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Industrial Design Case Study: A Self-Coiling Charging Cable

Design 1st tackles the Lup Cable

By Rain Noe - August 16

in Design Business

This Lup Cable, conceived of by ex-Apple mechanical engineer John Hanna, is a self-coiling charging cable. To turn it into a finished product, Hanna and his company, Reaction Labs, tapped industrial design and engineering consultancy Design 1st.

Product Design Requirements

Aiming to revolutionize cable management with magnetic technology, the project focused on surpassing typical USB-C and Apple performance criteria while introducing a self-coiling mechanism. Product design goals and requirements included:

- Engineer a cable that automatically coils using magnets and complies with strict electrical performance standards.

- Ensure the cable supports high-speed data transfer and power delivery for a wide range of devices.

- Adapt the cable design for efficient large-scale manufacturing while maintaining consistent high quality.

- Use up to 240 ultra-fine strands per wire, each only 50 microns in diameter, to enhance flexibility and durability.

Engineering Challenges

The Lup Cable's innovative design posed unique engineering challenges, particularly in integrating magnetic coiling with high electrical performance. The Design 1st team needed to ensure these features did not compromise the cable's functionality or standards compliance. Challenges included:

- Solve interference from magnetic fields affecting data transmission and electrical integrity.

- Design for durability under frequent bending and coiling.

- Standardize production for consistent unit quality.

- Comply with USB-C and Apple power and speed standards.

- Use thermal imaging to assess and optimize heat management

Thermal Imaging of prototype cable

Product Results

Lup Cable's swift transition from concept to market exemplifies Design 1st's capacity for rapid innovation and effective execution. Released in just three months, the product quickly rose to prominence on Amazon, marking a significant achievement in the competitive tech accessories market. Its user-friendly design and powerful functionality have garnered positive reviews and robust sales figures.

- The quickest market launch in Design 1st history, under three months from concept to volume production and market

- Quickly earned Amazon's Choice status, indicating high customer preference and satisfaction

- Utilized a novel blend of rare earth particles in the internal magnet for enhanced magnetic coiling without loss of flexibility.

- Collected extensive customer praise for delivering power capability, ensuring rapid charging for devices.

- Lup cable is available for purchase on Amazon

Magnetic Lup cable moves from concept to volume production in under four months.

You can see more of Design 1st's work here.

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Comments

Alan Nomoto

3 months ago

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Seriously, is your language really necessary?

"Kind regards"; Nice Snarkastic touch. Just stop.

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Jamie Bresner

3 months ago

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Interesting idea. One of the photos does seem to indicate the cable is pretty flexible, which was one concern with the flat design. But not sure I'm their intended customers—I'd probably just keep rolling and unrolling the cable like a fidget toy.

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Zach W

3 months ago

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No mention of environmental impact or sustainability compared to current cables..... Sounds about right for an Apple product design.

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- Toby B
  
  Zach W
  
  3 months ago
  
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  Trenchant criticism, except that it isn't an Apple product at all? I assume the rare earths in the magnet sheath make it a bit worse than a normal cable, but also less likely to be blithely thrown away...
  
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- Dee An
  
  Zach W
  
  3 months ago
  
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  You are incredibly uniformed. Since you are sat at an internet terminal, your ignorance is self imposed.
  A cable that doesn't tangle is going to be kept by the user for longer, and not consigned to a draw of other cables.
  Apple only used two connectors, 13 pin and Lighting, before moving to USB C. Compare this to the multitude of different connectors used by Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson over the same period. Many different connectors, even from the same vendor. Adding to their sin: the cable would be integrated into the wall charger. Sheiiit, these vendors didn't even use the standard 3.5 mm TRRS for audio until the iPhone.
  The resale value of Apple products is empirical proof that they are usable many years after their release. Their software is typically updated for 6 years, compared to 3 years for Android devices.
  The environmental cost of producing a new phone is orders of magnitude greater than that of making a new cable.
  Go away and educate yourself before you comment. If you feel wronged, fine, go gather some evidence to support your position.
  
  Kind regards.
  
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