EmPower is a brand name that refers to three different power outlets available on commercial airlines: * 15-Volt, 75 Watt DC connector (now called EmPower Classic by the vendor) * 5-Volt, 10 Watt USB power-only jacks * 110-Volt, AC power jacks (some also have an EmPower USB jack)

Original 15-Volt EmPower Connector

15 volt DC connector type found on many commercial

airlines An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...

designed to provide power to travelers' electronic devices. The system is limited to 75 watts.EmPower Product Descriptio

www.astronics.com Accessed 2011-01-16 The use of a special connector is to prevent laptops charging at altitude and ensure that only approved adapters can be used. Some airlines offer it only in business class or only in certain types of aircraft or flights. Travelers in the 2000s bought EmPower adapters, frequently from

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

s at airports, to run laptops and other electronic equipment without using battery power. Supporting airlines include: * Some

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airl ...

flights * Some

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed ...

flights * Some

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passenge ...

flights * Some

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

flights * Some

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the List of airlines by foundation date, world's third-oldest airline sti ...

flights * Some

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

flights * Some

Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and ...

flights * Almost all

Alitalia Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana Società per azioni, S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of ...

flights * Almost all

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...

flights * Others (The SeatGuru web site contains more detailed information on which flights support EmPower) Adapters exist to connect EmPower plugs to

cigarette lighter receptacle An automobile auxiliary power outlet (also known as car cigarette lighter or auxiliary power outlet) in an automobile was initially designed to power an electrically heated cigarette lighter,LifeWire.com article''“From Car Cigarette Lighter ...

s and most EmPower power adapters come with these. EmPower is a

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

registered initially by Primex Technologies (VA) and assigned to Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, Inc in Kirkland, Washington, USA. Subsequently, the trademark has been expanded to include not just the proprietary 15V DC connector but also the 120V 60Hz AC in-seat power (and video entertainment) systems.

uses EmPower 120V AC outlets (standard 2 prong plus ground) on their newer 737s. Many laptops will not function properly at 75W. The new 111101 astronicsaes.com 60Hz AC EmPower system provides more power than the DC system. 111101 astronicsaes.com The AC EmPower system converts aircraft 400Hz AC or wild frequency power to standard 60Hz AC to prevent additional stresses in laptop chargers already stressed by reduced cooling at altitude. Note that laptops on this system will still charge batteries. Modern laptop batteries, however include a temperature sensor that should compensate for the reduced cooling at altitude. This new system accepts various national power plugs and most laptop chargers will function properly at 120V 60Hz AC even if sold in 230V 50Hz AC markets.

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

offered an EmPower

MagSafe MagSafe is a series of proprietary magnetically attached power connectors developed by Apple Inc. for Mac laptops. MagSafe was introduced on January 10, 2006, in conjunction with the MacBook Pro, the first Intel-based Mac laptop, at the M ...

power adapter for their MacBook, MacBook Pro, and

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of ultrabook computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and, in the more modern versions, a thin light structure. The Air was originally positi ...

lines of notebooks, and also included a cigarette lighter socket adapter. However, this system would only run the computer without charging the computer's battery, and Apple warned users to never plug this device into a car's cigarette lighter outlet. Accessed 2015-11-10. This product was later discontinued. Even though EmPower adapters are rated at 15 volts instead of 12 volts like

cigar lighter receptacle An automobile auxiliary power outlet (also known as car cigarette lighter or auxiliary power outlet) in an automobile was initially designed to power an electrically heated cigarette lighter,LifeWire.com article''“From Car Cigarette Lighter ...

s, most accessories made for the so-called "12-volt outlets" have enough voltage tolerance to allow for a voltage as high as 15 without step down DC-to-DC converter.

Modern AC and USB EmPower Outlets

EmPower is a 120 volt universal connector type found on many commercial

designed to provide power to travelers' electronic devices. The system is limited to 200VA. The EmPower universal AC Outlet Unit is compatible with power plugs from over 170 countries and is designed such that 110VAC power is not present at the outlet until a suitable plug is fully inserted. EmPower is a

registered initially by Primex Technologies (VA) and assigned to Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, Inc in Kirkland, Washington, USA. Subsequently, the trademark has been expanded to include not just the proprietary USB connector but also the 120V 60Hz AC in-seat power (and video entertainment) systems. The AC EmPower system converts aircraft 400Hz AC or wild frequency power to standard 60Hz AC.

References

External links

hypertronics.com - Connector specifications (.pdf)

seatguru.com - Guide to Airline's In-Seat Power Ports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empower (Aircraft Power Adapter) DC power connectors In-flight passenger facilities