Anyone ever have phone charging issues on Amtrak?

[diesteldorf]

I currently have a Pixel XL Android Phone that is similar to the latest Apple and Samsung devices. It uses USB C charging, which has a little bit different port than phones that use Micro USB ports.

I've used it on previous trips and it seemed to charge fine.

Recently, I took the EB to Milwaukee for a quick stopover on my way to Glenview/Chicago.

When I had my phone plugged in at my seat, on the lower level, it acted like it was charging fine. I used my phone normally to watch some movies and didn't realize that the battery was nearly completely drained until later that evening.

Later that night, I took a Hiawatha to Glenview, en route to my hotel.

When I plugged my phone in, it acted like it was charging fine, but I could tell I was still losing power.

Since I couldn't afford to have acompletely dead phone, I shut it off and kept it plugged in. I managed to gain 2 or 3% battery in a span of 20-25 minutes.

I was sure the power brick and/or the cord were faulty and I was planning to discard them. However, when I got to my hotel and plugged everything in, the phone began charging fine.

A couple days later, on my way home, I was taking a different EB and, even though my phone was plugged in and charging, the battery would drain.

When I arrive home, I plugged everything back in and the phone charged fine.

I don't believe the phone, power brick, or power cord are faulty and can only assume that, for whatever reason, my phone would not charge on the train.

Since I don't have electrical expertise, I was curious if anyone else had encountered similar issues?

I've been in situations in Amtrak where the outlets fail to draw power. However, my phone will always show that it is NOT charging in those cases. This usually happens if the train stops, the AC, lights etc also go off OR a breaker will fail and the attendant wll manually reset it and power will resume.

In my current situation, my phone was showing it was charging the entire time.

Assuming other passengers are also using the electrical outlets and charging their devices, can the train ever become overloaded to where electrical outlets may not be able to provide the juice needed to keep electrical devices charged?

Regardless, this wasn't a deal breaker.

Hopefully, I'll have better luck next time.

 

[StriderGDM]

I can't think of any reason the outlet would cause such problems. Only time I've seen such issues was a bad cable where there was a minor short in certain positions of the cable that would cause it to discharge.

 

[TinCan782]

Never had a problem on the train.

I have had a couple of phones however, that had charging problems. Even plugged in, the phone battery would still discharge ... turned out to be the micro-USB connector.

 

[the_traveler]

I've never encountered charging problems like you had. The only problem was in a roomettes when (although plugged in) the plug on my power strip did not make full contact with the outlet due to the train bouncing.

 

[Alice]

I've had similar behavior in an android for three different reasons: cord tip deformed from too much clumsy insertion (so I replace cord), using cordless charging system (only around 50% efficient, turn off phone), running power hungry apps like gps, constant screen on, etc (start with phone fully charged).

 

[BCL]

I'm an electrical engineer, but power electronics aren't my area of expertise. However, they are converting high voltage DC to 120V AC, so there could be something about the way that it's converting it to AC that your adapter doesn't like. Maybe it's not a pure sine wave?

Is it this one?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-usb-type-c-power-adapter-gray/5666950.p?skuId=5666950

 

[Mak]

I would highly recommend this bad boy. This thing is powerful enough to recharge an Ipad Mini 2 about 2-3 times. Could probably charge a smartphone even more times. It's expensive but worth every penny and is even allowed on US airlines.

Anker PowerCore+ 26800, Premium Portable Charger, High Capacity 26800mAh External Battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K6TA748/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SP&S]

My HTC 10 uses the same connector and I've never had an issue on several train trips. Perhaps your charger was not making a good connection to the train's outlet? Two prongs don't always fit firmly into well used sockets. Enough to indicate charging but perhaps not drawing full voltage. I always use a four foot long surge protector, the three prong plug makes a solid connection and it's outlets, being little used, make a good connection to the charger. I like having a surge protector as the train's electricity can be subject to spikes and multiple outlets are nice to have.

 

[chakk]

I have never had a problem charging any type of electronic device on Amtrak. I believe you are correct to question your charging device (or the phone itself?) as the problem.

 

[Mak]

And to answer your question: I've ridden Amtrak a bunch of times and never had charging issues.

 

[Triley]

I'm an electrical engineer, but power electronics aren't my area of expertise. However, they are converting high voltage DC to 120V AC, so there could be something about the way that it's converting it to AC that your adapter doesn't like. Maybe it's not a pure sine wave?

