engineers on the case." So I assumed the thing had to be the smallest power supply ever made. Maybe it is only slightly smaller that current power supplies. It was supposed to be used into portables so I wonder what tall this extra voltage is all about. Maybe it's just there because it can be there. oh well. As you can see, I'm no engineer ^_^.