12v power supply warts for external drives and other devices

[theSeb]

I have quite a few devices, like the Lacie TB 2Big and the eSATA TB hub and they all come with their own 12 v power supply "warts", which take up a lot of space on a multi-adapter socket and make cable management a nightmare.

I have been trying to find something better for this. Something that maybe integrates a few of them into one box, connected by one power plug, and then has multiple 12v sockets that could be plugged into the various peripherals.

Does such a thing exist? I haven't found it.

If not, are there any other solutions that you can suggest?

 

[Brian33]

Yeah, I agree with you! Right now I've got 5 external HDDs (soon to be 6) plus an Ethernet switch lined up on a shelf, each with their own external power supply. It sure would be nice to have one box supplying 12V that all of them could be plugged into with relatively thin DC cables.

I think that with proper design it is feasible, but I've never seen anything like it for consumer use. Heat dissipation would certainly have to be considered. Also, while my basic electrical knowledge is rather fuzzy, I believe that when supplying DC power, cable length and gauge has a much bigger effect than it does on AC power. I think the increased resistance causes a much bigger voltage (?) drop than it does for AC -- I'm guessing that's why typical wall-warts and "inline" power supply/adapters have non-removable cables on the DC end. So that would have to be addressed, too. Still, with certain limitations, I think it is practical -- though if there were lots of money to be made we'd have seen such a product already...

 

[HenryAZ]

What drives me crazy is the way the plug prongs are oriented, both on the wall warts and on the plug-in strips. You get some warts where the "tail end" sticks out from the strip, and others where it is rotated 90 degrees and covers up one (or two) other outlets. Then other wall warts are oriented just the opposite. Same with the strips, the sockets on some go one way, on others go the other way.

I don't think I've ever owned a strip with six sockets and six wall warts that I could plug into it all at the same time, though it is possible if you have the right ones.

 

[hallux]

I count 4 devices on my computer desk that have wall-warts - 2 external HDDs, cable modem, router. Fortunately, my UPS has accommodations for wall-warts, and only 2 of them are actually plugged in there anyway. My main external drive actually has a regular cable that then plugs into transformer so it doesn't interfere with other plugs.

Could always look into one of these:
Accell D080B-007K-R PowerSquid Outlet Multiplier with 5 power outlets and 3 foot cord
Quirky Pivot Power 6 Outlet Flexible Surge Protector Power Strip (Black)
Kensington SmartSockets Premium Surge Protection Power Strip, 6-Outlet, 16' Cord, 1500 Joules (K62634NA)