Is it this one?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-usb-type-c-power-adapter-gray/5666950.p?skuId=5666950

No difference. For the few weeks I had the same phone as the OP, I was charging it constantly while working on-board multiple trips, and had no issues.

OP - It's an issue with the cord. Replace the cord, and the problem will be solved. Because of how I wrap the cord to put it neatly in my backpack with my work gear, the wires tend to get brittle after about 6 months and I will sporadically get a message saying to use the original charger that came with the phone, and that fast charging capability is disabled. If that is disabled, your phone will charge much more slowly than you're use to. Until you have time to check to see if a new cable fixes it, unplug the phone and replug it in a couple of times until you get it to say it is fast charging (just had to do this for the last few weeks myself, until I tossed the old cord.)

 

[ScouseAndy]

I've had this with Android phones and low power sockets on buses over here in the UK how it was explained to me by a phone engineer was as below

Imagine a bath filled with water and now turn the tap to a trickle but remove the plug, even though you are adding water to the bath the end result will be an empty bath as you are draining it faster then you are filling it.

Same principle applies to batteries on phone if you use low power sockets.

 

[BCL]

I've had this with Android phones and low power sockets on buses over here in the UK how it was explained to me by a phone engineer was as below

Imagine a bath filled with water and now turn the tap to a trickle but remove the plug, even though you are adding water to the bath the end result will be an empty bath as you are draining it faster then you are filling it.

Same principle applies to batteries on phone if you use low power sockets.

There's always the chance that any device is using more power than the external supply can provide. That's one important thing that batteries provide in many devices. Someone could be using a USB hub to split the standard 0.5A from a computer into multiple devices, and that really may not be enough that there's net charging into battery. I've read about one of my Apple laptop computers that can still operate on the power adapter if the battery is removed. However, it has to dial back everything just in case peak power outstrips the supply. The CPU runs at half the system clock frequency until the battery is replaced. Also, this has a magnetic connector, which is great if accidentally tripping over the cable, but lousy if there's not battery to act as an uninterruptible power supply.

Apple also had this laptop adapter that connected to some sort of DC airline power port. I'd never seen that on a plane before, but the specs say that the charging circuits won't work while connected to this power supply by design.

 

[PVD]

Something to remember is that phones that are hunting for signals use more power. If there is a charging problem, it will be made worse by travel.

 

[GaSteve]

As a Trails and Rails volunteer, I have charged my phone and my Android tablet on many trips and never had a problem.

 

[willem]

I have had a problem similar to what the OP reported, but it was long ago and I do not recall the details. I have successfully charged phones, tablets, and laptops many times, including with the same charging equipment that I used when I had the problem. In other words, I offer no help except to tell the OP that someone else has experienced a similar problem, once.

 

[PRR 60]

As the charging jacks have become smaller and smaller (lightning, USB C), the small ports on the phones seem to have become susceptible to collecting lint and dust. This can cause the cable to phone connection to become intermittent. Sometimes it will start to charge, then a small movement stops the charging. Sitting on a firm surface may not be a problem, but any jostling (like, for example, you could have on a train) could break the connection.

I've had to clean out my iPhone 6 charging port several times using an old toothbrush, and even that is not 100% successful. The best way is probably to get a can of compressed air (like those used to clean photo negatives and slides), and blow that junk out of there. It may also be necessary to use some appropriate solvent to clean the contacts.

I suspect the phone manufacturers are not unhappy with this issue. People are holding on to phones longer than they used to. Anything that gets you back buying a new phone is OK by them. As long as my old toothbrush trick continues to more or less work, I'll just hang on to the one I have.

 

[BCL]

I suspect the phone manufacturers are not unhappy with this issue. People are holding on to phones longer than they used to. Anything that gets you back buying a new phone is OK by them. As long as my old toothbrush trick continues to more or less work, I'll just hang on to the one I have.

I don't think the manufacturers necessarily want people coming back just because their old device has little problems. If anything, a device where the power port fails will cause customers to swear off a particular brand because it failed on them. They're counting on people shelling out for the latest and coolest device.

