Author Topic: The uBeam FAQ  (Read 641717 times)

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Offline EEVblog

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1225 on: June 29, 2018, 06:21:09 am »
I know you all desperately want to hear a Perry interview:
https://makeitinla.org/podcast/meredith-perry-ubeam/

Hmm, about 31:40 she says the first time they *ever* charged a phone wirelessly (and that she saw it do so) was Dec 5th 2016. Hadn't they been claiming they were doing that way before then?
« Last Edit: June 29, 2018, 06:29:59 am by EEVblog »
 

Offline Howardlong

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1226 on: June 29, 2018, 08:03:16 am »
Some takeaways...

There's still no independent demonstration of how fast it charges a phone, which remains the key use case for her technology.

The transducers are operating at 40kHz, and they're manufacturing them themselves in their own facilities. Apparently they have improved the efficiency particularly at the receive end, but no numbers were quoted.

uBeam won't be manufacturing or selling completed units themselves. She talks about a "reference design" and that the technology can be licensed.

Q. "Are there any uBeam licensees?"

A. "Can't answer that".
 

Online mikeselectricstuff

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1227 on: June 29, 2018, 08:36:31 am »

Q. "Are there any uBeam licensees?"

A. "Can't answer that".
that'll be a "no" then...
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Offline EEVblog

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1228 on: June 29, 2018, 08:49:27 am »
The transducers are operating at 40kHz, and they're manufacturing them themselves in their own facilities. Apparently they have improved the efficiency particularly at the receive end, but no numbers were quoted.

I have heard that the efficiency is exceptional compared to commercial units, in theory. But in practice getting yield is proving a problem. They need a LOT of these units.

Quote
uBeam won't be manufacturing or selling completed units themselves. She talks about a "reference design" and that the technology can be licensed.

No one will be dumb enough, except perhaps in very niche areas. The consumer space for this was dead out of the gate.
The problem  is they won't ever pivot with Perry at the helm, she staked everything on the mobile phone application, she will not want to admit defeat. She'll go down with the ship before admitting mobile phone charging isn't practical.

Quote
Q. "Are there any uBeam licensees?"
A. "Can't answer that".

Translation = Nope.
 
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Offline Fungus

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1229 on: June 29, 2018, 01:08:21 pm »

Q. "Are there any uBeam licensees?"

A. "Can't answer that".
that'll be a "no" then...

Is anybody ever fooled by that sort of reply?
 

Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1230 on: June 29, 2018, 01:26:24 pm »
November 8, 2015
The company is ramping up to manufacture millions of units and will ship a product by the end of next year, said Perry in a September interview with the Business Journal. Perry previously said uBeam would be available in fall 2011 and also in spring 2013.

http://labusinessjournal.com/news/2015/nov/08/skeptics-zap-wireless-charging/?page=all

And now it's never, if only anyone had tried to warn the investors. :palm:

40kHz is definitely not pet friendly.:horse:
« Last Edit: June 29, 2018, 04:47:53 pm by StillTrying »
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 

Offline GeorgeOfTheJungle

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1231 on: June 29, 2018, 02:08:49 pm »
I know you all desperately want to hear a Perry interview:
https://makeitinla.org/podcast/meredith-perry-ubeam/
Wow, she's such a fake and boastful. Something's very very wrong with this world.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2018, 03:58:07 pm by GeorgeOfTheJungle »
The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.
 

Offline Howardlong

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1232 on: June 29, 2018, 02:20:18 pm »
Furthermore, in the interview she criticised other wireless charging technologies like Qi because the device won't charge while you're using it, which I found more than a little ironic. How does it charge when you're holding the phone while taking a call, or using the touch screen, when the energy harvesting transducers are covered by you hand or face down on a surface?
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1233 on: June 29, 2018, 04:49:50 pm »
Furthermore, in the interview she criticised other wireless charging technologies like Qi because the device won't charge while you're using it, which I found more than a little ironic.

I wonder how the journalists never pick up on those things and never ask the awkward questions.

They don't even need to be tech questions or use the word "efficiency", you could simply ask, "How will you ever convince Apple to add 2cm thickness to their phones?"

I get the feeling she only does interviews with the known-gullible. None of us would ever get anywhere near her.
 

Offline Cerebus

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1234 on: June 29, 2018, 05:05:10 pm »
Furthermore, in the interview she criticised other wireless charging technologies like Qi because the device won't charge while you're using it, which I found more than a little ironic.

I wonder how the journalists never pick up on those things and never ask the awkward questions.

They don't even need to be tech questions or use the word "efficiency", you could simply ask, "How will you ever convince Apple to add 2cm thickness to their phones?"

I get the feeling she only does interviews with the known-gullible. None of us would ever get anywhere near her.

There are lists of journalists who are known to ask 'awkward' questions, that circulate privately in the PR world. You can, in part, judge a company on whether they ask their PRs to not invite people on those lists to events. Despite all their other sins Microsoft (and their UK and US PR firms) DO invite journalists whose names have found their way onto those lists.
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 

Offline BobGeorge

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1235 on: June 29, 2018, 05:40:42 pm »
Now that is a list I would like to be on  ;D

I do like the way she besmirches the reputation of those who have left the company. Stay classy uDream!
 

