About this project
Marble: A Portable 2-in-1 USB-C Docking & Charging Station
$150,971
1,095
More and more laptops are featuring the new, powerful USB Type-C port. All of your computer's power, data transfer, and output will be wired through a single USB-C port. It truly embodies technological simplicity.
But what about your stuff? And when you need to multitask, how do you fit everything into a single port? Well, that’s where Marble comes into play: the ultra-portable 2-in-1 docking and charging station that is designed to work with USB-C devices such as Apple’s new 12-inch Macbook, Dell XPS 13 (9350), Samsung TabPro S, Huawei Matebook and other emerging models.
*Marble’s port expansion function should work with all devices that feature a USB3.1-C port. However, the charging function may not work with certain USB3.1-C featured devices if the charging voltage of the device does not fall into one of the five following voltages: 5V/9V/12V/14.5V/19V Marble supports or the manufacturer intentionally disabled the charging function by third-party chargers like HP Spectre X2.
Marble offers a single compact way to connect multiple devices to your USB-C ported laptop, including the new Macbook, Dell XPS13-9350, Samsung TabPro S, Huawei Matebook and other emerging devices.
With 2 USB 3.0 high-speed ports, 2 USB-C ports, an MSD 4.0 microSD card reader and monitor extension ports like HDMI and Mini Displayport, Marble gives you all the functionality of having your devices nearby. It’s as though they are still plugged right into your computer.
With a built-in 60W AC adapter, it's time to say goodbye to all those chargers and adapters for your smartphone, tablet and other devices. That’s because Marble does all the jobs simultaneously! Think of Marble as your super-charger – it’s the perfect system made to charge your USB-C ported laptop while also powering your other devices.
When it’s NOT connected to an AC outlet, you can still use Marble as an on-the-go multifunctional hub for your laptop. The power supply of the USB ports will automatically switch from AC to laptop with a total maximum power output of 5V1.5A (following USB bc1.2 specifications).
The beauty of Marble is that you can even use it as your super-charger and travel companion without connecting it to your laptop. Marble works as a regular, yet much more powerful charger for your daily life.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro supports USB Power Delivery as the new 12-inch MacBook. Thus, it can be charged with a 29W charger (14.5V2A). Similarly, the iPhone 6 and later models also support quick charging at 11W (5V2.1A). However, the default chargers are only 5V/2,4A (iPad Pro) and 5v/1A (iPhones) respectively.
Now with Marble, you can fully unleash the fast charging speed of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and iPhone 6 (and later models) (up to 29W for iPad Pro and up to 10.5W for multiple iPhones simultaneously). That’s twice as fast as charging with Apple’s default charger!
*In order to fast charge 12.9-inch iPad Pro using Marble, a USB-C to lightning cable is needed. It can be purchased from Apple directly:
*In order to quickly charge the 12.9-inch iPad Pro using Marble, a USB-C to lightning cable is needed. It can be purchased directly from Apple: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m
Marble offers a single compact way to connect multiple devices to your USB-C featured laptop. Marble DCS1 has 2 USB 3.0 Type A ports, 2 USB-C ports, an HDMI Type A port, an MSD 4.0 microSD reader, and a 60W AC inlet to power it all. In addition, DCS2 is equipped with a Micro HDMI and a Mini Displayport to switch out the HDMI Type A port. It’s the only system designed to charge your laptop while powering all of your devices.
One of the greatest technical difficulties we faced during the development of Marble was how to ensure substantial output capacity in such a small form factor with the presence of so many additional ports. We are very proud that we successfully integrated a built-in 60W AC adapter into such a small form factor, which is crucial for any effective multi-device power supply that works with your laptop.
3 Ports（1 USB3.0-C + 2 USB 3.0-A） Featured with MoSmart™ Charging Technology
MoSmart™ Charging Technology can detect all the devices that are plugged in and automatically adjust the charging current to the optimal one. From trivial current charging devices like Fitbit to Bluetooth earphones, and from regular current charging devices like smartphones to power-hungry devices like the iPad, Marble takes care of them all and delivers the optimal current automatically.
1 USB3.1-C Port Featured with MoSmart™ Turbocharging Technology
On Marble, the USB3.1-C port not only adjusts the current like MoSmart™ ports, but it also supports USB PD2.0 and adjusts the voltage automatically among 5V/9V/12V/14.5V/19V.
Powerful as proven, Marble has a similar size to the Apple 60W charger, but it is equipped with so many extra features that a regular Macbook charger could never provide. Marble is your ultimate super-charger and your best travel companion.
Safety has always been our priority, which is why we built Marble with advanced protection technology. Marble protects all your plugged-in devices from overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature and short-circuiting, giving you a stable power supply and peace of mind
Marble is made internationally compatible with a working voltage of 100-240V. We will include 1 AC power cord that is compatible with your local socket based on the backer's choice or their shipping destinations. (Backers can specify their AC power cord type in the final survey.)
Imagine the hundreds of dollar you would need to spend on all the cables and adapters for your many devices. Now Marble does everything for you, and you can have it all at an affordable price. And let’s not forget the ease of use Marble provides!
As for YoCam, our previous Kickstarter campaign, we just charged shipping and handling costs without taking care of backer’s import tax and VAT like most other Kickstarter campaigns. It turned out that many of our backers, especially our European backers, were burned by insanely high duty/VAT costs, especially since the courier often charges additional handling and processing fees.
Most backers would like to know Marble’s development progress. Here are a few real video demos of Marble charging and docking functional tests from our engineers in Taiwan.
Risks and challenges
We started the Marble project 12 months ago. Since then, we’ve conquered quite a few technical difficulties. Recently, we finished all the tooling for Marble, and we have just kicked off the pre-production (PP) stage. We will be testing out PP samples very soon, and hopefully, we will hit the MP stage in August 2016. We are so proud that we have made Marble such a small, powerful and integrated accessory for USB-C featured devices. However, as is the case with most innovative projects, there are a few challenges involved. The primary risks and challenges we’re facing include:
1. Compatibility
More USB-C ported laptops and tablets are on the market than ever. We have been thinking about compatibility from the start, and we are working very hard to make Marble as compatible as possible with current USB-C ported laptops. We have to evaluate and test additional USB-C ported devices for a longer period to achieve this goal.
2. Screen Extension Capability
There are so many monitors with different resolutions on the market, which makes stable screen extension to all types of monitors – especially 4K monitors – very challenging. We have achieved 1-monitor extension to a variety of monitors with the DCS1 model, and we are now validating its long-term stability. Meanwhile, we are also working on the DCS2 model, which can extend the laptop screen to up to 2 separate monitors in HD. We will keep our supporters updated throughout the whole campaign (and during the post-campaign period), and we will do our best to ship DCS2 on time.
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Funding period
- (31 days)