340 Watt GaN Charger for Gaming Laptops Displayed at Computex

[TheLostSwede]

Somewhat unexpectedly, there were a handful of exhibitors from the PRC at Computex and walking around the mostly empty show, we spotted a company called Wii Power (no relation to Nintendo) that had a range of rather interesting Gallium Nitride or GaN chargers on display. The headline product wasn't even the most interesting model on display, but at 340 W, it's by far the most powerful GaN based charger we've seen to date. Although it wasn't a final product based on the looks of the housing, it gives us some insight into what to expect from future laptop chargers. It's still a rather large power brick at 150 x 86 x 34 mm, but it can deliver 20 V at up to 17 A over the fixed power cable. In addition to that, it also has a USB-C port with support for USB PD and a range of other charging standards that can deliver up to 45 W.

The company showed off another charger that has a combined output of 240 W and the primary USB-C port supports revision 3.1 of the USB PD standard and can deliver 140 W on its own. The secondary USB-C port can deliver another 100 W, but what makes this product interesting outside of this, is that Wii Power offers an adapter that can combine both of these outputs into a single 240 W output for charging more demanding laptops. There's even a third USB-C port and a USB-A for peripheral or phone charging, although each port is limited to 30 W and the total output can never exceed 240 W. A built-in display shows the Voltage, Amperage and Wattage that's being put out. It's still rather chunky at 130 x 80 x 32 mm, but considering the power it can put out, it's more compact than most similar non GaN chargers. Finally the company had a compact USB PD 3.1 travel charger that can again deliver up to 140 W, which is the equivalent of 28 V at 5 A. We're not expecting to see any of these products in their current guise in retail, but it's a clear sign of what to expect in terms of future charging products.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[zlobby]

Not even a banana for scale?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Not even a banana for scale?

I don't normally carry one of those around with me...

 

[Ferrum Master]

I wonder what's the C port on the back besides the mains power.

Just a different model. The will pop up on AliExpress sooner that you think, but not cheap.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I wonder what's the C port on the back besides the mains power.

Just a different model. The will pop up on AliExpress sooner that you thing, but not cheap.

Oh, these will crop up under a ton of different brands I'm sure, but these are the first of their kind I've seen.

 

[Valantar]

So ... that combo port delivers its power to a regular DC plug and not USB-C, meaning it's actually delivering 240W at 20V? That's ... a lot of amps, even for two connectors. That means the 140W type-C is delivering 20V7A? I know this can be done - Dell has been shipping 130W USB-C chargers with their XPS 15s for years - but it's still odd to see, as there won't be any devices (outside of those XPSes I guess) supporting this much power at 20V over USB-C, as it's not standards compliant. I guess the main purpose is to use this with DC plug adapters, but that again is a pretty clunky and suboptimal solution IMO.

Still, it's nice to see GaN start proliferating in higher wattage chargers - it's about time.

 

[TheLostSwede]

So ... that combo port delivers its power to a regular DC plug and not USB-C, meaning it's actually delivering 240W at 20V? That's ... a lot of amps, even for two connectors. That means the 140W type-C is delivering 20V7A? I know this can be done - Dell has been shipping 130W USB-C chargers with their XPS 15s for years - but it's still odd to see, as there won't be any devices (outside of those XPSes I guess) supporting this much power at 20V over USB-C, as it's not standards compliant. I guess the main purpose is to use this with DC plug adapters, but that again is a pretty clunky and suboptimal solution IMO.

Still, it's nice to see GaN start proliferating in higher wattage chargers - it's about time.

Yeah, they offer some kind of non standard mode for the first USB-C port that allows it to deliver 7A, but this is not part of the USB PD spec, since that should be 28 V at 5 A for 140 W, which it can also do.
USB PD 3.1 has fixed Voltage points for 28, 36 and 48 V, but supposedly allows for non standard Voltages as well, as long as the current is limited to 5 A or less.

As you can see, you have to use their weird two to one adapter to go beyond 140 W and that converts the two USB-C outputs into one or another type of DC jack.