Offline sdpkom

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1236 on: July 02, 2018, 07:13:43 am »
How does it charge when you're holding the phone while taking a call, or using the touch screen, when the energy harvesting transducers are covered by you hand or face down on a surface?

Just hold your phone naturally, using two of your left hand fingers, stand to the side of the beam, and make a nervous hand gesture using your right hand.

Now hold that position for 3 weeks, and voila, your phone is all juiced up and ready to go.

 
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Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1237 on: July 02, 2018, 09:29:20 pm »
That's just begging for "YEET" *slaps hipsters iCrap into the distance* >:D

EDIT: The huge brick might even act as a cushion. ;)
*BZZZZZZAAAAAP*
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Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1238 on: July 08, 2018, 12:39:47 pm »

Well they do say there's one born every minute.  :) :horse:
« Last Edit: July 08, 2018, 12:41:25 pm by StillTrying »
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 

Offline Cerebus

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1239 on: July 08, 2018, 12:52:27 pm »

Well they do say there's one born every minute.  :) :horse:

The other version of that is "I saw him coming from a mile off", which is do doubt what the salesman who sold him that jacket said as he was taking his commission.
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 

Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1240 on: July 08, 2018, 01:05:34 pm »
"I saw him coming from a mile off"

You certainly could now!
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 

Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1241 on: July 24, 2018, 12:43:32 pm »
uBean are very quiet, have they closed down yet. :)

liesandstartuppr.blogspot.com   has done some calcs on Energous's 915MHz wireless charger, giving charging power efficiency of 0.2% to 0.06%.
One day all batteries will be wirelessly charged this way. :horse:
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 
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Offline Howardlong

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1242 on: July 24, 2018, 03:49:17 pm »
uBean are very quiet, have they closed down yet. :)

liesandstartuppr.blogspot.com   has done some calcs on Energous's 915MHz wireless charger, giving charging power efficiency of 0.2% to 0.06%.
One day all batteries will be wirelessly charged this way. :horse:

I should pay more attention to Paul's blog. I haven't read in any detail the FOI documents, but the general tone seems rather bizarre.

o Energous seem to be using the FCC as a consultancy service.
o From the tone of his emails, SVP Jeff McNeil appears to be overly sickly sweet and sycophantic in trying to cosy up to the FCC.
o How have they managed to get such a direct relationship with the FCC?
o Jeff McNeil starts off as SVP Operations, then automagically during the FCC "consultancy" becomes SVP Operations and Regulatory, but I see no evidence that prior to this he had any experience of FCC regulatory issues.
o Jeff McNeil appears to now be working at Enphase Energy since January of this year.

 
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Offline PaulReynolds

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1243 on: July 31, 2018, 02:59:25 am »
A few more pieces of information on Energous' quest to get Part 18 approval from the FCC for their mid-range device

https://liesandstartuppr.blogspot.com/2018/07/more-clarity-from-new-energous-foia.html
 

Offline EEVblog

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1244 on: July 31, 2018, 11:48:08 am »
uBean are very quiet, have they closed down yet. :)

Nope, they just moved to a new 12,500 sqft facility that will handle the hazmat issues they have.
They have lost more top staff. The new COO Kostas Mallios lasted only 9 months.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kostasmallios/
He apparently bailed before his 1 year option vested, so I guess that tells you something.
 

Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1245 on: July 31, 2018, 12:54:34 pm »
I can't find any evidence that they've moved myself, their old place is off market, whatever that means.
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 

Offline Howardlong

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1246 on: July 31, 2018, 01:09:16 pm »
I can't find any evidence that they've moved myself, their old place is off market, whatever that means.

Cleaning up the hazmat?

 

Offline StillTrying

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1247 on: July 31, 2018, 01:28:25 pm »
Sr. Technician -
Marina del Rey, California, United States · Engineering
 We are seeing a hands-on and enthusiastic Senior Technician to support engineering development and fabrication of high performance ultrasonic transducers.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
Sound judgment,  :-DD

https://ubeam-inc.workable.com/j/0BB01F29B9
.  That took much longer than I thought it would.
 

Offline PaulReynolds

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1248 on: July 31, 2018, 06:23:29 pm »
For those wanting to play around with ultrasonic phased arrays, this open access paper and toolset might be of help.  It seems pretty comprehensive and the team that worked on it at Bristol University are well respected.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8094247/

Quote
The system hardware consists of a driver board capable of reading the amplitude and phases produced by the software and then generating half-square wave driving signals of up to 17 Vpp and π /5 phase resolution for 64 individual channels. Up to 15 boards can be chained to increase the number of channels. A set of 64 phases can be updated 25 times per second. For complex and fast field modulations, it is also possible to upload onto the board up to 32 phase patterns and a script that exactly specifies how many periods each pattern should be emitted.

For a wide uptake of Ultraino, we provide source code, components list, PCB designs, as well as video instructions for assembling the board and example arrays for applications in particle levitation, mid-air ultrasonic haptics and parametric audio (Supplementary Movies and https://github.com/asiermarzo/Ultraino). A PC running the software, driver board, and an array are shown in Fig. 1.
 

Offline JimRemington

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Re: The uBeam FAQ
« Reply #1249 on: August 01, 2018, 03:40:26 pm »
Not sure what the phrase "π /5 phase resolution" means. Can someone explain?
 


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