Is a surge protector extension cord allowed on a train?

[Devil's Advocate]

USB-C started slow but has seen rapid growth in recent years and now supports up to 250W, which likely covers all direct current use cases for a typical traveler. As a result I would expect USB-C to become a common sight on aircraft and possibly cruise ships. Do the newly built Viewliners come with any USB-C plugs?

 

[drdumont]

Back when my daughter was little, we had a nebulizer to give her asthma medicine. So we decide to take a vacation to Grenada, where the current was 220V 50 Hz. I had the sense to get a voltage converter, but when we tried to use the nebulizer, the motor ran very sluggishly and couldn't nebulize anything. At least the volrage converter kept us from frying out the motor. Fortunately, the hotel contacted a local doctor for us, and we got a loan of a 220V 50 Hz nebulizer for the length of our stay.

Nowadays, it seems that most plug in appliances are actually DC, and the "wall warts" that you plug in will take anything from 110V to 240V nd convert tht to the proper DC voltage. I used my CPAP in China with no problem.

Switching power supplies have come way down in price, so it's economically sound to use a supply which is frequency agostic and runs from about 90 to 260 volts. Problem is, they introduce a huge amount of interference on the high voltage side, and some even radiate RF noise.

 

[PVD]

The latest product to the marketplace are GFCI with USB, but they can come with one A and One C side so compatibility is even less of an issue. But so far, they have lower charging rates available, time will tell if that changes. Because of proximity to the sink, GFCI is indicated, unless you used GFCI breakers, but that would be a PITA with tripping not being noticeable or resettable easily. Doubt they were provisioned that way, the roomette modules were spec'd a decade ago, and Railplan finished them years before they were installed

 

[BCL]

The latest product to the marketplace are GFCI with USB, but they can come with one A and One C side so compatibility is even less of an issue. But so far, they have lower charging rates available, time will tell if that changes. Because of proximity to the sink, GFCI is indicated, unless you used GFCI breakers, but that would be a PITA with tripping not being noticeable or resettable easily. Doubt they were provisioned that way, the roomette modules were spec'd a decade ago, and Railplan finished them years before they were installed

Probably not enough room. I say that as someone who had to replace a GFCI outlet that my then 6 year old sprayed with water, and then took apart the damaged GFCI outlet. I could barely fit in the replacement into the box - those things are usually crammed tight with a lot of electronics. There's quite a bit packed into a GFCI outlet, so cramming in a 2.1A USB power supply is perhaps all that's practical. A basic outlet requires almost nothing for the power connection, so something like Leviton's 5.1A USB outlet works. These things are kind of expensive though when a Leviton Decora outlet is less than $3 at Home Depot, but $30 for the version with 2 USB outlets. I could buy something that plugs in for $10 that I can also take on the road.

 

[PVD]

Leviton Smart-Lok (as well as other USB containing GFCI receptacles are spec'd for an extra deep box. Building from scratch that would generally be relatively simple to provision, retrofit is another story, I'm sure plenty of folks will try and pack them in to existing work, where regular GFCI (or receptacles) are installed.

 

[BCL]

Leviton Smart-Lok (as well as other USB containing GFCI receptacles are spec'd for an extra deep box. Building from scratch that would generally be relatively simple to provision, retrofit is another story, I'm sure plenty of folks will try and pack them in to existing work, where regular GFCI (or receptacles) are installed.

The biggest problem will be dissipating heat.

And yeah - when I had to replace it, all I could find on short notice was a much deeper 20A GFCI box when my original one was a relatively shallow Leviton 15A one.

I get that it's nice to have something that doesn't take extra room, but then again just plugging in an adapter (that can be replaced if the USB circuitry fails or if there's a new standard) is pretty basic.

 

[AmHope]

I always carry a compact strip with built-in USB-A and USB-C. Never had a problem with the power quality or had it kill my stuff. The built-in USB is nice so I don't have an abomination of wall warts hanging off the strip.

 

[PVD]

I have changed one receptacle to GFCI (near kitchen sink) and since the other receptacle in the kitchen is connected to the load terminals on the GFCI it is also protected. I've been perfectly content to plug in adapters at home, and even though I have an ample supply of different types of receptacles to choose from that I received as samples at a couple of NECA shows, I haven't seen any need. Traveling, I could see a carrier trying to make things easier for travelers. Not a big deal if you are doing a new build or major rehab. Adding power at each seat was once considered a luxury.

 

[BCL]

I have changed one receptacle to GFCI (near kitchen sink) and since the other receptacle in the kitchen is connected to the load terminals on the GFCI it is also protected. I've been perfectly content to plug in adapters at home, and even though I have an ample supply of different types of receptacles to choose from that I received as samples at a couple of NECA shows, I haven't seen any need. Traveling, I could see a carrier trying to make things easier for travelers. Not a big deal if you are doing a new build or major rehab. Adding power at each seat was once considered a luxury.

Back when I was keeping aquarium fish, I installed a GFCI outlet next to the tank - especially with a heater connected with a direct AC connection to the heating element. However, I've read a few message boards, and a certain segment of the fish hobbyists talked about not wanting to do so just in case it tripped accidentally and stopped working. But I was thinking it was better the fish than me if it came down to it.

My main worry is the reliability of these things. I've had my fair share of USB power adapters stop working, and I've use a few of these at malls or other places where the USB power seemed to be gone but the AC was still working.

But yeah it's nice to have an all in one. Still - I think in something like a setup such as a train or aircraft, having a modular system might be better, where a blown unit can be easily replaced.

But something like a large power tap with built-in USB power seems to be splitting the difference.

 

[PVD]

The older GFCI are meant to be tested periodically (they have a test button on them as well as a reset) and many of the newer ones also self test constantly. They are supposed to stop working and trip, if they fail. I have heard of a fair number of failures where they stopped working or would not reset, but don't know of many reports of "failed to protect" I would imagine those would get a good deal of attention.