Need help with a prototype

[Josh Owen]

I want to design a charging unit for IPhones. I have made a prototype but it’s not how I want it to be. I want the two separate retractable mechanisms to be connected to one usb output which will stay stationary. The problem I have at the moment is both wires have to be pulled at the same time for it to work effectively. I believe it would be similar to a retractable extension lead but I have no idea what I’m doing!

 

[Cadgey123]

It’s a no from me......

 

[Darkwood]

Thank you very much I will take this all into account.

Just to add, don't get me wrong here, some of the biggest money spinners have come from the most unexpected places and many accidental so I'm not trying to deter you but just giving a honest view as constructive advice, if you prove me wrong I couldn't be more happy for you

 

[TFGtv]

Yes I have seen dragons den and they are business men and women who have succeeded and are willing to give constructive feedback. Most users on this forum however are not constructive. I’m just a 17 year old entrepreneur who has an idea.

Frankly, having seen you you've 'spoken' to people here you come across as arrogant as you are delusionally naive - 17-year-old or not; you have no excuse. The Dragons would rip you apart (as they often do!). And I say that as someone who has been in business for over 30 years and provided the seed money for several projects. And, as it happens, one of the several subject I taught in my twelve years as a lecturer was Entrepreneurial Skills!

1) There is nothing new about the retractable cable reel... Even mounted in multiples on the one chassis or at any scale. As a child, back in the late 60s 70s I recall being taken round record shops by my mother where headphones could be taken down from a shelf to listen to a common-feed. - Just a bigger version of what you have here.

2) See Lucien's post above for answers as to how these work... Again; they're common commercially available items.

3) As these things exist already there is nothing of real worth in what's achievable in terms of IP here.

4) If you want to design something new and innovative (and 'protectable'/patentable as far as IP is concerned) you need to either have or be able to afford to buy the design and implementation skills.

5) Nobody 'owes' you anything... Not their time, not help with your problem; if you want to play at entrepreneurs you need to first learn that people's time and expertise COSTS! So, you either pay the money (nobody cares if you don't have it) or walk the walk on your own... There are such things as product design courses out there, and a reason why they take years to complete!

 

[MJPD29]

That's a bloody awful prototype of any description

 

[westward10]

The lad is 17 no need to shoot him down.

 

[TFGtv]

The lad is 17 no need to shoot him down.

Now is EXACTLY the time to shot him down - as he's still young enough to get back into the air, straighten up and fly right. - And not wind up like the delusional muppets you so often see on programmes like Dragon's Den or the Apprentice.

 

[wsoppitt]

Just take a standard 13amp cable reel and adapt the front plate to accept a usb socket.
That's the theory , practical side down to you.

 

[snowhead]

It took Dyson 20 years to get people to take notice of his Inovative Cyclone design of Vaccum cleaner and several hundreds of thousands of pounds.
He persisted when people knocked him back, the rest is history.
His advantage was it was a unique idea, not just a rehash of an existing idea.

Some people, like me wished he hadn't have bothered, they're the noisiest domestic appliance ever invented.

But hey, what do I know I'm not curently worth £8bn.

 

[Dannyg8810]

Been to IKEA today and you are wasting your time ,they now sell lamps with a universal wireless charging base ,won't be long before they are installed in bars/worktops/tables

 

[alasdairp]

Some of us here have designed a lot of things and experience shows that you have to ask a lot of questions to get a feel for how something should be done, before looking at the mechanics of it. Otherwise it's like answering the question ' How do I make a car?' without finding out whether the asker has in mind a Lamborghini or a Nissan Micra.

To me, the most important thing you revealed was this:


I have considerable experience of retractable cable mechanisms in commercial use. They get KNACKERED!! Not just in public areas but in upscale offices and conference rooms. The high-end commercial units sell for upwards of £200 each and some last a year before they are pulled to pieces, springs broken, rollers jammed, connectors squashed and fatigue failures in the conductors. I have personally lain on my back in the middle of the night under boardroom tables fixing and changing them.

So, my advice to you, before trying to find a detailed solution, is to define as well as you can, what you want to achieve. How many mating cycles? How many retraction cycles? What maximum pullout force? Ballpark price? Then if you ask for help, communicate all of this in the enquiry, so that people can get a handle on what is needed.

I 100% agree. Retractable cables are never reliable in the long run - especially if they are frequently used. They always fail in the end. Surely you use wireless-pad charging mats now. You can even get them built-in to worktops. Most modern smart phones now allow wireless charging.

 

[Santa]

I am reminded of the guy who, after years of development and a lot of investment, came up with a device for stopping spam on fax machines. For those who don't know/remember, this was indeed a problem as unlike email spam, it used your paper to print it. The Dragons pointed out that he had missed the boat by several years - "What's a fax machine?" one of them asked.

 

[static zap]

Dyson.......Some people, like me wished he hadn't have bothered, they're the noisiest domestic appliance ever invented......

(I enjoy my Macho brit engineered product )
... Air blade drier out of this world ! but we are in the 21st century.

Shark hoovers -aggressive as well .
( Before EU red tape gets them all)

As for cables - need to be disposable as they wear out .
- if "Magnetic-wireless===Inductive!" ...has its risks

 

[Hellmooth]

For the way you’ve spoken to members I’m surprised anyone has given you advice, I’d have shut up shop after your first couple of negative comments.

 

[MJPD29]

That’s irrelevant to you really all I need to know is how to do it

Don't be cheeky everyone here is here to help but people like you don't deserve help with your attitude. Retractable charging cable with 2 outlets already done have one plugged into the 12v point in my van. Game over back to the drawing board.