Laptops power station

[marcior]

Hi,
How can i get for example 12 laptop usb-c chargers (65w each) on one power station?
I have 12 laptops on a desk and i need to get rid of the chargers (its a mess) its possible to do something that have 12 cables from one power source? I was searching for some vendor with a solution but I didn't found it.

Its possible to do?

Thank you.

 

[Carolina]

Do all the laptops need the same voltage? because if not then it's gonna be far more complicated than putting together a chunky power supply with a lot of connectors.

I've done it but only with USB-A kind of stuff, 5V you know for phones, battery chargers, fans... problem with USB-C is that it accepts a wide range of voltages and there's negotiation to be done, that's when things get complex, it's doable, I'd do it, but it requires a lot of dedication and some specialist tools = really expensive.

Here's a prebuilt PDU that's using I believe a 20V power supply and dual boards but it's meant to be rackmounted, so it's big, oh and you also have to order a bulk of 500 units, can't buy just one or two.

 

[marcior]

Do all the laptops need the same voltage? because if not then it's gonna be far more complicated than putting together a chunky power supply with a lot of connectors.

I've done it but only with USB-A kind of stuff, 5V you know for phones, battery chargers, fans... problem with USB-C is that it accepts a wide range of voltages and there's negotiation to be done, that's when things get complex, it's doable, I'd do it, but it requires a lot of dedication and some specialist tools = really expensive.

Here's a prebuilt PDU that's using I believe a 20V power supply and dual boards but it's meant to be rackmounted, so it's big, oh and you also have to order a bulk of 500 units, can't buy just one or two.
View attachment 101177

Hi Carolina, yes all the same voltage. Yes i was thinking in something like that. Where i can find hardware to do this? The power source i saw it already selling online, but that usb-c connectors I can't find.
Thank you so much for spending your time to reply.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Its possible to do?

I think it depends on whether the laptops you want to run from a common supply are all similar, and/or if you will want to plug a different, more modern, machine into your supply at some point.
You may be aware that usb-c can support variable power delivery, so after a connection is made (using 5V), the computer can negotiate with the supply for higher voltage/ more current.
Do you know if your machines are in this category?
I'm no expert with this technology, but I think as a minimum, if you use one common beefy power supply, you will need a regulator or power delivery module for each usb-c outlet.
I think such modules incorporate the usb-c connector you are looking for.

I would advise you to do a lot more research before DIY'ing such a solution, as it sounds like a mistake just could result in destroying a dozen laptops simultaneously

 

[Carolina]

Hi Carolina, yes all the same voltage. Yes i was thinking in something like that. Where i can find hardware to do this? The power source i saw it already selling online, but that usb-c connectors I can't find.
Thank you so much for spending your time to reply.

Building your own power supply is no joke, you have to be at engineer level to do something like that. You could use a prebuilt and the delivery boards Avo Mk8 mentioned which would be similar to these:

SparkFun Power Delivery Board - USB-C (Qwiic) - DEV-15801 - SparkFun Electronics - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15801 (USA site)

If you want a single PSU and 12+ outputs it's gonna be large, assuming 20V output we're talking at least 50 amps, the one in the pic I linked is nowhere near that, I think it's 15 amp.
It is possible to build of course.

 

[Avo Mk8]

This sort of thing, but unfortunately seems to be discontinued:

32 Port USB Charger 16 Ports Type C and 16 ports Type C 1000W 2u Rack Mountable High Power Dual Type Charger(High Power) - Coolgear

Type-C USB 16 port high power 1000W USB-C and USB-A charger can charge up to 16 laptops simultaneously and 16 Type-A legacy USB devices. Each USB-C port supports 60W power, each Type-C port supports 15W of power.

www.coolgear.com

 

[DPG]

This sort of thing, but unfortunately seems to be discontinued:

32 Port USB Charger 16 Ports Type C and 16 ports Type C 1000W 2u Rack Mountable High Power Dual Type Charger(High Power) - Coolgear

Type-C USB 16 port high power 1000W USB-C and USB-A charger can charge up to 16 laptops simultaneously and 16 Type-A legacy USB devices. Each USB-C port supports 60W power, each Type-C port supports 15W of power.

www.coolgear.com

Never seen one of those. Makes sense that they exist though.