One thing now is that many batteries are captive (which helps make the device smaller) and often the devices are glued together. Battery replacement often means replacement of the entire device at a relatively low price, although they'll typically test the battery (to make sure it's really worn) and might charge extra if there's physical damage like heavy scratches or a cracked screen. A new device will take care of certain performance issues (outside of the battery) like worn ports and worn out flash memory. The higher the density of the flash memory make it a bit slower and has considerably lower "endurance". A lot of newer devices use multi-level and now tri-level flash, which has resulted in the typical rated endurance going from 100,000 down to 10,000, and now maybe 1,000 write cycles. They all use error correction, which may not be needed when reasonably new, but is absolutely necessary when it's gone though enough write cycles.

I just wish Apple would put in a redesign of their Lightning cable for better strain relief. I know it kind of looks cool, but it seems to bend or pop out easily. I've bought authorized aftermarket cables that have a similar design, and it's obvious they're trying to emulate the look to some degree. There are some that are more durable.

 

[niemi24s]

Although almost any reputable USB male or female connector has gold plated contacts they can still get dirty and raise contact resistance - especially those on a device with no (or a missing) cover for the connector. If a toothbrush or compressed air doesn't fix the problem, the next step is spraying with an electrical contact cleaner (available at Radio Shack or a good car parts or hardware store (usually the CRC brand)). If you already have the contact cleaner, it's probably the best first step to take. I try to keep a couple cans of it on hand at all times.

 

[BCL]

Although almost any reputable USB male or female connector has gold plated contacts, they can still get dirty and raise contact resistance - especially those on a device with no (or a missing) cover for the connector. If a toothbrush or compressed air doesn't fix the problem, the next step is spraying with an electrical contact cleaner (available at Radio Shack or a good car parts or hardware store (usually the CRC brand)). If you already have the contact cleaner, it's probably the best first step to take. I try to keep a couple cans of it on hand at all times.

Gold plating is unnecessary. I've seen USB power ports for high use applications that have no gold plating. Most contacts are nickel plated. The quality of the soldering or welding is more important. Also, micro-USB has always been a bad idea. All it takes is one improper yank and the connector bends or the port is messed up. The USB-C connector is a definite upgrade.

 

[niemi24s]

Most of those on my devices are gold plated, nickel plated ones in the minority. Can't speak about the millions in use around the world. Nickel is good too as it's more durable. But that's neither here nor there - my point was that tuner or contact cleaner can fix many contact resistance problems. But I've only been using the stuff for about 50 years.

 

[tricia]

Another data point, which might or might not be relevant. Our house is off-grid, with a photovoltaic electric system and so-called "true sine wave" inverter that nonetheless supplies apparently somewhat funky electricity. When I got a new cellphone (with a new charger, with a teeny-tiny power box), it didn't charge properly at home, but did fine elsewhere. My husband (who works with industrial electronics, and designed and installed our PV system) thought the problem might be the undersized box on the charger. I started using my old phone's charger (with a larger power box), and have had no problem since then.

Perhaps something funky about the electrical supply on at least some Amtrak trains?

 

[BCL]

Most of those on my devices are gold plated, nickel plated ones in the minority. Can't speak about the millions in use around the world. Nickel is good too as it's more durable. But that's neither here nor there - my point was that tuner or contact cleaner can fix many contact resistance problems. But I've only been using the stuff for about 50 years.

I've got a number of high-quality power supplies in front of me, and they're nickel-plated pins. Even the nickel isn't all that big a deal as the constant scraping has basically exposed the copper underneath.

The vast majority of the problems with any kind of cabling or connector are mechanical.

 

[BCL]

Perhaps something funky about the electrical supply on at least some Amtrak trains?

I thought that could be the case since the issue seemed to go away in the hotel room. Another issue is that a lot of these companies have multiple suppliers for their components. They build them to electrical and mechanical specs, but they may not be strictly identical in the way they work inside.

 

[niemi24s]

I've got a number of high-quality power supplies in front of me, and they're nickel-plated pins. Even the nickel isn't all that big a deal as the constant scraping has basically exposed the copper underneath.

The vast majority of the problems with any kind of cabling or connector are mechanical.

Plated with nickel, gold, silver cadmium oxide, palladium, passivated silver, or unobtainium - I could care less. Same goes for which plating material is most common in what we have. When they get crudded up and make poor contact, contact cleaner (CRC, DeOxit, Cramolin, etc) often restores adequate conductivity. That was and still is the only point I was attempting (somewhat unsuccessfully) to get across. To that end, I've X'd out the reference to gold in my initial post and will post no more on the subject of contact plating materials.