RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to complete our real-world research, talking to an expert in this field will be the best course of action. We have yet to talk to one, but have prepared a list of questions that will enable us to continue with the production of our design. I will update this post when we have answers to the following questions.

• What limitations will we run into with regulations?
• Insulation is an important factor, to reduce the chance of short circuiting and electric shock.
• Safety factors are included in this.
• Making sure our electronics are earthed properly will also reduce the chance of electric shock.
• We will also need to carefully monitor the gauge of the wires we use and the resistance in any conductors
• What is the most important thing to take into consideration when building a custom multi-socket?
• Safety obviously
• What is the maximum amount of sockets that you would recommend? And if we did want to add more, what provisions can we put in place to accommodate this?
• Most commercial multi-boxes are limited to 6 or 8 sockets.
• Would it be best to create our own circuitry, or re-appropriate an existing product?
• Re-appropriating an existing circuit would be our best bet, and having a certified electrician wire it up for us.
• What problems will we run into in terms of heat generated?
• Heat will only be generated when a bad connection or short-circuit is made, or the pins from the appliance don't make proper contact.
• What do you know about USB charging, and how hard would it be to integrate this into the circuitry?
• USB charging is usually done via a separate power supply built in.