A simple, safe dual charger for Apple devices designed to look nice on a nightstand.
- Build something safe that charges two Apple devices (iPhone via USB-C and Apple Watch)
- Create a clean, compact design that looks nice on a nightstand
- Use readily available components
- AC extension cord
- AC/DC Converter (5V 3W output)
- Prototype board and solid 22AWG hookup wire
- 4-pin JST connector
- 100oμF polarized capacitor
- 0.1μF ceramic capacitor
- 10μF ceramic capacitor
- Two 10KΩ resistors
- USB-C breakout board with CC1, CC2, VCC, and GND pins
- 3D printed enclosure
- Four rubber feet
- Soldered the AC/DC converter to the prototype board
- Clipped the extension cord and soldered it to the converter AC pins on the bottom of the prototype board
- Extended 5V and GND across from the converter DC pins using hookup wire so the remainder of the components could be connected
- CC1 connects to one of the 10KΩ resistors
- CC2 connects to the other 10KΩ resistor
- The other side of both 10KΩ resistors connects to 5V — this provides a "signal" to the USB-C equipment indicating the charger can supply up to 3W
- The three capacitors all bridge 5V and GND
- The 0.1μF and 10μF capacitors should be placed as close to the USB-C breakout as possible
- The 1000μF polarized capacitor can be placed closer to the converter
I had an old magnetic watch puck charger that was not in use, so I cut the wire and crimped it into the 4-pin JST connector.
Note: For the watch puck to receive the correct signal, you can use an older USB standard — simply short the data lines (green and white wires) together.
I packed the components as tightly as possible to keep the enclosure compact.
The enclosure was designed in Autodesk Fusion 360. I have included both the 3MF and F3D files in this repository if you want to reuse or modify the design:
NightstandCharger.3mf— Ready-to-print fileNightstandCharger.f3d— Fusion 360 source file
See LICENSE for details.