Charging Devices in Flight without the use of Batteries

[747sp]

Batteries on a plane.

Just a question for the experts. With the new rules of not being able to use your battery on the plane i was wondering is it faster to charge my phone/ipad , using the USB port or is it better to bring a charger and use the power point provided?
Also would you use one of the higher capacity cables or it not relevant.

I tend to use flightradar 24 too much when flying and have an old phone

 

[Haplo]

I only heard about the new rule when I was on a flight two days ago, dont recall having that flying last month.

Luckily my laptop charger is a USB type C so I was able to charge my phone using that (was on Y+)

 

[drron]

Batteries on a plane.

Just a question for the experts. With the new rules of not being able to use your battery on the plane i was wondering is it faster to charge my phone/ipad , using the USB port or is it better to bring a charger and use the power point provided?
Also would you use one of the higher capacity cables or it not relevant.

I tend to use flightradar 24 too much when flying and have an old phone

I always use the USB port for my iPhone. It is slow but basically has the same charge when I deplane as on boarding. recently using it for most of the flight.

 

[PatMcrotch]

Batteries on a plane.

Just a question for the experts. With the new rules of not being able to use your battery on the plane i was wondering is it faster to charge my phone/ipad , using the USB port or is it better to bring a charger and use the power point provided?
Also would you use one of the higher capacity cables or it not relevant.

I tend to use flightradar 24 too much when flying and have an old phone

Faster using the power point and plug in Charger.

 

[Quickstatus]

Ive used both

USB to phone - enough to charge to 100% fairly quickly
120V power point charge to 100%.

I have not noticed the difference, probably quicker than USB.

Take your pick.

 

[Forg]

Ive used both

USB to phone - enough to charge to 100% fairly quickly
120V power point charge to 100%.

I have not noticed the difference, probably quicker than USB.

Take your pick.

It would depend on fitout I imagine … some USB ports can charge just as quickly as the wall-wart can, but others can only provide relatively low current so won’t charge that fast (my work Windoze laptop has two USB-C ports, the one that’ll charge my iPad at full wall-wort rate has a little lightning-bolt symbol next to it - the other one will charge but it’s about 3x slower).

If there’s a 120V or 240V socket definitely available, but you don’t know the specs of the USB ports, I think it’d be safest to assume you’ll use the charger and it’s a “yay” if the USB is as good.

 

[markis10]

The plane A/C adaptors like what’s on the A380 have limitations on power draw, a GAAN charger should not be more than 30W with this in mind as the outlets are 110V@75 watt max.

 

[jb747]

A warning about power points on aircraft. If you find one in a random spot, not specifically marked for passenger use, it could be for maintenance or cleaner use, and if that’s the case, you’ll put a lot more voltage through your device than you’ll be expecting.

 

[PatMcrotch]

A warning about power points on aircraft. If you find one in a random spot, not specifically marked for passenger use, it could be for maintenance or cleaner use, and if that’s the case, you’ll put a lot more voltage through your device than you’ll be expecting.

Wouldn't the charger convert it to 5 volt as it does with 240v and 110v?
What voltage are you referring to?

 

[markis10]

Wouldn't the charger convert it to 5 volt as it does with 240v and 110v?
What voltage are you referring to?

Normal consumer systems have two important components, voltage ie 240/220 or 110 and frequency, usually 50-60hz, on aircraft the primary electrical system is a 3-phase, 4-wire, constant frequency 400 Hz, 115/200 Volt system

 

[Forg]

Wouldn't the charger convert it to 5 volt as it does with 240v and 110v?
What voltage are you referring to?

Some chargers are very cheaply made & don’t control the DC output voltage very well. The transformer in the cheapest chargers works by having a certain number of coils on the input side & a certain number on the output side, reducing the AC voltage by a fixed ratio, and then simple electronics to keep the voltage positive (unlike AC which oscillates between positive & negative) and smooth it out just a little … it’s the “fixed ratio” due to coils in the transformer that’s the issue, because if plugging into 240V gives you 5V output then plugging into 110V will get you a bit over 2V.

But markis10’s info about it being 3-phase adds an extra dimension … because you get a higher voltage between two of the 3 phases than you do from one phase to ground (I think it’s about 1.4x - so you could get 200x1.4=280V going into your transformer). I’m also trying to recall whether the frequency has an effect on how effectively the transformer works (I think it doesn’t BUT I have niggling doubts).
Actually a high quality charger, one you can plug into 220V or 240V or 110V and it gives you a nice solid 5V DC output voltage … that might not be too phased (heh) by a 280V (if my memory is correct) input. But I don’t know if a charger that well made is common, zero idea of that!

 

[RooFlyer]

The plane A/C adaptors like what’s on the A380 have limitations on power draw, a GAAN charger should not be more than 30W with this in mind as the outlets are 110V@75 watt max.

What happens if you do plug a 65W GAAN charger in, per the 'travel charger' thread?

Normal consumer systems have two important components, voltage ie 240/220 or 110 and frequency, usually 50-60hz, on aircraft the primary electrical system is a 3-phase, 4-wire, constant frequency 400 Hz, 115/200 Volt system

What does that mean to me, plugging a random travel charger in?

In relation to the OP's question, do you think USB C or A or the plug-in-charger would be quicker, say on a craft for example (only), a B787-9 or A350-9?

 

[markis10]

What happens if you do plug a 65W GAAN charger in, per the 'travel charger' thread?

You will trip the breakers which can only be reset on the ground.

What does that mean to me, plugging a random travel charger in?

Don’t plug it in, you will let the smoke out

 

[RooFlyer]

You will trip the breakers which can only be reset on the ground.

So do they say somewhere not to do so? I finally got one of those mentioned in the travel chargers thread and would have just used the max output plug.

Don’t plug it in, you will let the smoke out

Ah, I see now you were talking about the plugs jb747 mentioned.

 

[Forg]

@markis10 what plugs do they use for those 110/200 3-phase outlets on aircraft?

Ever since I started carrying around devices that go through a reasonable amount of juice (you could last for weeks on a set of AA’s for your Walkman!) I’ve wondered about those standard Australian wall plugs you see on suburban trains which are likely intended for cleaners/maintenance to use …

 

[markis10]

@markis10 what plugs do they use for those 110/200 3-phase outlets on aircraft?

No idea, I was commenting on the energy system, not the outlets

 

[Forg]

Ah cool, ta, thought you might’ve seen ‘em.

 

[XWu]

you could last for weeks on a set of AA’s for your Walkman!

Sorry, I am old enough to remember/own a Walkman. If I play the tape often enough I would be lucky if a fresh pair of alkaline AA last half a day, or before the head needs cleaning….. remember those cotton buds or demagnetisers

But yes, the USB slots can be a hit or a miss. Mind you I usually pack my loose cables and chargers in my carry on so have everything ready on hand and check the charging progress after 30 mins to see how it’s doing, although obviously it depends whether you started on near 0% vs above 50%, another consideration (ie the state of charge of device) when judging how fast the charging port is

 

[serfty]

@markis10 what plugs do they use for those 110/200 3-phase outlets on aircraft?

ISTR they are generally standard unearthed US type.

 

[Daver6]

There is no simple answer to this question. It would depend on what the output of the USB port on the plane is verse the output of your charger.

Having said that, most USB ports on planes output bugger all power. So chances are your adaptor will be a better option. However, if you're using an ancient phone that only pulls 5W then not really going to make much difference anyway.