michael769
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I am amazed and bemused that you are willing to put up with something that is so obviously unfit for purpose.....
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A Lame Plug Socket Question
- Thread starter JamesM
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I am amazed and bemused that you are willing to put up with something that is so obviously unfit for purpose.....
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R
RailUK Forums
My laptop battery no longer works therefore if I wish to use it, at all, I need mains power.
It's slowly getting to me! They won't do anything about it as it is working as designed.
This is a Sony Xperia S.
PaxVobiscum
Established Member
My first iPhone (3G) had a pretty dismal battery life unless all the useful/fun apps were disabled, so I started carrying one of the Kensington Rechargeable USB Portable Battery Packs with me if away for the day. Don't know if they still make them but I still take one with me on long journeys in case there are no sockets or they don't work (yes Caley Sleeper, that means you).
michael769
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That is as may be but the law requires that it is fit for the purpose for which it is sold. I cannot accept that a "mobile" that cannot last for half a day without mains can be accurately described as a "mobile". I am confident that Trading Standards would agree.
Sorry for the off topic.
For context I get 24-48 hours from a galaxy SII.
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
It's difficult to say what the average battery life for a smartphone should be though because everybody uses them completely differently.
I will say that being on a train is one of the worst things you can do for a phones battery life though. As you are constantly moving at high speed on a train (or in a car on the motorway) you are never connected to the same cellular tower for more than a few seconds and as a result your phone is constantly searching for the strongest signal to connect to, obviously it can never find one because you are always moving away from whatever it has decided to be the strongest signal.
This will eat your battery much more quickly than if you are sitting at home or in an office connected to the same tower all day long.
I will say that being on a train is one of the worst things you can do for a phones battery life though. As you are constantly moving at high speed on a train (or in a car on the motorway) you are never connected to the same cellular tower for more than a few seconds and as a result your phone is constantly searching for the strongest signal to connect to, obviously it can never find one because you are always moving away from whatever it has decided to be the strongest signal.
This will eat your battery much more quickly than if you are sitting at home or in an office connected to the same tower all day long.
Can I give some advice. If your on a 377 and your power is running low, dont be tempted to plug in to the sockets in the vestibule, marked NOT FOR PUBLIC USE. The reason, these sockets are deisgned for use when the train is at a standstill in the depot, ie for henry hoover. On the move the voltage, amps etc goes up and down and will destroy your charger, laptop etc. Many a time I've come across chargers plugged in and they were burning hot.
Sockets for public use are voltage regulated. We are also limited on how many we can put in on a third rail system due to poor current draw. Esp on icy rails our trains are having issues trying to get a stable draw to run the trains, never mind a load of laptops and phones.
SJ
Sockets for public use are voltage regulated. We are also limited on how many we can put in on a third rail system due to poor current draw. Esp on icy rails our trains are having issues trying to get a stable draw to run the trains, never mind a load of laptops and phones.
SJ
I think you will find that on most trains the current from the power sockets is quite low so it actually takes a very long time to charge your mobile device on a train. I have a portable charger for my iPad as when I have used the available sockets on trains the current has been so low it hasnt charged my iPad it has just made my battery life run down less quickly. Have we really got to that stage in life where ppl base their travel plans on whether they can charge their mobile device on the move?
I've also seen these on 170s. I presume the above 'disclaimer' applies there also? (I presume the diesel engine must operate a generator to provide electricity for heating, lighting, etc.)
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
At the risk of having the exact same conversation as we had a couple of pages back, yes, yes we are. It's easy to scoff at the idea if you think these things are being asked of TOCs just so Mandy from Croydon can update her Facebook status every three minutes on the way home, but there are tens of thousands of people out there who will do some work on the train on they way to and from the office. Having access to power and internet is a huge thing for them, you might even argue it is good for the productivity of the nation if you want to be overly noble about these things, but in terms of what rail transport can offer over the car this is a massive thing. I suspect that the overwhelming majority of the nations fleet of trains will have at least some kind of access to power and internet over the next ten to twenty years.
tsr
Established Member
That's a very valid point. It does explain, as far as I can see, why a slightly old Nokia handset I was using got very confused on HS1.
I notice you said that you would be "constantly moving at high speed"... but you have no idea how long I've been stuck on stationary trains this week, using my phone to keep me occupied :P
Thank you for pointing that out. Chargers do become dangerously hot when they are plugged into those sockets. I have had to tell people to remove them. I would, of course, only advise using the sockets in First Class, should this accommodation be available with the use of one's ticket.
(Interestingly, I remember a very icy evening in December 2010 when I turned off all those reading lights - for some reason they were all turned on when I boarded - on a 377. It actually did make a difference to the unit's running - I was quite surprised at the time!)
Also, turning off GPS, Wifi and bluetooth can greatly prolong a phone's battery life.
tsr
Established Member
As can lowering the screen brightness level, turning off any ambient light sensors, not using the camera, etc., etc....
Near where I live the council HAVE installed sockets on most lamposts* they are about 3M high though and not easily reached.
Christmas lights are plugged into them every year thereby avoiding needing an electrician to connect them.
Someone actually complained that the sockets were too high up ! Surely they did not think that they were intended for public use !
*pedant mode. "public lighting column" please, not lamp post.
We will have people refering to plug sockets next, or light bulbs rather than lamps.
tsr
Established Member
But they might be referring to all-in-one LED lighting modules - neither lamps nor light bulbs.
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