Well, the higher power GaN model was why I took at look at the booth to start with, as I haven't seen anything over 100 W for a single output so far, even though there have been some 2x 100 W chargers on Kickstarter, but I haven't seen any of those in retail as yet. USB PD 3.1 will obviously change things up a bit, so it'll be interesting to see what else turns up in the near future.

 

[Valantar]

Yeah, they offer some kind of non standard mode for the first USB-C port that allows it to deliver 7A, but this is not part of the USB PD spec, since that should be 28 V at 5 A for 140 W, which it can also do.
USB PD 3.1 has fixed Voltage points for 28, 36 and 48 V, but supposedly allows for non standard Voltages as well, as long as the current is limited to 5 A or less.

As you can see, you have to use their weird two to one adapter to go beyond 140 W and that converts the two USB-C outputs into one or another type of DC jack.

Well, the higher power GaN model was why I took at look at the booth to start with, as I haven't seen anything over 100 W for a single output so far, even though there have been some 2x 100 W chargers on Kickstarter, but I haven't seen any of those in retail as yet. USB PD 3.1 will obviously change things up a bit, so it'll be interesting to see what else turns up in the near future.

The circuitry required for USB PD 3.1 should essentially allow for any voltage within the supported range, no? I could see this being hacked into some interesting and relatively cheap benchtop power supplies by modders, which would definitely be interesting.

And yeah, that two-to-one adapter is ... something. I guess it makes for a more flexible brick - you're not tied to it having a single chunky wire for charging hefty laptops, and you can travel with it as a multi-device type-C charger - but it's rather clunky still. It's good that it at least supports 28V5A though, as that at least makes it somewhat forward compatible.

And that 340W unit is quite impressively small - for comparison, Dell's 330W chargers are 200x100x43mm, and doesn't have any additional ports. At 150x86x34 this is .44l vs. the .86l of that Dell, or just barely more than half the volume. Still hefty, but that's an impressive difference. It's not that much larger than Razer's 240W charger (170x70x24.5mm/.29l).

 

[TheLostSwede]

The circuitry required for USB PD 3.1 should essentially allow for any voltage within the supported range, no? I could see this being hacked into some interesting and relatively cheap benchtop power supplies by modders, which would definitely be interesting.

That's the way I understand it, yes. However, the fixed Voltage points have to be followed by all chargers, whereas anything else is optional. As such, we'll have to wait and see what kind of products become available.

And yeah, that two-to-one adapter is ... something. I guess it makes for a more flexible brick - you're not tied to it having a single chunky wire for charging hefty laptops, and you can travel with it as a multi-device type-C charger - but it's rather clunky still. It's good that it at least supports 28V5A though, as that at least makes it somewhat forward compatible.

It's a rather bizarre solution to a problem most people don't have. But yes, it seems to be intended as a travel solution, not a permanent one.

And that 340W unit is quite impressively small - for comparison, Dell's 330W chargers are 200x100x43mm, and doesn't have any additional ports. At 150x86x34 this is .44l vs. the .86l of that Dell, or just barely more than half the volume. Still hefty, but that's an impressive difference. It's not that much larger than Razer's 240W charger (170x70x24.5mm/.29l).

Yeah, I don't think anyone will complain about being able to get smaller chargers, even though GaN chargers seem to be comparatively heavy for their size, but I guess that's what happens when you pack everything into a tiny housing that can deliver 2-3x the power of a traditional charger the same size.

 

[Valantar]

That's the way I understand it, yes. However, the fixed Voltage points have to be followed by all chargers, whereas anything else is optional. As such, we'll have to wait and see what kind of products become available.

It's a rather bizarre solution to a problem most people don't have. But yes, it seems to be intended as a travel solution, not a permanent one.

Yeah, I don't think anyone will complain about being able to get smaller chargers, even though GaN chargers seem to be comparatively heavy for their size, but I guess that's what happens when you pack everything into a tiny housing that can deliver 2-3x the power of a traditional charger the same size.

Yeah, did you get a weight spec for that 340W unit? Dell's 330W is 1.4kg, which is ... well, more than most laptops these days!

 

[Ferrum Master]

Yeah, did you get a weight spec for that 340W unit? Dell's 330W is 1.4kg, which is ... well, more than most laptops these days!

Transistors aside... well copper is copper... you can't improve much on transformer coils...

