Customizable Power Adapters: More Than Just a Black Box

Hello and welcome! This is CUI Inc, here today to talk to you about customizable power adapters. These adapters are often thought of as something to be added at the end of your engineering process, but i want to point out some really amazing things that we're able to offer you with our power supplies, making that adapter so much more than just a black box in your application. Let's get started! Of our external power supply line, we have wall plug, desktop, and multi-blade options for your application. With over 3,500 products to choose from and wall plug multiblade options ranging from 3 watts all the way up to 30 watts and desktop options from 12 watts to 250 watts in both ITE and medically certified editions, we strive to focus on new technologies that best serve you in your application. We are also early adopters on regulatory changes and we're a great resource if you have any concerns about new regulatory things coming down the pike, as we all know those are constantly in flux and things are always changing.

Did you know that CUI can help you with a number of different customization considerations? The product we have on the website for in-stock and channel is not the end of the road for meeting your application's needs. We have customer brandability options so you can make a power supply look and feel more in line with your end unit. We also have mechanical and electrical modifications that we can help you with and again we're here to support you with your regulatory concerns.

So you're designing your system and it's time to consider the power supply that'll be used to run it. Do you know what your system power requirements are? What wattage, voltage, or current is going to be needed? Will you be looking at a desktop unit, a fixed wall plug unit, or a multi-blade unit? That might determine, or be determined by, the global markets that you plan to enter. Will your system have some specific need that lends itself to mechanical modifications of a power supply that is off the shelf? Quite possibly. Do you have a specific dc plug in mind for your system or already installed in your system that you would need your power supply to match, or maybe a dc cable that is very specific because of the way that your system is set up? Are there efficiency regulations, safety standards, or agency marks that are required for the global markets that you'll be going into or the applications that you are creating? Is your system particularly sensitive to EMI or EMC? We can help you with that! Is your brand important to you? Do you want your power supply to align or say something about your brand? We have those options and we have a great marketing team that can help with that too.

Let's take a deeper dive into breaking down some of these needs that you might not have considered or you may be considering for your application. Let's start with something fun and a little flashy. Our custom brandable adapter options are as varied as the colors in the rainbow. Many of our adapters come in a standard black case, although you may have noticed we've been releasing more and more white case options as standard because of the growing demand for this color. If you'd like one of our adapters in a white case and you don't see that on the web, feel free to ask and we can quote you. You can also add your logo to the case with no additional fee via laser etching. You can provide us an .ai file of your logo and you can suggest where you'd like the logo to be placed, or if you're feeling a little lost, our marketing team is more than happy to mock up a few drawings so that you can select where you'd like your brand to be placed.

If you'd like to have control over the color of your brand or your company name on that case, silk screening would be the option for you. You can inform us of the color, placement, sizing, all of it for that adapter and we can draw you up a mock spec or we can get samples for you with that logo silk screened on the case. If you're interested in debossing or embossing your logo into the case - so raising or imprinting that logo into the case, the vapor grooves and the laser etching - we can quote you that as well. That option does tend to hold higher minimum order quantities and does require some tooling fees, but we can discuss that when you feel like moving forward with that option. We can also do custom case colors. You can let us know a RAL number, Pantone, or send us a chip that has the exact color that aligns with your brand and we can quote you to have an adapter made in that exact color. This beautiful example in red and gold shows a silkscreen logo on a custom colored case.

Another brandable piece is actually the packaging. Our adapters all come in a crisp gift box. Maybe you need a specific color gift box that best aligns with the packaging of your end system. We can quote you for that! Would you like your logo added to the gift box itself? We can also quote you that! What if you don't need the gift box at all? Maybe our power supplies are going to be pulled directly out of the box and put into a different packaging apparatus that you have for your end system. We also have egg crate packaging options. Do you need a barcode printed on the power supply or on the bag that the power supply comes in? We can also assist with that. Maybe your company is trying to be more green and use less plastic. We also have packaging options that utilize little to no plastic to help support you and your company's green initiative.

If you're interested in changing the actual case style or texture of the power supply itself - maybe you want a really smooth glossy finish - we're also able to look into that for you. Just let us know exactly what you need for your packaging of the power supply that best serves your end system. Is your system in need of very specific wattage voltage or capacitance that may not be on an off-the-shelf unit? Our tenured and expert engineers are more than happy to help walk you through exactly what you'll need in order to best power your system. Maybe there's some leakage across the isolation barrier that's impeding your system which is extremely sensitive to noise and audio frequencies or below audio frequencies. Our engineering team can also help with that.

We can work with you to find the best power supply for your end system and make suggestions for you if maybe your end system is not easily aligned with any power supply on the market or power supplies with minor modifications. Our team is here to help you figure out exactly what is needed from us and exactly what your system may be needing in order to best be powered by the supply that you are considering. CUI already offers over 13 different standard dc plug options for almost all of our external power supplies, but maybe you have a specific dc plug in mind. If you let us know the exact dc plug you're looking for, we can source that for our power supply, or we may be able to find you an alternative that has the exact same footprint but is less expensive or holds a lower minimum order quantity, which could help you depending on the volumes that your end system is expected to need for its first year in the market or subsequent years after that.

Are you looking for specific dc cord lengths? We can advise what dc cord length might be impacting Level 6 efficiencies, which are important for ITE applications, or what dc cord length might impact the UL certification, and advise how you can best work with those limitations in your system. We can also help with ferrite filter additions on the dc cord if you're having issues with EMI and EMC testing in your system.

Looking to go into a specific global market that maybe we don't have as a standard option on our power supplies? Just ask! We have many different ac blade options for global regions and many different ac cord options for different global regions. It can be rather cumbersome to figure out the exact ac plug type that you need given the many different options in the world, but we have a lot of experience with this, and we can at least guide you in the right direction, or ask the right question, so you can figure out what your global market will need in order to plug in your power supply and be utilized properly. We also have options for angled string release and other ways that we can help you with electrical customizations of your unit.

Global regulatory considerations are sometimes an afterthought. We're here to help you with that, as many countries have specific marks that must be applied to power supplies before you can import them into their borders. Many of these safety marks also carry renewal fees and annual fees that come up for things like factory surveillance and the ability to keep the mark on your power supply. We're here to help manage that and help you navigate all of the confusion that can come along with importing your product into multiple global markets. We also have the doozy coming up on December 20, 2020 as 62368 is rolled out in the EU and US, along with a few other global markets. Its implementation is crucial for some of these markets, and products that do not have 6368 will not be allowed for import into those regions, while other countries aren't adopting 62368. Again, let's CUI handle this burden and give you the facts and information you need so you know that you are importing your goods with all the right marks and with all the right safety standards.

I've discussed the many ways that we can assist you in creating a custom adapter that best aligns with your system and your brand. Let's talk a little bit more about how cui.com is an incredible resource, as we're always bolstering our content. You may think that you've explored cui.com, but be sure to check in periodically as we are adding more and more to our website and trying to ease accessibility for you to all sorts of new things. You can also go to our custom power supply page and submit an RFQ on our website, in which our sales team will get back to you with quoting options for your custom needs. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you so much for going on this journey with me today as we explored the many different customization options that are available to you through CUI with our external power supply line. We really do strive to be more than just a supplier, but to be your partners. Will you find the perfect power supply solution? We want to be your hub for information and content that is driven by what you have asked for. Never feel like it is too soon for you to submit an inquiry or ask a question about our power supplies and how we can best serve you. We look forward to seeing your quote requests and your questions for our team.