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Saskatoon invention solves winter plug-in problems

Dec 18, 2013 | 12:31 PM

Many have done the drive of shame: trying to drive off with the block heater still plugged in. Now, two Saskatoon engineers have come up with a solution to that problem they call the MagnoPlug.

The invention uses magnets to connect your block heater cord with an outlet. It works in temperatures as cold as -80 C and breaks apart easily when pulled.

“You don't have to push, you don't have to struggle, you don't really have to fight with any cables, just a nice click and it's done,” said co-inventor William Topping.

Arash Janfada, the other co-inventor of the MagnoPlug, came up with the idea after he drove away while still plugged in and ripped the front of his car off.

“I actually went online to buy the thing that makes that stop. Then I realized that thing doesn't exist. So, that's where the journey began,” Janfada said. 

Two years after that initial idea, Topping and Janfada, who both have an engineering background, have developed a prototype and put it through extensive testing.

“We tested it in a variety of cold conditions – anything from a freezer to outside when it was -29 C to the circuit on dry ice,” Janfada said.

Now, the pair wants to take MagnoPlug to the next level by getting safety certification and then putting it into production. To obtain the money needed, they are using the website Kickstarter where people can pre-order MagnoPlugs.

“To get to that point, we've set the goal at $100,000,” Janfada said.

Topping and Janfada are also working to build a Bluetooth feature into each MagnoPlug so it can double as a block heater timer.

“Why not put a timer right in MagnoPlug, so you can set little alarms inside so it only turns on and only engages for the two to three hours before you start you car,” Topping said.

Topping explained the Bluetooth timer feature means MagnoPlug could also be used to set things like Christmas lights or to make lights turn on within a home when its owners are away.

Although the MagnoPlug's first use was for block heaters, the inventors believe it has many spin-off uses.

“Anywhere where you're using a large electric tool like an angle grinder, a drill, a chainsaw, where little Timmy, your cousin or whoever is running around, if they're going to trip on a cable, you don't want this big huge thing getting ripped out of your hands…the cable doesn't get pulled, it just breaks away,” Topping explained.

The pair also believes it could have industrial uses in places where heavy machinery is common and tripping on cords is a hazard.

They plan to keep the MagnoPlug a larger size to make it easy to handle with gloves on and also so the crevices can easily be cleared of snow and dirt.

Now, the pair is focused on taking the first MagnoPlug, with a circuit board built by hand at Topping's kitchen table, to mass production. If they achieve the full Kickstarter funding, they expect to have it in production and ready for next winter.

“This is made in Saskatchewan, for Saskatchewan. I love the province and I want to keep working here, so I'm making myself a job,” Topping said.

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