 

[TheLostSwede]

Yeah, did you get a weight spec for that 340W unit? Dell's 330W is 1.4kg, which is ... well, more than most laptops these days!

No, unfortunately they didn't provide that kind of information.

Transistors aside... well copper is copper... you can't improve much on transformer coils...

And GaN chargers have additional thermal transfer materials and heatsinks, since the GaN components get really hot, even though they're much more efficient than their traditional counterparts. Compacting it all together, doesn't help either.
Even so, it's a big step forward in power conversion.

 

[zlobby]

I don't normally carry one of those around with me...

OK, a pack of gum then? A phone?

 

[TheLostSwede]

OK, a pack of gum then? A phone?

Yeah, I was using the phone to take the pictures with though...
Also provided full measurements in the article, in case you didn't notice.

 

[zlobby]

Yeah, I was using the phone to take the pictures with though...
Also provided full measurements in the article, in case you didn't notice.

Yes, I did notice. And thanks for the SI units used.

The comparison to another known object is just a nice touch. A sort of adding more value to the article, in this very competitive field of tech journalism.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Yes, I did notice. And thanks for the SI units used.

Sorry, I don't do imperial units.

The comparison to another known object is just a nice touch. A sort of adding more value to the article, in this very competitive field of tech journalism.

I presume you've never been to a tradeshow?

 

[Valantar]

Sorry, I don't do imperial units.

I presume you've never been to a tradeshow?

What, are you saying you don't go around carrying at least two phones, one banana (obviously a new one every day to avoid unsightly bruising), a pack of gum, a ruler, an average size kitten, a dinner plate, a spare laptop, and an ATX mid-tower case for size comparisons? Lazy!

 

[TheLostSwede]

What, are you saying you don't go around carrying at least two phones, one banana (obviously a new one every day to avoid unsightly bruising), a pack of gum, a ruler, an average size kitten, a dinner plate, a spare laptop, and an ATX mid-tower case for size comparisons? Lazy!

誠に申し訳ございませんでした!!​

 

[zlobby]

Sorry, I don't do imperial units.

I presume you've never been to a tradeshow?

Why sorry about not doing imperial units? SI masterrace!

Also, I've been on many tradeshows. Sadly, I'm now banned from most. And noy because I was carrying a banana for scale.

 

[Ferrum Master]

And GaN chargers have additional thermal transfer materials and heatsinks, since the GaN components get really hot,

As I said... copper is copper, next big thing that weights a lot are the SMPS transformer and you can't gimp on that, it will weight proportionally to the output current, thus there could be a approximation for the power of the unit... for example I rate simple mains toroid 1kg ~ 100W (the core weight gives deviation at low power, but is pretty precise for more powerful units). You could do the same with these to with a small margin of error. You made weight savings on transistors, their heatsinks but that's it... the used amount of copper remains the same for each respective power rating. Simply as one Swede is zero banana.

 

[zlobby]

As I said... copper is copper, next big thing that weights a lot are the SMPS transformer and you can't gimp on that, it will weight proportionally to the output current, thus there could be a approximation for the power of the unit... for example I rate simple mains toroid 1kg ~ 100W (the core weight gives deviation at low power, but is pretty precise for more powerful units). You could do the same with these to with a small margin of error. You made weight savings on transistors, their heatsinks but that's it... the used amount of copper remains the same for each respective power rating. Simply as one Swede is zero banana.

'Ferrum' starts to make more sense in your handle now.

And yes, even a 65W GaN charger weighs a lot for the size of a box of matches. You can't have it all, I guess.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I don't normally carry one of those around with me...

What about a cucumber?

誠に申し訳ございませんでした!!​

Don't be sorry, just do better! And hey, this is an english only forum!

 

[TheLostSwede]

What about a cucumber?

They're not the same size you're used to, here.

Don't be sorry, just do better! And hey, this is an english only forum!

But no other language has as complex ways of apologising as Japanese...

 

[lexluthermiester]

They're not the same size you're used to, here.

But no other language has as complex ways of apologising as Japanese...

Damn, those are tiny..

 

[Vayra86]

Still waiting on that Asian banana. Im really curious especially now, post-cucumber.