Best of Neocon is the official awards program that recognizes exceptional new products from exhibiting companies in a wide range of categories. This year, the jury was comprised of nearly 50 prominent designers, architects, specifiers and facilities managers from the commercial, healthcare, hospitality and education sectors.
Reduce cord clutter while improving power access
Power access and cable management are important features for both productivity and aesthetics in the workspace. The last thing many desk workers want, whether in a corporate or home office, is another power cable cluttering their workspace. Yet everyone has the same challenge of having more unique devices that need power as we work throughout the day. That is why LINAK® developed the Desk2Device USB Charger.
The Desk2Device USB Charger is a unique device that draws power directly from the LINAK CBD6S control box. Connected to the control box by an advanced proprietary LINAK system, the device helps remove the clutter of an additional power cord for users and gives desk users quick access to high-speed charging for virtually any USB device.
Developing the Desk2Device USB Charger
The Desk2Device USB charger was developed by our LINAK US Research and Development Team in at our North and South American Headquarters in Louisville, KY. Two of the product developers, Christian Mauzy and Daryl Sielaff, said perfecting the technology took months through vast experimentation with different hardware and software. "From the beginning, we wanted to support flexibility with faster charging for a broad range of devices. Once we gained a better understanding of USB-C and the other proprietary charging methods, we were able to provide better input for the technical requirements of the product, providing something useful for desk designers" they explained.
From the design side, the team went through various stages initially starting with just two USB-C ports. They experimented with the look and feel with a few drawings and 3D printed iterations. The team wanted the product to feel small but powerful on the desk, "It should look like it's hovering above or below the worksurface," they explained. The charger was angled, and plugs spaced so it was easy to connect and disconnect cables without too much effort. Status lights were added to give the user assurance that everything is connected as it should be.
The pair says the initial motivation for the unique charger was "simpler cabling and power access" around a desk. "A standing desk with this USB charger takes advantage of getting the power supply directly from the sit-stand desk, which leads to a simpler, cleaner method for charging all the different devices we carry with us every day."
