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My current available working space is at an all time low which has made the dimensions of everything around me much more important. While I can never become one of those extreme minimalists that works with only their laptop on a park bench, next to their camper van (or whatever), I have been pushing myself to become more space-efficient with my electronics. This includes how they all are powered, so when I learned about the PinePower device, I ordered it immediately.
The PinePower is sold by Pine64, the same folks who manufactured my PineBook Pro. The device is basically a "power all the USB from one place" desktop power supply. One 120V plug provides five USB ports (four USB-A, one USB-C) along with a charging pad, although I own nothing that can utilize wireless charging.
Currently this little brick is powering:
- Dell XPS via USB-C
- PineBook Pro
- A work phone
- My personal phone, using the USB-A port with Quick Charging capability.
Consolidating four "wall warts" into a single 120V plug is more than enough of a reason to purchase the device when it becomes available again.
The PinePower also offers a little display above each port which tells you the voltage and current amperage of each port. I love this feature as it gives me a good understanding of the power draw of all of these devices, when charging has completed, or when CPU intensive tasks have caused power consumption to spike. At a glance I can see that my PineBook Pro is charging, pulling 2.2A, while the XPS is fluctuating power modes between 0.4, 0.7, and 1.2A as I write this blog post. Power utilization and efficiency are important to me, and to that end the PinePower has been more informative than I anticipated it would be.
From an excitement-to-complexity ratio, the device scores very highly for me. It's so simple, yet I find myself glancing over at the display multiple times a day to get a sense of my current power requirements.
To learn more about it, I recommend reading this article on the PinePower, and of course keep an eye on the website to see when it comes back in stock!