However, the concept was good and served a need, so it was not too long before major manufacturers of electrical devices saw the opportunity and embraced it. The answers generally did not impress me, and the response was often along the lines of “We have a patent pending…” That was an indication to me that the items I considered critical (such as listing and labeling) hadn’t even been started. I would ask if the device was evaluated to a standard and did it meet the durability that we are used to for our electrical devices. The major questions I had with these were related to quality and product listing. Various versions of these have existed for some time. Other versions were modified face plates that had the USB charging ports as part of the faceplate, but also required physical connections to the conductor termination points on the existing receptacle. Years ago, the first versions of these that I saw plugged into the face of a standard receptacle and essentially created a receptacle extension adapter. This photo illustrates a device that meets the requirements of the new language in the 2017 NEC Section 406.6(D), and it is listed. The overall concept is that these new ac/dc or dc only receptacles can be installed into standard receptacle boxes and provide the convenience of being able to provide the power you need for the device you wish to charge, either a 120-volt ac or a 5-volt dc device. Some have even gone as far as omitting the 120-volt ac and including only multiple ports at 5-volt dc. In other words, a hybrid receptacle that we can utilize for both 120-volt ac charging and 5-volt dc charging. There is good news for users, as various manufacturers have recognized that they can make our life simpler by providing receptacles that already have the power supply block or cube device built into the device. The search for the proper charge cable and the power supply block or cube-style charge adapter that you plug into the ac voltage source seems never-ending. Items such as phones, tablets, power chargers, Bluetooth equipment, etcetera, usually charge on a USB (universal serial bus) that operates at 5-volt dc. Unless you live in a time warp and have not bought a single electronic device in the last decade, you know that we are constantly having to maintain the charge on one device or another.
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