Wall wart

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Wall wart is a slang term for certain types of power supply - typically those that are embedded in an over-sized AC plug and typically packaged with electrical devices that do not contain their own power supply. This can be for reasons of size of the device, keeping a source of heat remote from the device, making one device for international sale with a variety of power sources; and in the United States due to the economics of getting devices including an internal power supply certified by bodies such as the FCC.

These plugs have come under much derision, hence the name wall wart. Problems with this type of power supply include:

  • Size - the power supply may obscure other power points;
  • Weight - the weight of the power supply may cause it to fall out of the power socket (this depends on the socket design of the country in question);
  • Inefficiency - typically wall warts waste a lot of electricity, both through poor design of the transformers, and the fact that they use power even when the attached device is not in use or even present.

The problem of inefficiency of power supplies has become more well known, with George W. Bush referring to such devices as "Energy Vampires". Legislation is being enacted in the EU and a number of states, including California, to reduce the level of waste caused by these devices. See standby power and the One Watt Initiative.

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