Re:Macbook charger teardown: surprising complexity inside Ap...
by ghaff on Wednesday November 25, 2015 @06:43PM
(#10630523)
The odd thing is that the cable going to the laptop is probably too thin/not stress-relived enough (I've "only" had one fail but it seems a marginal design). However, at the same time, the alternate plug with the extension length of cord attached practically looks and weighs like something I'd attach to a mainframe. I don't travel with it for that reason. It's always seemed to me as if the two different components were designed by engineers who didn't even talk to each other--and it's been that way for years.
There may be a UL thing going on at the 120/240V side of the charger but it still seems ridiculously overengineered.
Re:Macbook charger teardown: surprising complexity inside Ap...
by r00fus on Wednesday November 25, 2015 @09:45PM
(#10630989)
It doesn't look elegant and it may not be UL tested, but I've used AC cord segments from other laptops [1].
[1] http://www.newegg.com/AC-Power-Cords-for-Laptop/SubCategory/...
Apple favors form over function and tries to make their cables in interfaces as small as possible. The result is that there's no room left in their designs for adequate strain relief. They end up using the smallest cables they can get away with and have a bushing around the cable as it enters it's housing to protect against lateral force and that's about it. There's rarely any internal strain relief mechanism.